Focusing on You: Emergency Room Safety Precautions are in Place
Dr. David Lang, Medical Director of Emergency Medicine at the University of Miami Health System, discusses the precautions the emergency department has undertaken to ensure the safety of patients during the pandemic. He encourages anyone experiencing a medical emergency to seek treatment as soon as possible.
TRANSCRIPTION
Narrator:
Visits to emergency rooms here and across the country are declining as COVID-19 cases rise. Dr. David Lang, medical director of emergency medicine at the University of Miami Health System says COVID-19 should not be a reason that emergency care isn’t sought out. Especially when every second counts.
Dr. David Lang:
Patients that are thinking they’re having a true emergency; chest pain, shortness of breath, possible stroke they can’t move their arm, their leg, they have difficulty speaking. They truly need to seek out emergency care as soon as possible.
Pam Giganti:
How important is it for people, despite being in the middle of a pandemic, seek out emergency medical treatment?
Dr. David Lang:
Heart attacks, strokes, surgical issues, those are time dependent and can be treated effectively if you’re in an emergency department in an appropriate amount of time.
Pam Giganti:
What kinds of precautions are being taken now within the emergency room?
Dr. David Lang:
We are actually running two separate emergency departments on an operational level. We have an area dedicated solely for patients that either have COVID, have symptoms of COVID, or we suspect may have it. The preparation at the University of Miami Hospital took place back in January, when we were first hearing stories of COVID in China and starting to spread. Our preparations are probably more advanced and planned than many other facilities in South Florida. We continue to take precautions by separating out patients, we have not taken down the COVID tent to examine patients, and we all have enough PPE.
Pam Giganti:
What is the clear and concise message to people who need emergency care and are afraid because we’re in the middle of COVID?
Dr. David Lang:
Go to the emergency department, get the treatment or medical care that you need. The emergency department at UHealth Tower is ready and available. We’ve always taken precautions to ensure that everyone gets the right medical care in a timely manner.
Tags: COVID-19, Dr. David Lang, emergency care, emergency department, emergency room, focusing on you, safety precautions, UHealth Tower
