PARIS, TN – With the Declaration of Local State of Emergency for Public Health by the City of Paris and the County of Henry, Henry County Medical Center is activating its Emergency Operations Plan and moving to Doctor Extra Level 1 with Normal Business Operations effective immediately.

With the support of Dr. Scott Whitby, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Lisa Casteel, HCMC CEO the organization moved to Doctor Extra Level 1 status to help us prepare for the continued progress of the COVID-19 pandemic in our state, region, and community.

Declaring this first level of emergency preparedness allows HCMC to open up medical staff credentialing for temporary privileges for physicians and providers who may need to come into the community from across the country to assist us with the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it allows HCMC to establish incident command, which will activate the surge plan for the organization if we have an influx of cases at our facility.

“Normal business operations at HCMC will continue,” said Lisa Casteel, CEO at HCMC. “We are just preparing for the next step as the community begins to see more cases of COVID-19.”

Physicians and HCMC administration are supportive of the declaration of the city and county to Shelter at Home and continuing the direction of Governor Bill Lee.

As of Wednesday, April 8, HCMC had four inpatients with COVID-19.

As changes continue to be announced by Federal, State, and Local governments, Henry County Medical Center continues to have updates to its services and visitation guidelines to ensure that our patients, partners, and community continue to be safe during this COVID-19 pandemic. For the most up-to-date changes, please see our website at www.hcmc-tn.org

HCMC continues to daily chart updates on our website with information on testing, hospitalizations, and deaths within our organization. It can be found at www.hcmc-tn.org. We additionally post on our social media platforms a daily update that provides information about COVID-19 at HCMC, TN, KY, the counties our organization serves, as well as statistics from the Henry County Health Department. Both will be updated and available by 5 p.m. daily.

HCMC Administration continues to follow the CDC guidelines as well as the TN Department of Health guidelines to ensure the safety of our patients, families, partners, and community.

How you can help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses such as Coronavirus:

Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then discard in a trash.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

HCMC is making every effort to educate and inform the public on ways to remain healthy through our website and our social media outlets, including specifically rigorous and frequent hand washing. Please check back often for updates including a section dedicated to COVID-19. For additional information, watch a video from our Community Pop Up event on coronavirus here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-iA5IPc4G8&t=3s

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your health care provider. To learn more, go to our website at www.hcmc-tn.org or go to the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html

Located in Paris, TN, Henry County Medical Center is a progressive, integrated healthcare organization committed to serving the healthcare needs of Henry County and the adjoining region. Including a 142-bed hospital and other facilities, the medical center provides a variety of outpatient services, as well as inpatient care. Additionally, HCMC owns and operates 7 provider clinics in various specialties. Henry County Medical Center is a county-owned and operated nonprofit institution. For more information: www.hcmc-tn.org.