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| Cardiologist Jeffrey Bissing, pictured on the laptop screen, has been seeing some of his patients at Bates County Memorial Hospital using Zoom. These telehealth video visits will continue to be offered, but the hospital will start with a conservative reopening phase starting May 4th, allowing more face-to-face outpatient clinic visits at the hospital, with additional safety precautions. Outpatient Specialty Clinic staff pictured, from left: Kate Long, RN, Ann Donnohue, RN; Outpatient Specialty Clinic Supervisor; Deena Barnett, LPN; Tricia Kantor, Registration. |
As the COVID-19 stay-home order comes to an end for Missouri residents at 11:59 p.m. on May 3, 2020, leadership at Bates County Memorial Hospital announces the first stage of their plan for reopening services. The initial phase of reopening includes more in-clinic visits for outpatient specialties at the hospital and allowing for well-child exams on Monday mornings at Nursery Street Family Care Clinic.
During this transition period, plans are tentative and subject to last-minute changes.
Outpatient Specialty Clinics: Starting May 4th, in-patient clinic visits will be available for five of our outpatient specialty clinics: oncology, endocrinology, cardiology, urology, and pain management. Additional measures, listed below, will be taken to separate patients by physical means as well as appointment timing to promote patient and staff safety; as a result, appointments may be somewhat limited during this phase. Telehealth video visits and phone consults will continue to be an option for some patients.
In-clinic outpatient specialty visits include the following safety measures:
- Only one specialty clinic will be held per day per clinic space (first floor and second floor).
- Patients will be registered by phone before they arrive at the clinic.
- Patients are asked to arrive at the clinic no more than five minutes before their scheduled appointment.
- Seating has been arranged to provide the recommended physical distance between patients.
- Appointments are being scheduled 30 minutes apart to reduce the number of patients in the waiting area.
- At this time, patients may be asked not to bring visitors to their appointment, unless the patient needs special assistance.
Family Care Clinics: Starting Monday, May 4th, appointments will be available for immunizations, well-baby /child checks, and physicals at the Nursery Street clinic. Taking advantage of weekend deep cleaning of clinics, these well-visit appointments will be scheduled Mondays between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. for children up to 17 years. Telehealth services will remain available. Adrian and Rich Hill clinics will remain closed until further notice, and High Street continues to serve as our clinic for patients with respiratory symptoms.
BCMH will continue safety measures to protect the safety of our patients, staff and community at the hospital and clinics. This includes a no-visitor policy (with some exceptions), screening at the hospital entrance and clinic registration, and requiring all who enter to wear a mask.
Additional re-opening plans will be reported at a later time. Follow us on Facebook to stay current with our latest news.
