Healthcare is being delivered in different ways in North Central and around the Valley since the COVID-19 pandemic struck the country.
Dr. James Carty, chief of staff at Abrazo Central Campus, said safety precautions that were already in place before the pandemic have been enhanced to help protect the community. Abrazo Health has adopted COVID-19 safety standards including intensified cleaning protocols, visitor restrictions and screening of everyone coming into its facilities.
Physicians in all practice types have been offering telehealth appointments to try to ensure patients still have access to the care they require. Many hospitals have used cell phones, iPads and tablets in hospitals to try to keep patients and their loved ones connected via videoconferencing.
Carty said after the pandemic has ended he expects “the heightened awareness of infection prevention measures such as hand washing will likely lead to reducing the spread of many ongoing as well as seasonal pathogens.” Patients who are comfortable communicating with a healthcare professional using video appointments will continue doing so while he predicts many patients and healthcare providers will prefer to use in-person encounters.
Abrazo Health provides information about its COVID-19 pandemic safety standards, as well as information about COVID-19 vaccines, tips for determining if you have the virus and other information at www.abrazohealth.com/our-response-to-COVID-19.
