UMC issued the following statement.
A
new field clinic set up by the University of Mississippi Medical Center
for people with acute respiratory issues is now caring for patients
seeking care or referred by local primary care providers, including
pediatricians.
The acute respiratory clinic on the lower level of parking Garage B opened April 8,
initially to patients referred by a UMMC provider. It’s solely for
those with acute respiratory issues who need to be seen by a provider,
but who aren’t ill enough for a trip to the emergency room. The goal is
to ensure those patients quickly get the level of care they need.
The
clinic, near the corner of State Street and Woodrow Wilson Avenue in
parking Garage B, is by appointment only and is not for walk-up care.
Those being seen are adults and children who have non-severe symptoms of
a respiratory illness, like influenza or strep throat.
The facility also serves patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 who have symptoms that require minor care.
“The
acute respiratory clinic was deployed to fill several gaps in the care
of these patients in the community,” said Dr. Javed Butler, Patrick
Lehan Chair of Cardiovascular Research and chair of UMMC’s Department
of Medicine. “Many community primary care clinics are either temporarily
closed or curtailed, and some patients may not have a ready option for
new-onset, acute symptoms.”
To schedule an adult visit:
- Current UMMC patients must be referred to the clinic by their primary or specialty care provider. Patients should be screened for symptoms by their PCP or the UMMC Center for Telehealth to determine if care at the clinic is warranted. If the patient is determined to need minor respiratory care, the provider will call (601) 496-5300 to speak with a scheduler and make an appointment.
- Non-UMMC patients who believe they need to be seen must first call (601) 496-5300 to set up a telehealth visit with a UMMC provider. Based on that visit, the provider will determine if the patient needs scheduling for an appointment.
- Non-UMMC providers may also refer their adult patients to the clinic by calling (601) 496-5300 to schedule a visit.
All pediatric patients must be referred to the clinic through a provider or pediatrician:
- Children’s of Mississippi providers should call the Pediatric Access Center at (601) 815-5300 to refer patients for scheduling.
- Local pediatricians and primary care providers can refer children by calling 1-(855) 984-KIDS. Schedulers will make an appointment and contact the patient’s family.
The
clinic “is designed to see patients that need to have a face-to-face
visit with a provider,” said Margaret Head, chief ambulatory officer for
UMMC’s adult hospitals. “In other words, the patient needs more than
self-care at home, but does not need care provided by the Emergency
Department.”
The
clinic is critical to keeping safe the patients seen in the adult and
pediatric Emergency Departments who have injuries or illness unrelated
to the virus. As a field hospital, the clinic is providing UMMC with the
infrastructure it needs to expand clinical services to unconventional
areas, while still providing the highest level of care to patients.
“We
are able to screen patients for other conditions, like influenza or
strep, as well as COVID-19, treat them, and send them home with
appropriate treatment or reassurance,” said Dr. Mary Taylor, Suzan B.
Thames Chair, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics.
“Many
children present to clinics each day with fever,” Taylor said. “While
this is often a sign of another illness in children, during this
pandemic we must ensure the safety of our patients, families and staff
by isolating patients with these symptoms appropriately and assessing
for COVID-19 infection.”
About
24 adult and pediatric patients can be examined at a time. They are
placed in mobile hospital beds used in disasters, separated by dividers
for privacy.
The
clinic, open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, is staffed by internal
medicine and pediatric physicians, nurse practitioners, and both adult
and pediatric nurses.
What they’re doing:
- Rapid testing for flu and strep
- Specimen collection for COVID-19 testing
- X-ray and laboratory blood work
- Checking oxygen levels and administering nasal oxygen if needed
- Antibiotic and steroid treatment
- Medical evaluation and treatment planning
The clinic is not a replacement for screening for the virus by a provider, or for drive-through testing at sites across the state,
including the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson. It also is not
an alternative for patients who need emergency room care.
“This
will be a great resource for our community providers who are likewise
eager to treat symptomatic patients, but who need to protect other
patients and staff from potential infection,” Taylor said.
For more information about COVID-19 in Mississippi and UMMC’s response, click here.
2 comments:
Good work by UMMC.
hold the phone. this cant be! yesterday sid salter said in his weekly drivel that mississippi had a ''low rank for health care''...........................and we all know that he could not say that if it was not true.
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