Hamilton Health Care System walks back policy on employees bringing their own personal protective equipment to protect against coronavirus

Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Hamilton Medical Center is seen on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Dalton, Ga.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Hamilton Medical Center is seen on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Dalton, Ga.

Less than 24 hours after the American Medical Association recommended that health care workers be allowed to use their own personal protective equipment, Dalton, Georgia-based Hamilton Health Care System has changed its policy that would have reprimanded and removed employees for bringing their own equipment while supplies are extremely limited around the country.

In a letter obtained by the Times Free Press sent to Hamilton Health medical staff on March 26, the leadership council issued a harsh warning for those bringing their own personal protective equipment, also known as PPE, into Hamilton Medical Center.

Leadership at the hospital branch wrote that any employee who refused to comply with the rules would be removed from the facility and would be disciplined.

The letter said no outside PPE would be allowed into Hamilton Medical Center because it is "not possible to properly vet the origin, effectiveness or cleanliness of a PPE that doesn't come from the Hamilton Health Care System.

"The inappropriate use of PPEs by providers is particularly concerning not only because it diminishes our supplies, but because it creates division within the hospital staff as they feel the medical staff providers are not held to the same standard as hospital employees," the letter reads.

The leadership group includes president and CEO Jeff Myers and Stanford Voegele, president of the medical staff, among others.

photo Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Hamilton Medical Center is seen on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Dalton, Ga.

The lack of PPEs has been a constant theme in the fight against the coronavirus in the U.S. Officials with the Department of Homeland Security said the government's emergency stockpile of masks is nearly depleted. Hospitals and health care centers around the nation are desperate for equipment in order to stay safe on the front lines.

Virginia Wolverton, hospital coordinator for the Southeast/Hamilton Regional Healthcare Coalition, fields phone calls and supply requests from local hospitals as part of the area's emergency response. Wolverton told the Times Free Press last week the primary request from hospitals had been for more personal protective equipment - gloves, masks, surgical gowns and face shields.

In the letter, Hamilton Health said it was following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards for not allowing employees to use their own PPEs.

On March 31, American Medical Association President Patrice Harris said in a statement the association "fully supports" physicians and other employees in hospitals and care centers "using their own face masks and respirators when these critical resources are unavailable and not provided by their employer."

Harris also said physicians and other health care workers on the front lines should not be penalized or punished for taking precautions necessary to protect themselves, their patients and their families from the spread of COVID-19.

The next day, the leadership council at Hamilton Health walked back its warning.

"Due to the shortage of PPE, you may bring PPE from your office," a letter sent Wednesday read. "Please note that any PPE brought into the hospital must be in a clean container or storage bag and must be changed daily and when soiled."

The letter also said the policy could change as recommendations come in and supply remains short.

Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.

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