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Greatland Clinical Covid-19 Mitigation Plans and Policy

Updated 3/17/20

 

We at Greatland Clinical Associates wish to do our part in helping mitigate the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

 

1. We are offering HIPAA compliant telemedicine appointments as an alternative to in-person appointments. These require a laptop or computer capable of both video, audio, and a good internet connection.  Smartphones work, as well, and may be used if necessary. We are encouraging everyone who can to take advantage of this – social isolation will help prevent the spread of the disease and lessen the impact on our elders, immune-compromised and our hospitals. Insurance reimbursement for telemedicine is an evolving issue: we will provide letters of medical necessity with our billing and believe most insurers, during this crisis, will cover telemedicine. We encourage everyone to check their coverage regarding tele-health or virtual visits. For those not covered we will offer a flat fee depending upon services rendered. Please inquire with our front desk.

 

2. We are asking that anyone, in the 24 hours prior to their appointment, with:

 

  • Cough

  • Shortness of breath

  • Body aches

  • Fever or chills

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Please stay home and call the clinic. 

We will discuss with you how best to provide ongoing care. We may reschedule or offer a telemedicine appointment.  Here at GCA we aren’t just asking our clients to stay home if they have symptoms, we are asking that of ourselves, too. 

               

3. Washing hands and coughing.

  • We are asking everyone, ourselves and our clients, to wash hands regularly: twenty seconds, with soap and water. An alternative is to use hand sanitizer with >60% alcohol; we have bottles at the counter. Help yourself.

  • Please cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.

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4. Other steps that we are taking;

  • We are not shaking hands, for now. We’ll wave, do elbow bumps, whatever you like – but we’re trying to minimize person to person contact.

  • We’ve removed the coffee bar, magazines, books and children’s toys from the waiting area. We’re sorry to leave you with little to do, but the disease can persist for days on hard surfaces. We’ll bring them back when the disease passes!

  • We’re cleaning regularly with disinfectants; while the virus can live for days on hard surfaces, it does appear to be quite susceptible to disinfection.

  • We have rearranged the waiting room to provide the greatest distance between seats as possible; the CDC recommends maintaining a distance of 6 feet.

 

5. What to do if you develop a cough, fever, chills or shortness of breath?  The CDC has an excellent web site, updated regularly, including the link below, with recommendations about how to proceed if you get sick.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/index.html

 

Briefly; we wish to take care of ourselves and get appropriate care, but in this era of the coronavirus pandemic, there are a few things to consider: not exposing others if it turns out we have the virus, not exposing ourselves if it turns out we don’t have the virus, and not adding to the strain on the hospital system if hospital care is not needed. If this is a crisis we urge you to call 911 and notify the operator that you think you might have Covid-19. If possible, put on a facemask before medical help arrives. If this is not a crisis we urge you to follow CDC recommendations and stay home, stay in touch with your doctor, avoid public transportation and monitor your symptoms.

 

If you think you might have the virus, drive through testing is now available in Anchorage, but you will have to contact your primary care physician first; If you don’t have a primary care provider, you can be referred by urgent care or a Providence ExpressCare clinic.  Referrals can be made over the phone, in person or during a virtual medical appointment.  Drive through testing is at 4115 Lake Otis Parkway, 9AM to 7PM.

 

 

6. Psychiatric emergencies during the pandemic: if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts we recommend that you be evaluated and receive treatment at the hospital; in Anchorage we refer to Providence Psychiatric Emergency Department, 3200 Providence Drive, telephone number (907) 212-2800.  We encourage everyone to call ahead, if you can, and if you think you might have Covid-19 let the staff know. Remember that we are in the midst of a pandemic. Social distancing is the best way to reduce risk for all; the hospital is there if you need it, but if you are in crisis but are not suicidal, if you feel safe, the following resources are available to you:

  • GCA’s after-hours call number: (907) 444-7388.

    • This is for non-life threatening medical emergencies. Please call and leave a message and the on-call medical provider will call you back.

  • Providence Crisis Line: (907) 563-3200

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

  • Free National Crisis Text Line: text “home” to 741741

 

We have been both blessed and cursed to live in interesting times.  Especially now, a little patience, generosity, kindness goes a long way.

Let’s all get through this together, as best as we can. 

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