Doctor at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese tested positive for coronavirus last week
A doctor at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese tested positive for coronavirus on or before March 24, the hospital confirmed Tuesday.
Spokesman Ashley Gramann acknowledged the case with an emailed statement after the Belleville News-Democrat made an inquiry on Monday. It said the doctor used personal protective equipment while providing care and that the doctor won’t return to work until he or she has “healed.”
The statement read:
“On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese was notified that a physician who provides care in our hospital tested positive for COVID-19.
“We have confirmed that this physician followed the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance to prevent transmission while providing care at St. Joseph’s Hospital Breese. The physician will not return to work until we have determined this person has healed and is cleared to return to work according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standards.
“We are informing all colleagues at the hospital to continue to follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health on appropriate isolation, use of protective equipment, and monitoring of symptoms following exposure.“
The statement didn’t indicate the doctor’s age, department, specialty or length of employment; how many patients the doctor may have treated or under what circumstances; the doctor’s symptoms or when those symptoms appeared; or how or where the doctor may have contracted COVID-19.
The statement included the following comment from Chris Klay, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s:
“We understand that many members of our community are concerned about the growing Covid-19 pandemic. We want to assure the community that our hospital providers and colleagues are following the appropriate COVID-19 protocols in accordance with CDC guidelines. Given the community spread of COVID-19 across the country in recent weeks, we advise all members of the community to monitor for symptoms as advised by the CDC and seek medical attention if necessary.”
Coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory illness that was declared a pandemic on March 11. It has led to 877,422 confirmed cases and 43,537 deaths as of Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.
St. Joseph’s is affiliated with Hospital Sisters Health System, based in Springfield, which has 15 hospitals, 2,300 physician partners and 15,000 employees in Illinois and Wisconsin, according to its website. HSHS also operates St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland, Holy Family Hospital in Greenville and St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield.
On March 21, HSHS announced that visitors would no longer be allowed in its hospitals to “keep our patients, staff and community as safe as possible.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 9:35 AM.
