03/20/2020
Dear patients and friends,
We are still seeing patients at Primary Care of Brookhaven. I wanted to update you on our office coronavirus procedures. We are taking as many precautions as we can to ensure both safety of our patients and of our staff. Our waiting room has been separated in to a well side and sick side and we are screening patients for fevers and symptoms first over the phone and then upon entrance to our office. We are asking that all patients with potential contagious illnesses put on a mask upon entering the office. We will continue to follow the CDC guidance on procedures and policies for minimizing the risk of spread of this disease.
At this time, there is no specific treatment or vaccine available for COVID-19. Please be aware that there are news stories about potential medications under investigation but nothing has been shown yet to work in people. For now, we can only offer medicines to help with fever, shortness of breath, nausea etc.
We also do not have COVID-19 tests available in the office at this time.
If you develop fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms please call our office at 404-365-6500. If your symptoms are SEVERE, call 911 or seek emergent medical treatment immediately. You are at higher risk for more severe illness if you are 65yrs or older, have chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes, or other serious health issues) and should not wait for treatment.
Additionally, if you have a known exposure to someone diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19 or a travel history to endemic countries and are feeling unwell, please call us. We will give you guidance on whether you should come to our office or to go to the emergency room.
Primary Care of Brookhaven is also starting to participate in Telemedicine visits. Our telemedicine visits can be done on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. This is a great option if you are sick, if you have chronic medical conditions, if you live far away from the practice, or if you are just following general social distancing. The majority of insurance carriers are covering these types of visits. Of course, not all appointments will be telemed appropriate. Also, if you need lab work then you would need to go to an outside lab or our office for a blood draw. Please call our office to schedule an appointment or get more information, 404-365-6500.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China.
