A Statement from Door County Medical Center about COVID-19

For more than 75 years, Door County Medical Center (DCMC) has been your community hospital, dedicated to your health as a leader in health and wellness for Door and Kewaunee counties.

With confirmed cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the United States, we are taking proactive steps to ensure the continued safety of our patients, visitors, physicians, staff and communities. We have been working diligently with Door County Public Health and in direct cooperation with HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, Aurora, Bellin and Holy Family, as well as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to actively monitor the situation and remain up to date on all the latest developments regarding COVID-19.

“Health organizations, like Door County Medical Center, have learned valuable lessons from previous emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola, SARS and even influenza,” said Dr. Jim Heise, DCMC chief medical officer. “As a result, we are as prepared as we can be and have developed protocols, plans and policies to address situations like this one.”

We are using the latest information and recommendations from the CDC to guide our testing, triage and treatment decisions. The best advice right now is to practice social distancing as a way for us to slow or stop the spread of this virus.

To reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 illness into hospitals and throughout the community, we have come together in partnership with other regional hospitals and local public-health departments to put visiting restrictions in place that exemplify a commitment to the dignity and care of all, especially those among us who are most vulnerable.

If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19, please call our hotline at 920.746.3700, Monday – Friday, between 8 am and 4:30 pm. At other times, please call Prevea After Hours at 877.746.0003. Visit dcmedical.org to read the latest information on COVID-19 illness.

Further Steps to Halt the Spread of COVID-19

The hospital is also working to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by proactively cancelling elective and non-essential visits to the facility.  Effective immediately we are taking the following actions in the following areas: 

• For elective surgeries, we are canceling all surgeries performed by visiting specialists. For all other surgeries, our DCMC surgeons are empowered to determine whether the patient is a candidate for postponing surgery, and will be contacting those patients who might be impacted.
• For clinic visits, each practice will contact patients to cancel all elective visits and will cancel any blood draws or x-ray appointments associated with the visit.
• For other outpatient visits, anything considered routine will be postponed. Examples include Cardiac Rehab, massage, and routine lab work. Anything that is critical to a patient’s well-being, such as post-operative rehab should continue as scheduled.  

These actions are common occurrences in healthcare throughout the country, have been recommended by government officials, and will further promote social distancing among members of our community.  It will also ensure our healthcare resources such as staff and personal protective equipment are used efficiently should we experience a surge in patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms needing hospitalization.