Dear Parents/Guardians,
We would like to give an update about how our office is handling the Coronavirus- COVID19. Our main concern is the health and well being of our patients and their families. The situation is evolving rapidly and we are making every effort to implement protocols to maximize safety within our location.
Fortunately, children have been having less severe infections. Children are exposed to many other coronaviruses every winter and this is thought to be one of the reasons why the infection is less severe in younger people. However, they can expose others who may be at greater risk for more severe outcomes.
In order to reduce the risk to our patients and their families, we are strongly encouraging the following:
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We will be screening patients who present with fever and cough- if with travel out of state and out of the country in the past 14 days or if with contact to a patient diagnosed or suspected with COVID 19 , we will direct you to the appropriate facility.
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If your child has fever and cough and is not ill-appearing, it is best to stay home and give supportive treatment. If there are other symptoms that you think we need to check, we will accommodate your child and practice the best precaution. Currently, we have COVID19 RAPID ANTIGEN TEST AVAILABLE by APPOINTMENT ONLY. We do the swabs at the parking lot with appropriate PPE.
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We are asking families to limit the number of caregivers bringing the child to the office.
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We are asking families to bring only the patient who needs to be seen to the office, no siblings who are healthy as much as possible.
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We are asking all families to utilize telemedicine. If you have not signed a consent to do telemedicine with us, please call our office or sign consent through the portal.
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We will be redesigning our office to prevent transmission of contagious disease. There will be a separate entrance and waiting room for well and sick visits. We will remove our toys and books for the meantime. Toys attached to the walls will be cleansed often. Our front desk will sign you in as soon as you arrive to prevent handling of pens and clipboard. We encourage parents to answer developmental questionnaire ahead of time to prevent frequent handling of our tablets.
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We would like to reassure you that we will do our best to clean all equipment and our office.
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Remember that washing hands and being aware of our surroundings is very important to staying healthy.
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We advised no unnecessary travel at this time. There is no current need to wear masks unless instructed by medical professionals
The most important aspect is to remain calm and rational. We will continue to be accessible and provide the level of care you have come to expect. As things change, we will update our families as quickly as possible.
Thank you for trusting us with the care of your families.