Dear GACV Patients,
As we continue to address the significant challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about in all our lives. Here at Gastroenterology Associates, our mission has always been to provide safe care to meet the needs of our patients. Our office is open for those patients in need of follow-up and consultative services, we also provide telemedicine visits with our providers. Our endoscopy department continues to provide diagnostic as well as screening colonoscopies and other endoscopic procedures.
We want to assure all our patients that we have been and continue to make every effort to reduce the risk of spreading any virus or infection. Our COVID-19 response plan is based on CDC guidelines and follows AAAHC accreditation standards. This plan includes screening all our employees and patients prior to entering the building via questionnaires and temperature checks. We must also adhere to strict social distancing guidelines. Therefore, we are not able to have family members or drivers accompany patients inside the building.
Our staff is using CDC recommended personnel protective equipment (PPE) during every patient encounter and we continue to sanitize patient care areas and workspaces thoroughly between encounters. We are requiring everyone to sanitize their hands and wear a cloth or surgical face mask prior to entering our office practice and endoscopy center.
Our staff has been advised to follow travel restrictions, avoid large group activities, stay home if sick, and to self-quarantine if exposed to anyone undergoing testing or positive for COVID-19. Our staff is educated and trained in providing a proactive, and if needed, rapid response to any situation that arises.
We also ask that you continue to follow these helpful preventative measures recommended by the CDC:
- Practice proper hand hygiene. Washing with soap and water works best, but if not available, then use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick and practice social distancing of 6 feet or greater when out of your home
- Wear a cloth face cover when you have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up necessities
- Cover coughs and sneezes and wash hand afterward
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
The health and safety of our community remain our objective, and keeping you informed is very important to us.
Thank you,
GACV Physicians and Staff
Learn More: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
