Wahiawa General Hospital MEMO TO: All Wahiawa General Hospital Employees FROM: Brian Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer DATE: Thursday, March 26, 2020 RE: Wahiawa General Hospital (WGH) Employee COVID-19 Infection ____________________________________________________________________________________ This is to inform all staff regarding our first known case of a WGH employee who has tested positive for the COVID-19 (coronavirus) disease. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines this staff member was directed to not return to work and to seek appropriate follow up, which included being tested for COVID-19. We have reported this case to public health officials and while this is an unfortunate development, it is not surprising. The potential exists for COVID-19 infections to occur among hospital workers across the country, including in WGH. WGH has also identified small number of additional employees who have had “direct contact” with this staff member. Those individuals have been contacted, sent home for self-quarantine, and are to follow up with their provider and the appropriate testing recommendations. WGH will remain in contact with these employees to help to determine any next steps. If further COVID-19 incidences occur amongst our staff, WGH will handle each case with the utmost respect to privacy while taking the appropriate measures to mitigate the further spread of the virus. Our priority remains as the safety of all staff, our patients and residents, and all those we serve. Thank you again for your understanding and tremendous service to our patients and to each other during this most challenging time in healthcare.