Hospitals across Santa Barbara County update criteria for coronavirus testing

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Hospitals all over the Central and South Coast continue to prepare for the Coronavirus spread.

While doctors at Dignity Health's Marian Regional Medical in Santa Maria say they have not seen any widespread activity of the Coronavirus yet, they are testing patients who may have the virus.

"What we’re really doing that was trying to be prepared and if we start to see more patients we want to see it locally were able to care for patients in the best way possible, said Dr. Scott Robertson with Dignity Health.

The hospital has made changes in ways to eliminate the spread of the virus such as activating its incident command system.

"We set up the hospital incident command system which is essentially a It allows us to communicate and make decisions in a fast moving off an ambiguous environment so just helps us make good decisions optimal service so we can make sure we are providing optimal services for patients," Said Mark Allen with Dignity Health.

In the cafeteria, the hospital has arranged a grab-and-go option to minimize physical exposure.

We have eliminated a lot of the open serving mechanism like salad bars soup and going to where things are only serve directly to the customer to prevent possible spread of the virus," Allen said.

There is now a health professional at the entrance of the hospital so that every person entering is checked for symptoms.

"If you’re exhibiting any types of signs of respiratory illness we want to get a mask on them right when they come in the door so they don’t expose anyone else to respiratory droplets," said Robertson.

Health professionals say social distancing is the first and most important guideline to follow right now.