Author: murrayhospital

The Murray Bank and Independence Bank partnered together to donate 1,000 masks to Murray-Calloway County Hospital which will be used for employees and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is essentially important for communities to band together right now with every resource possible,” said Tim Stark, VP Marketing at The Murray Bank. “The healthcare providers in our community help protect and care for our neighbors, friends, family members, patrons, and colleagues. The more we work together and assist our healthcare providers when needed, the faster we can help move past this.”

For more information about other positive stories like these during the COVID-19 pandemic, please call the Marketing Dept. at 270.762-1381.

Pictured left to right: Keith Travis, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Tim Stark, VP Marketing at The Murray Bank, Heidi Schultz, County President of Independence Bank, and Jerry Penner, CEO at MCCH.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that United States residents not only practice social distancing, but also wear masks in public.

Murray-Calloway County continues to follow this guidance, and urges the community to bring a mask for scheduled appointments and procedures when coming to the hospital or physician clinics.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), we now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms.  This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.  In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.  CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.

“Please wear a mask. It is the responsible thing to do. It’s the right thing to do,” said Jerry Penner, CEO at MCCH. 

Everyone who comes to Murray-Calloway County Hospital, the Medical Arts Building, Regional Cancer Center, Center for Rehab and Sports Medicine or any of our locations, will be required to wear a mask upon entering and will have their temperature checked, as well as a brief screening.

If you have any questions, please contact the Marketing Department at 270.762.1381 or visit www.murrayhospital.org.

MCCH will continue to implement a NO VISITORS policy at this time as we continue to protect our patients and staff. As the community and businesses start to open, we will continue to evaluate the COVID-19 pandemic daily and will make changes as we see necessary. Our patients and staff are our #1 focus so please be patient with us as we navigate through this pandemic together.

We would like to remind the community to bring a mask with them if they have an appointment at our Medical Arts Building or within the hospital. You will be required to wear a mask upon entry and have your temperature checked.

Also, FREE COVID-19 testing continues Monday – Friday 9 am – 5 pm at our West Entrance. Please bring a piece of paper with your name, DOB, phone number, and any symptoms you may be experiencing.

While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. The good news is there are practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase resiliency – and there are ways that everyone can be supportive of friends, family, and co-workers who are struggling with life’s challenges or their mental health.

This May is Mental Health Month. Murray-Calloway County Hospital is highlighting what individuals can do daily to prioritize their mental health, build resiliency in the face of trauma and obstacles, support those who are struggling, and work towards a path of recovery.

First, it is important to develop your own tools to thrive – recognizing and owning your feelings; finding the positive after loss; connecting with others; eliminating toxic influences; creating healthy routines; and supporting others – all as ways to boost the mental health and general wellness of you and your loved ones. When it comes to your feelings, it can be easy to get caught up in your emotions as you’re feeling them. Most people don’t think about what emotions they are dealing with, but taking the time to really identify what you’re feeling can help you to better cope with challenging situations.

It’s ok to give yourself permission to feel. We also know that life can throw us curveballs – and at some point in our lives we will all experience loss. It may be the end of a relationship, being let go from a job, losing a home, or the death of a loved one. It is natural to go through a grieving process.

By looking for opportunity in adversity or finding ways to remember the good things about who or what we’ve lost, we can help ourselves to recover mentally and emotionally. It also is true that connections and the people around us can help our overall mental health – or hurt it. It’s important to make connections with other people that help enrich our lives and get us through tough times, but it’s equally important to recognize when certain people and situations in life can trigger us to feel bad or engage in destructive behaviors. Identifying the toxic influences in our lives and taking steps to create a new life without them can improve mental and physical health over time. And we know that work, paying bills, cleaning, getting enough sleep, and taking care of children are just some of the things we do each day – and it is easy to be overwhelmed. By creating routines, we can organize our days in such a way that taking care of tasks and ourselves becomes a pattern that makes it easier to get things done without having to think hard about them.

For each of us, the tools we use to keep us mentally healthy will be unique. MCCH wants everyone to know that mental illnesses are real, and recovery is possible. Finding what works for you may not be easy but can be achieved by gradually making small changes and building on those successes. By developing your own tools to thrive, it is possible to find balance between work and play, the ups and downs of life, and physical health and mental health – and set yourself on the path to recovery.

“The struggles we all face are real and living in these uncertain times adds an additional layer of difficulty to our lives. There are many risk factors that influence our mental health; including genetics, biology, environment, and lifestyle for example.  Like any other health issue, it is imperative the symptoms are addressed, and the underlying condition is identified early so that an appropriate plan can be established to improve one’s overall health.  Mental health conditions, as any other chronic condition, if left untreated will only worsen.  There is good news, treatment options are available and can be very successful. If you or someone you love is experiencing mental health symptoms, don’t wait, seek assistance,” said Melanie Parham, Program Director, Geriatric Behavioral Health Unit, MCCH.

Murray State University’s Town and Gown recently presented Murray-Calloway County Hospital with a check for $1,000 to support the hospital and give back during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will be used to provide food for the employees and providers at MCCH during National Hospital Week.

“Town & Gown is a partnership with the university comprised of 40 local businesses that provide funding for the program.  This donation is a true reflection of the community and the university working together to help our medical professionals and show them our gratitude.  I am very proud of each of the 40 businesses that choose to be a part of this partnership. This is just one of the many ways our community and university work together,” said Carol, Town and Gown Special Projects Coordinator.

For more information about other positive stories like these during the COVID-19 pandemic, please call the Marketing Dept. at 270.762-1381.

Pictured left to right: Jerry Penner, CEO at MCCH with Carol Brunn, Special Projects Coordinator – Town and Gown Partnership Program

Murray-Calloway County Hospital recently received a donation of more than 300 fabric masks along with headbands to be used by employees at MCCH. Corrie Johnson of Murray organized a team of more than 30 local seamstresses who worked together to donate masks to needed businesses and healthcare organizations in our area.

The operation grew so fast they began utilizing a facility offered by Playhouse in the Park where they could collect their materials and distribute. This group has distributed more than 2,700 masks to places including MCCH, Primary Care Medical Center and dialysis center, as well as multiple hospitals in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana.

“I’m fundamentally opposed to panic. I’d rather get to work and find a solution to known problems. There’s a lot about Covid-19 that we can’t fix, but we can do something about closing a known deficit of masks. I said, “Let’s sew a thousand.” Our team has turned out 2,700…and they’re not stopping anytime soon.  Half or more of these people I’ve met and worked with only seeing them masked. I can’t wait to see their smiles, because they have to be the most beautiful, selfless, kind people I’ve ever met. I’m so glad they took me in, Corrie commented.”

Corrie was influenced by her husband, Nick, who is an RN in the surgery department at MCCH and thus began coordinating mask production after she saw the need.

“This group has been so appreciated by our employees, we were able to provide fabric masks to our staff that are not in direct patient contact but required to wear a mask and headbands for those employees wearing masks continuously that protect the ears. Corrie is also delivering additional disposable masks for us this week to give to patients that do not have one when they enter the facility,” said Melony Morgan, Director of Planning and Marketing.

For more information about other positive stories like these during the COVID-19 pandemic, please call the Marketing Dept. at 270.762-1381.

Today, April 27^th, from 9AM – 11AM & 1PM – 4PM, we will be swabbing those individuals who feel they have had a possible COVID-19 exposure and are not currently experiencing symptoms.

Please feel free to take advantage of our drive thru service. No appointment necessary, simply drive up and get swabbed.

Please have a piece of paper with your name, date of birth, and a contact phone number so that we can contact you.

Patients will be notified of the results and recommended appropriate treatment. For more information on COVID-19 Curbside Testing, please call 270.753.0704.