WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!
Palouse Medical & Pullman ReadyCare are open and ready to do all they can to support you, your family and the community during these unprecedented times. Thanks to a partnership with Palouse Medical and Pullman Regional Hospital, COVID-19 testing and assessment services were expanded with the addition of the ReadyCare Respiratory Center (RRC) opened 10/5/2020, located at 690 SE Bishop Blvd. Suite D in Pullman, next to Jiffy Lube.
This site provided much needed care to area residents and guests from October 2020 – February 2021. As we watched a steady decline in the volume of patients that were seeking care at the RRC, it was determined that we no longer needed this site to be fully staffed. Palouse Medical temporarily closed the RRC site effective March 1st, 2021. Committed to the safety and helping our medical community meet our needs, Palouse Medical will continue to monitor needs and will consider reopening if it appears demand returns for these services to be available off-site.
It is important to remember that Symptoms may appear in as few
as 2 DAYS or as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus.
**IMPORTANT: COVID-19 can be present even with no symptoms**
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These symptoms may include a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. A person’s individual risk depends on their exposure to the virus. Some people have an increased risk of infection, especially those who have had close contact with a positive COVID-19 patient, or those who have traveled recently to an area with community spread.
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WHAT IS COVID-19?A novel coronavirus is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified. The virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is not the same as the coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold. On February 11, 2020 the World Health Organization announced an official name for the disease that is causing the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak, first identified in Wuhan China. The new name of this disease is coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as COVID-19. In COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV”. There are many types of human coronaviruses including some that commonly cause mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses. COVID-19 is a new disease, caused by a novel (or new) coronavirus that has not previously been seen in humans.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT COVID-19
Your Health is Important
Following the guidelines outlined by Washington State, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and local recommendations from Whitman County Department of Health, Palouse Medical and Pullman ReadyCare are still open and providing care on the Palouse. Our top priority will always be the health and safety of our patients, staff and providers.
⇒ DON’T DELAY YOUR HEALTHCARE!
Getting annual physicals, screenings, and preventive check-ups are essential for your overall well-being. We are concerned that patients are going without important medical care for acute, chronic, or preventable conditions, illnesses or injuries, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We encourage you to contact your provider to schedule an appointment, whether it be in-person, Telehealth, or connect through virtual care visits.
WHAT WE ARE DOING…
We continue to take extra precautions and follow state and federal protocols to keep you as safe as possible including:
- SCREENING ANYONE ENTERING OUR CLINIC
Includes checking of temperature and symptoms for patients, visitors, vendors, staff & providers daily - REQUIRING A FACE MASK
We require a mask or facial covering (over nose and mouth) for all who enter our facilities, per the CDC guidelines.
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- If you do not have a face mask upon arrival at the clinic, one will be provided.
- Implementing physical distancing measures in our waiting areas, hallways and patient care areas
- LIMITING NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN CLINIC
Limiting the number of people who accompany a patient to an appointment to 1 additional individual (exceptions only for specific cases) - USING APPROPRIATE PPE
Maintaining an adequate inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE) for our providers and staff.
- REDUCING EXPOSURE RISKS BY INCREASED CLEANING EFFORTS
Conducting extra cleaning and isolation protocols throughout the day and deep cleaning each night.
Local COVID-19 testing is conducted using a nasopharyngeal (back of the nose) collection or by nasal swab. Palouse Medical offers COVID-19 testing and assessment through ReadyCare.
If you are an established patient at Palouse Medical, please contact your Primary Care Provider and ask for an order to be tested for COVID-19. Patients not established at Palouse Medical will need to be assessed prior to being tested.
If you have questions or concerns about COVID-19, please contact your doctor, the CDC self-checker tool, or your health insurance nurse advice line.
Washington State Department of Health has established a call center to answer questions from the public about COVID-19. If you have questions about what is happening in Washington State, how the virus is spread and what to do if you have symptoms, please call WSDOH hotline at 1-800-525-0127 and press #.
For current information on our local efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19, please visit the Whitman County Public Health’s COVID-19 webpage.
Palouse Medical is proud to be part of the local effort to vaccinate our community against COVID-19 and have held vaccine clinics since our region received first doses in December 2020. Vaccination guidelines are continually being updated, so please visit our VACCINE page to learn about upcoming clinics and more!