BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Raleigh General Hospital hasn’t had to alter its procedures as much as you’d think due to COVID-19.
Many people are concerned with the condition of hospitals since the beginning of COVID-19. At Raleigh General, however, the routines that were already in place haven’t needed much changing.
“Since COVID, I’ve continued to make rounds on the floors, making sure that everything is the way that it should be,” said Raleigh General Hospital Infection Preventionist Nancy Edwards. “Everyone’s wearing their PPE, doing hand hygiene and protecting themselves when they enter these rooms.”
It took a while for hospital members to adjust to the norms of social distancing and wearing masks, but now the staff, as well as visitors, are in a routine.
“When I make rounds and go up and down the hallways, I see everybody wearing masks,” Edwards said. “Visitors are wearing masks. They know the expectation. It’s on our Facebook page. It’s in front of our building. You’re required to wear a mask when you enter this.”
Although Raleigh General isn’t a hotbed of COVID patients, or testing of potential patients, it’s more important now than ever to be aware of everything going on inside of the hospital’s doors.
“I’m more in communication now with my administrative staff,” Edwards said. “Keeping them in the loop of different things going on in the building, patients coming and going, things like that. So, there’s a lot of making sure that they’re aware of what’s going on in the building.”
After several months of adjusting to the conditions presented by COVID, Edwards feels that Raleigh General is as safe a place as any in society’s current condition.