Coronavirus (COVID-19): Ongoing Updates and How We’re Responding

By: Oakdale ObGyn

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health continue to update their recommendations regarding coronavirus, (COVID-19). Our medical team and staff are up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). We are collaborating with our partner hospitals: Maple Grove Hospital and the University of Minnesota-Fairview Health Maternal-Fetal Medicine Department to assure we continue to meet your health care needs during this unprecedented time. Ongoing updates will be available here.

Updates – Revised April 7

Facemasks

The CDC now suggests that people wear masks while in public. While not a guarantee of safety, it seems to lessen the chance of virus exposure. If you have an in-clinic appointment, please consider taking an extra step of protecting yourself as well as our clinical team. This video offers guidance to creating your own. We are also accepting mask donations. We’d appreciate any efforts!

Service Availability

Elective surgeries and procedures are canceled at this time. Procedures and surgeries for immediate/acute concerns continue, including c-sections.
We continue to deliver babies at Maple Grove Hospital, where staff are working hard to minimize risk of exposure to the virus.
Self-care during this time is really important. That’s why we are scheduling telemedicine appointments for many types of women’s health concerns, including birth control, low-risk pregnancies, physical therapy, and nutrition. This audio-visual appointment takes place via computer, tablet or smartphone in the privacy of your home or office. Learn more or call 763-587-7000 for a telemedicine appointment. Download our telemedicine how-to instructions.

Visitor Restrictions

We are taking extra precautions to provide the safest clinic environment possible for our patients and staff. Effective immediately we require that patients come alone to their in-clinic visits. This includes no children or significant others.
Maple Grove Hospital is not permitting visitors, with certain exceptions. Labor and delivery patients who may be joined by one healthy support person in the hospital at a time. Additional information is available on the hospital website.

Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, please read this information from the CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID- 19) and Pregnancy.
Pregnant patients who have no medical concerns, whose babies are healthy, and who have no prior pregnancy complications are considered low-risk and may follow a modified prenatal schedule that blends telemedicine and in-clinic appointments to reduce risk of infection with COVID-19. Review our modified schedule here. Call 763-587-7000 with any questions.

Clinic Hours and Status

To date, all of our clinics remain open with condensed schedules and reduced staff. There are occasions that a clinic may be closed on a particular day due to a low number of patient appointments.
At this time, we have been forced to temporarily furlough several providers and staff who are part of our Oakdale team. As a short-term leave of absence, we look forward to the time they will be back serving your needs. Rest assured, you will continue to receive the same high-quality care you’ve come to expect.

Billing

Understandably at this time, you may have questions or concerns about your bills. Please contact our Business Office at 763-587-7035 to discuss. We want to work with you and your unique situation in this challenging time.

Clinic Safety and In-clinic Appointments

If you have an appointment in-clinic, you likely have questions about infection control preparations at our clinics. Because we all have a part to play in helping to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and any other illnesses, review the following and don’t hesitate to call us with questions at 763-587-7000.

In our offices, we are:

Offering sanitation supplies in all patient waiting areas
Cleaning all patient and staff areas multiple times a day with disinfectant solutions
Deep cleaning all care areas, equipment, and materials daily
Removing frequently-touched materials in waiting areas
Requiring sick employees to stay home

For your in-clinic appointment(s):

Wear a mask if you have one available to you
Wash your hands with soap and water before coming to your appointment.
Be courteous to others when in the office: cover coughs inside your sleeve, throw tissues in garbage cans, limit face touching, and wash your hands often.
Reschedule your appointment if you or a family member is sick or experiencing flu-like symptoms. Telemedicine (audio-video) appointments are encouraged.
Reschedule your appointment 14 days out or more if you have been exposed, or are concerned you’ve been exposed, to someone with COVID-19.

If you’re concerned you have the virus, visit this free online evaluation website: oncare.org. Also, all North Memorial Health Clinic and Urgent Care locations offer COVID- 19 testing.

We will continue to share information and recommendations as they become available and encourage you to follow these websites for the latest information:

The Minnesota Department of Health also staffs a COVID-19 Hotline: 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3902 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.).

Photo Credit: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention