Valley Medical Center is ready to assist the community regarding the H1N1 flu.

The public can access information about the flu on the center’s Web site, www.valleymed.org. A link will draw readers to Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kathryn Beattie, titled: Swine Flu: What You Need To Know. It covers topics such as what is swine flu, how does it spread, when should one seek medical care? It also lists symptoms specific to adults and children, as well as links for more information.

The center’s infection prevention team is monitoring the Centers for Disease Control, Department of Health, and Public Health – Seattle & King County for new information that the center is posting daily.

Soon, Valley Medical Center will have in place 20-plus “cough kiosks” at entrances/exits and other locations throughout the hospital and in its clinics. These kiosks will contain public information about the swine flu, and how to guard against contracting or spreading the virus, as well as masks, hand sanitizer and tissues.

At admitting, and in the clinic network, the center will have available multilingual flu information from the DOH. It’s likely the center also will post this information in several additional places throughout the hospital.

Additionally, throughout the hospital also will have posters with basic information about this flu.

The hospital is actively implementing internal processes and procedures to ensure that staff can meet the needs of the community and personnel, should the pandemic affect the area.