The Cass County Health Department, in consultation with the Indiana State Department of Health and Logansport Memorial Hospital, has confirmed the first positive case of COVID-19 in Cass County.
See the latest COVID-19 updates from LMH
Logansport Memorial Hospital notified the Cass County Health Department and the Indiana State Department of Health on March 30, 2020 of the positive result from a patient, who is currently self-isolating at home.
No other information will be released about the patient at this time, due to privacy laws.
LMH providers and staff took all appropriate precautions in every part of the patient’s testing process, to protect other patients, staff members, and themselves in accordance with CDC guidelines.
A message from the Cass County Health Department
Cass County Health Officer Dr. Dori Ditty explained, “We are fully engaged and actively working to protect the health of citizens in Cass County. We are working with local and state officials to ensure that contacts of the patient are identified and appropriately monitored, using infection prevention protocols from the CDC to reduce the risk of illness and additional exposure in Cass County.”
She added, “With this news of the first positive case here locally, it’s important to remember that it does not change the course of treatment, or our approach to caring for any individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 illness. We have been monitoring and testing many patients for COVID-19 for almost a month now, consistently following guidelines and criteria recommended by the CDC and the ISDH. If your symptoms are mild, stay home and self-isolate. If you believe you have these or other respiratory-related symptoms, you may use our walk-in respiratory clinic, established at the Cass County 4-H Fairgrounds. If you ever need immediate, life-saving care because of your difficulty breathing or some other medical emergency, please call 911,” noted Dr. Ditty.
Cass County’s COVID-19 respiratory clinic
Cass County’s COVID-19 walk-in respiratory clinic is located in the Community Building at the Cass County 4-H Fairgrounds, 2281 E Co Road 125 N in Logansport, IN 46947. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 8 am – 5 pm, and Saturday – Sunday, from 9 am – 2 pm. The respiratory clinic does not have a waiting room; if there is a wait time, patients will be asked to wait in their cars for precautionary isolation. Patients should expect that they could be in their car for an extended amount of time until they can be seen, if the clinic is busy.
Preparing for COVID-19
Cass County Health Department Administrator Serenity Alter added, “We have been working closely with Logansport Memorial Hospital in preparing for this moment for several weeks now. Logansport Memorial has restricted visitation and access to the hospital and in all physician offices and clinics, as well as implemented new clinical policies for using a limited supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). The LMH and CCHD team members working together have all been trained on and are utilizing appropriate PPE throughout the testing process.”
The COVID-19 outbreak continues to change daily, across the state and country. Dr. Ditty added, “Now that COVID-19 has been confirmed in our community, we expect to see additional positive cases as this outbreak continues. The Cass County Health Department and Logansport Memorial Hospital will continue to monitor and respond to any COVID-19 cases in Logansport and Cass County. I am confident that we are well-positioned in working together to respond to and handle this ever-changing situation.”
Questions
Please direct any questions about Cass County’s COVID-19 response to Vicki Byrd, Vice-President of Planning and Development at Logansport Memorial Hospital. She can be reached at (574) 753-1414 or by email at vbyrd@logansportmemorial.org. Logansport Memorial Hospital will work with the Cass County Health Department to address questions from the public in any future updates shared with the Cass County community.
