Kyle is out of insulin for his insulin pump. He is scared to go to a medical facility for fear of being exposed to the Coronavirus. Ella has had painful urination for the past week, and now has back pain and nausea. She is concerned she has a urinary tract infection, but she too is nervous to go to the doctor’s office. These are common scenarios during this time of pandemic fears. Is it safe to go to the urgent care center? This is an important question. The answer is complex.
The simple answer is yes, it is safe to return to the urgent care clinic as you normally would. However, there are complex issues that need to be explained for patients to know WHY it is safe.
- First, we are taking every precaution to keep all patients safe. If a patient has fever, cough or shortness of breath (potential signs of Coronavirus infection), they will not be seen in the clinic. They will be seen in their car by a provider in full personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Second, every member of our team is screened daily for fever or new symptoms associated with Coronavirus. Team members with any symptoms are not allowed to work.
- Third, Texas has done a great job containing the spread of the virus. There are a few “hot spot” cities in Texas, but overall, Texas is a low risk state for exposure. The state of Texas has seen 32,332 positive patients in a state of 29,000,000 residents. This means the risk of contracting the virus is 0.11% or 1 patient per 1,000 people.
- Finally, with Governor Abbott’s orders to begin reopening businesses in Texas, we are taking extreme measures to protect the safety of our patients and staff. Our employees are rotating rooms used in order to properly sanitize and clean after every patient encounter, regardless of their reason for coming into the clinic. Patients as well as providers are required to wear masks. Because we are screening for patients who have symptoms of the Coronavirus, it is safer to come to our clinic than to go to the grocery store.
Patients like Kyle and Ella have far greater risk to their health by avoiding medical care than they do by coming to our office. This virus must be taken seriously. We are doing that. Yet, we must also take care of the much more common illnesses and injuries that impact each of us every day. These are uncertain times, but we all must move forward safely to continue to pursue the healthiest life we can. Delaying treatment of illness and injury is more hazardous than the risk of contracting Coronavirus. We are here to protect you and take care of you. Integrity Urgent Care is doing everything possible to be a safe place for everyone. Come see us, and we will treat you the way we treat our own families. Each of our area clinics is open from 8 am to 8 pm, every day of the week.
