LUMBERTON, NC (WBTW) – The Gibson Cancer Center has made adjustments to how it delivers care as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Many services provided at the care center are now done curbside.
“They draw my blood,” patient Theresa Turner explained. “They go in and test it, see how many platelets there are, come out and give me a shot in the car… It works out great.”
The system was developed in March by the team at Gibson. It’s designed to limit the time patients need to spend inside the facility amid the outbreak.
Once they are screened, patients who need it have their blood drawn and tested in a lab on site. From there, a provider chooses the appropriate action- meeting the patient outside at their car, meeting via a telehealth system or meeting face-to-face.
“In which case we put a mask on the patient and escort them to the building, directly to an exam room where a provider comes in and sees them,” Vice President of Post Acute Services at Southeastern Regional Medical Center Lori Dove explained.
Chemotherapy and radiation oncology patients still must undergo treatments in the facilities, but they are still checked in outside.
Dove said the system has been a success. She added that measures such as this are important because cancer treatment can take a toll on someone’s immune system.
“Patients, they tell me they know we care about them,” Dove said. “They know we are taking their life and their health seriously because we are going through all of this and we’re here for them.”
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