Important Information Regarding COVID19
UPDATED 7/1/2020
The safety of our patients and staff remains our main priority during this stressful time. We will always be here for your family 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This continues to be an evolving situation, and we will bring you updated information as it changes.
PROTECTING OUR PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATES FAMILY
We are taking new precautions to protect you. We are fortunate to have offices that are easy to divide into sick and well areas with separate entrances which will only be scheduled for well patients. All toys and books have been removed from the waiting and exam rooms. All surfaces are being regularly cleaned with sanitizing wipes, and hand sanitizer is readily available. Please try to not bring additional siblings or extra caregivers for appointments if at all possible. Additionally new check in procedures are being followed so that there is no waiting within the office:
Well patients:
- We will continue to see well visits in a modified manner, in order to provide important vaccines to protect your children. We will use a separate entrance for patients to enter the downtown building at entrance 2 (please try to park on that side of the building). Families are given a number to text name, make and color of car (for wells 434-218-3527) upon arrival, so that staff can find families in the parking lot to check in, scan temperatures, review screening questions, and give cloth masks to families who do not have their own to use. All patients over 2 who are able as well as caregivers will be asked to wear a mask while in the building. We will ask patients to wait in their car after checking in unless there is a room ready to immediately enter. It is helpful to have water and snacks in case you need to wait before entering.
- If your child was scheduled for a well check, but is sick please call the office to discuss the symptoms with our nurses before your appointment.
- For satellite offices,
- Our north office has separate entrances for sick and well patients. After checking in, if there is not a room ready to immediately enter will we ask you to return to the car until texted to come in.
- West office patients will need to call when they arrive for their appointment and wait in the car until they can enter an exam room directly. We are only seeing well patients at the west office.
- Zion Crossroads office patients will also need to call when they arrive for their appointment and remain in the car until able to directly enter an exam room.
Sick patients:
- We will have sick patients enter through entrance number 3 of our downtown building. There will be another staff member waiting to check in patients after texting (for sick visits 434-214-0186) that they have arrived. If there is not a room ready to immediately enter, will we ask you to wait in the car until texted to come into the building. Again having water and a snack is helpful in case you need to wait outside.
- Again all patients and caregivers over 2 and able to wear a mask will be provided a cloth mask to wear while in the building if they do not come with their own.
- High risk patients for covid19 will be asked to remain outside the building. At the schedule appointment time, please pull up to the reserved parking area near the corner of our parking lot and text the sick number above. A tent will be set up to use during inclement weather. A physician will meet you there.
- Please remember to call to schedule an appointment for sick visits. Patients arriving without an appointment will be sent away in order to complete important pre-screening to protect our staff and other patients.
Telehealth visits:
Due to changes in regulatory guidelines due to COVID-19, we are now able to offer secure, HIPPA compliant telehealth visits for a number of conditions. These visits are scheduled by a nurse just as all other visits have been in the past. More information is sent out at the time of the visit, but can even be done with a telephone. Some common visits that can be done in this manner include ADHD medication checks, mental and behavioral health visits, development, and sleep questions. Please call with questions.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
While we continue to see reassuring evidence about the more limited numbers of severe disease in children, these precautions are being put in place to protect the most vulnerable community members. Part of school closures, in addition to all of the changes in our community is to facilitate social distancing. By avoiding gathering groups, staying 6 feet away from people outside your house as much as possible, and wearing masks when you go out, we can slow the spread to the most fragile members of our community and keep healthcare systems from becoming quickly overwhelmed. We continue to recommend hand washing with soap and water or alcohol based hand sanitizer when not available.
TESTING
We know that you will worry when your child is sick. Testing remains limited at this time. We are following the current guidelines for testing which is based on the following criteria:
- Symptoms including: cough, fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea or sore throat
AND
- Possible exposure to someone with COVID19
As of this time testing capabilities remain limited, and we will continue to recommend CDC guidelines for self quarantine after travel in patients who are asymptomatic or patients who do not meet the above criteria. We are happy to evaluate patients if you are concerned about them even if they do not meet the criteria for testing, and would do so in our outdoor evaluation sight.
TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN
Many of your children will be anxious with changes in their routines and be sensitive to your concerns. We encourage you to talk with your children openly about the situation while focusing on how these measures are all designed to protect us. Try to keep routines in your household consistent with normal sleep schedules, and family time to talk about their questions. Here are some links to help guide your discussions:
Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus | Child Mind Institute
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html
We welcome your questions and calls. We remain open until 9pm, 7 days a week to protect the health of your family now more than ever.