St. Luke Convenient Care offers curb-side screening
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News from St. Luke Community Healthcare
By now you are likely well aware of the Novel Coronavirus and the corresponding COVID-19 illness. You may be concerned or anxious about how this virus could affect your health, or the health of those near and dear to you. This is a completely understandable reaction, especially when so many variables may feel outside of your control. We at St. Luke Community Healthcare wanted to share some information pertinent to COVID-19, in order to offer guidance on what you can do to help protect yourself and your loved ones from the spread of this illness.
We want to stress the seriousness of this situation. While this situation is only beginning to impact our region, it is easy to see how regions worldwide are struggling to manage the effects. We all need to follow the recommended guidelines outlined here, in order to mitigate and reduce exposure.
St. Luke’s Response:
As always, St. Luke is dedicated to providing the highest level of care to our patients. Our team of medical professionals is well-trained and experienced in responding to infectious diseases. Our Incident Command Team has established procedures designed to protect our patients, staff and surrounding community. Using resources available here in our state, such as the Montana Healthcare Association, Public Health Offices, and the Department of Public Health & Human Services, we are strictly adhering to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as information from other reputable sources. These guidelines help us assess, protect and treat community members who may have been exposed to COVID-19. We are coordinating efforts with other caregivers in the community and region.
At St. Luke Community Convenient Care, a curb-side screening process has been implemented, in order to assist patients while allowing them to remain in their vehicles. We are currently establishing similar processes for our other clinic sites as well. Our schedulers are reaching out to patients prior to their scheduled appointments, to determine how we can best meet their needs.
Your Options:
Anyone who is feeling ill with COVID-19 like symptoms is encouraged to call their physician’s office to see if they should be seen, reschedule their appointment, or ask what course of action might be the best. Additionally, our nurse on call is available 24/7 at 406-676-3737, to assist you. We have measures in place so we can continue to care for our patients who need to be seen. Patients are asked to please call first, to help us prepare for your visit. We have redesigned our processes to reduce potential exposure to illness and to allow our lower-risk patients to continue with their planned appointments. Patients, limited visitors, and staff are screened in a precautionary fashion, to maintain a safer, healthier environment. Our staff are vigilant with personal protective equipment and surfaces throughout our facilities are frequently disinfected. Our goal is to minimize impact on your health care, while maintaining a high level of protection for everyone involved.
Staying Well:
Practicing daily healthy habits is one of the best things you can do to safeguard against the spread of COVID-19. These habits include:
Social distancing – Avoid contact with anyone who may be ill, as well as large gatherings. Forego unnecessary travel and maintain a “six-foot bubble” around yourself whenever possible. If you feel sick, stay home.
Keep your hands clean – Cover your face with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Immediately discard the tissue and sanitize your hands. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your elbow. Wash your hands often and thoroughly, with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol in between washing.
Avoid the “T-Zone” – Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Keep surfaces clean – Sanitize surfaces regularly. This includes your phones and doorknobs.
If You Feel Ill:
First and foremost, if you are experiencing respiratory distress or require emergency care, please call 9-1-1. For non-urgent care, please contact our nurse on call or your primary care provider prior to coming in. Your primary care provider can walk you through the process, as it may change as conditions change.
Together we can slow the spread of this illness, protect our families, and come through this as a stronger community. St. Luke is actively exploring new, innovative care methods, such as Tele-Medicine, to continue serving our patients throughout this community health issue. For more information related to the Coronavirus and COVID-19, we encourage you to follow the CDC at www.cdc.gov, visit our website at www.stlukehealthcare.org, and find us on Facebook.
