
23 Apr Continue to Seek Care
Continue to Seek Care
Jamestown Family Health Clinic, Olympic Medical Center and North Olympic Healthcare Network are working together to encourage community members to continue attending to their essential health needs during the pandemic.
Governor Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order allows for essential medical visits, which includes regular medical care. It is important to stay focused on chronic conditions, maintain regular checkups and obtain vaccinations. Chronic health conditions may worsen if not appropriately monitored, and delaying care may result in greater harm.
Patients attending regularly scheduled appointments who are experiencing respiratory symptoms should call their provider before coming to the clinic. It’s important to note that patients who have a respiratory or non-respiratory illness or condition that requires medical attention should seek the care they need with their primary care provider or a walk-in clinic. If they need emergent or urgent care they should to go the emergency department.
Coronavirus Highlights Safety
Allison Unthank, MD, Clallam County Public Health Officer, praised local clinics earlier this month for “operating under excellent infection control” and for being “safe for patient care.” Like the providers at Jamestown, Olympic Medical and NOHN, she recommends that people continue to seek care from their providers and that it is “safe to continue to get standard medical care.”
Jamestown Family Health Clinic, North Olympic Healthcare Network and Olympic Medical Center facilities all continue to operate with high-level precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These precautions include patient and employee screening, hand hygiene, using personal protective equipment appropriately and effectively, physical distancing measures, increased cleaning measures, and specific protocols to appropriately separate patients with respiratory symptoms.
Governor’s Order: Some tests, procedures and surgeries are still on hold
Governor Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order does prohibit certain “elective” procedures, specifically, non-urgent medical procedures such as most joint replacements, most cataract and lens surgeries, non-urgent cardiac procedures, cosmetic procedures, some endoscopy (i.e. screening colonoscopy) and some interventional radiology services (i.e. screening mammograms).
As these prohibitions are lifted, providers will work with patients to schedule procedures, as needed.