Long before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus as a pandemic, Grand Strand Medical Center, an HCA Healthcare-affiliated facility, had encouraged the environmental services team to diligently prepare in the fight against the virus.

Through extensive facility cleaning efforts, Grand Strand Medical Center worked to reduce the virus' potential presence to enhance the protection of patients. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) March 2020 Hiring Situation confirmed what we already suspected: COVID-19 made a tremendous impact on job growth and hiring in March. The U.S. economy lost 701,000 jobs and the unemployment rate jumped to 4.4%, up from a half-century low of 3.5% in February. This ended the decade-long record of employment growth marking the first and steepest decline in payrolls since the Great Recession. 

The strict measures put in place to help contain the spread of the virus have left many businesses shuttered with the majority of Americans ordered to stay at home outside of essential workers, which include our important healthcare workers on the front lines fighting the virus. 

Healthcare lost 42,500 jobs last month, with the vast majority within ambulatory care (-40,700). Hospital job growth was virtually flat. The healthcare unemployment rate grew from 2.2% in February to 2.8% in March. Over the prior 12 months, health care employment had grown by 374,000. 

The U.S. has the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with more than 245K people infected, according to the latest Johns Hopkins University data available at this time.  

The world has changed, but the core of our nurses has not. Our daily lives have been upended, but our nurses stand up, show up and give patients the compassion and care they need and deserve. Read on to hear five stories from the frontlines.

COVID-9 has introduced much uncertainty and anxiety into our daily lives as we navigate our new "norm". As we continue to navigate our "new norm", the mental health of our team members is important to us. 

“While our in-hospital colleagues continue to carry out their compassionate and courageous duty to care for and improve human life, it’s important for those that are at home during COVID-19 to keep perspective and carry on,” said Dr. Frank Drummond, HCA Healthcare’s medical director of behavioral health services. “We can do this by taking care of our mental health during this challenging moment in history. Reach out to check on the well-being of others, practice self-care, engage in activities that give you purpose and stay calm.”

Things you can do to support yourself:

• Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
• Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditateexternal icon. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
• Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
• Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.

We’re all in this together and even the smallest steps can make a big difference. Learn more about the CDC's guidance on mental health and coping during the coronavirus outbreak here.

Our parent company, HCA Healthcare, has joined forces with 17 large health systems and big tech companies across the U.S. to form a COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition. 

The healthcare coalition will bring together healthcare organizations, technology firms, academia and startups to coordinate pandemic response efforts using data and analytics. 

By pooling expertise, the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition aims to flatten the pandemic's curve to preserve the healthcare delivery system targeting three main areas:

1. Working to understand the effectiveness of social distancing and other state-level measures to slow the spread of COVID-19

2. Better identifying individuals who need diagnostic tests

3. Aiding America's healthcare delivery system, focusing on staff, capacity and supplies

"With top experts and industry leaders sharing plans and resources – and working collaboratively – we can deploy resources more effectively and offer better situational awareness to those at the front lines," the coalition wrote on its website. 

Click here to learn more. 

To slow the spread of COVID-19 through communities, the U.S. CDC has encouraged Americans to practice "social distancing" measures.

While these mitigation strategies can be disappointing in the short-term, they come from a scientific viewpoint. Infectious disease experts stress the importance of reducing opportunities for person-to-person transmission to delay the spread of the virus. Taking action to slow the spread of #COVID_19 is especially important to help keep our infrastructure strong, particularly in healthcare, so we can continue to provide exceptional care for all patients.

Everyone has a role to play. Click here to learn what steps you can take to help flatten the curve and slow the spread of #COVID_19 in our community. 

At HCA Healthcare and HealthTrust Workforce Solutions, we’re no stranger to threats. We deal with them daily.

Infectious diseases. Natural disasters. Unspeakable emergencies.

Some may say that managing life-threatening situations is part of business as usual for an advanced healthcare network like HCA Healthcare. And it’s true.

Thankfully, that’s exactly what has helped us build a sharp set of best practices and a robust network of response teams, who help us mobilize quickly and scale accordingly in times of need.

As the threat from the COVID-19 virus is amplified, so too are our efforts. Here are just a few of the steps we are taking to assure uninterrupted care:

• We’re limiting entry into hospitals and clinics so anyone who enters into patient care areas can be carefully screened, and masks can be provided to those who need them.
• Every employee, caregiver, and physician has been asked to follow a self-screening procedure, because protecting our patients starts with protecting our people.
• Precautions taken to treat patients with COVID-19 are similar to those taken to treat patients with influenza, with restricted visitation to limit exposure. This is commonplace procedure for us during any flu season.
• As always, cleaning to prevent the spread of infection is occurring throughout all of our care sites.
• To date, there have been relatively few patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization. Those who do are cared for in isolated areas of the hospital, so we can safely provide continuous care for all other medical needs.

As this latest threat evolves, we are collaborating with federal and local health agencies, providing timely and practical updates that will help contribute to accurate reporting and consistent guidelines. While our immediate priority remains on the well-being of our patients and people, we know that sharing insights can impact care far beyond the communities we serve.

In the face of a threat, we don’t panic, we prepare.

In the weeks ahead, and as always, we are here when you need us.

Job growth remained robust throughout the month of February, adding 273,000 new jobs amid economic fears of the potential Coronavirus (COVID19) impact. The BLS Economic Situation also reported that unemployment rate ticked down slightly to 3.5% last month. Healthcare remained a job growth engine, adding 31,600 new jobs. Healthcare has added 368,000 new jobs in the last 12 months.

If you are interested in exploring new career opportunities with HealthTrust Workforce Solutions, please click the button below to browse our available jobs.

When considering personal preparedness, it is important to keep a few points in mind. First, infectious disease experts are emphasizing that coronavirus causes an illness that is similar to the flu. While a vaccine for coronavirus is not expected to be available for at least 12-18 months, everyday habits that protect us from common respiratory illness are even more important now. We all can protect our own health as well as the health of our family members and community by remembering:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue
• Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often, using either soap and water or alcohol-based hand gel for at least 20 seconds
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe

When hands are visibly dirty, contaminated or soiled, wash with non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial soap and water. Always wash your hands before eating and after using the restroom.  Use warm water with a nickel to quarter size of liquid soap. Lather, rub all surfaces and under nails. Rub for at least 15 seconds and rinse well. Dry hands with a paper towel, use that towel to turn off faucets and open the door. 

If hands are not visibly soiled, use an alcohol-based hand rub for routinely decontaminating hands. Cover all surfaces until hands feel dry, approximately 20 seconds. After approximately 10 uses, wash your hands with soap and friction. 

For more information on proper hand washing, click here and here.