Marian Regional Medical Center prepares for coronavirus response

SANTA MARIA, Calif. — In an effort to enhance safety, the Marian Regional Medical Center is asking people to call their primary doctor before coming to the hospital for COVID-19 testing. 

While the medical center has coronavirus testing capabilities, they are not testing everyone who comes into the emergency room.

"Our testing resources right now are limited in capacity,” Dignity Health Central Coast Chief Medical Officer Scott Robertson said. “That's true here on the Central Coast as well as across the state of California."

Marian Regional Medical Center President Sue Andersen says it's essential to contact your doctor before coming to the hospital.

"Patients who can just stay home and isolate themselves, that's what the recommendation is,” Andersen said. “Those that are sick need to come to the hospital and we will take care of them."

The medical center is taking extra precautions to minimize any spread of the virus.

"We want to try to separate people who may have the virus from those that don't, as much as possible,” Robertson said.

Once the predicted surge begins, these tents will serve as waiting rooms for all individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms while all others will be directed to standard emergency rooms.

"You can bring your patients into the tent and do a level of triage that starts to separate those patients,” Robertson added. “Only patients that you bring into the hospital are ones that truly need emergency department level care."

Marian medical staff are working with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to expand testing availability over the next few weeks.

"Our team here at Marian Regional Medical Center, people have been there literally 24/7 getting us set up for what may come,” Andersen said.

"At some point, we will have the capacity to test anybody who wants to be tested,” Robertson concluded.