Entities partner to mitigate COVID-19 countywide

Recent spikes in COVID-19 positive cases are placing additional stress on area hospitals, which are working to support the city, county and regional community.  

In response, Doña Ana County (DAC), the City of Las Cruces (CLC) and multiple community partners including Electronic Caregiver, Memorial Medical Center, Mountain View Regional Medical Center, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and New Mexico State University have announced a joint partnership to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the Mesilla Valley community.  

Using an evidence-based model program called COVID to HOME, (C2H), hospitals will receive state-of-the-art services and technology assistance to care for patients who no longer require hospitalization.   

Under the approach, patients will be able to discharge from the hospital when their symptoms are controllable. They will receive monitoring and medical support using a tracking and monitoring device provided by Electronic Caregiver. 

Patients also will have access to telemedicine through the Southern New Mexico Family Medicine Residency program.  

“As the number of cases rises, it is incumbent upon us as a community to find solutions together that keep us moving forward,” DAC Manager Fernando Macias said.

Utilizing remote monitoring will move people out of the hospital and allow health care providers to monitor their health.  

Among the goals established in the C2H model are to:

• Ensure safe and effective care at home;
• Sustain effective care at home to reduce the need for hospitalization;
• Coordinate safe and effective transfer to a higher level of care, when indicated;
• Utilize telemedicine for frequent monitoring to promote social distancing;
• Partner with EMS for a facilitated telemedicine visit when an in-depth assessment is indicated;
• Decrease the number of COVID-19 related visits to urgent-care facilities and emergency rooms;
• Decrease the number of patients being admitted to hospitals;
• Decrease healthcare worker exposure to COVID-19;
• Conserve PPE; and
• Improve health outcomes. 

“Working together, we can reduce the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and help save lives throughout our community,” CLC Manager Ifo Pili said.   

For more information, call DAC Director of Health and Human Services Jamie Michael at (575) 525-5969.