5/8/20 member email
Hello all!  
 
After last week’s LOOOONG email, this one will be relatively short and sweet.
 
Clinic updates:
  • We are seeing patients in clinic when necessary.
  • We are requiring everyone over age 2 to wear a mask (scarf, bandana, etc).
  • We are requiring everyone to have a phone consult with your physician first to allow us to minimize our face-to-face time as much as possible.
  • We are waiving our regular $90 enrollment fee for new members during the month of May, so if you have any friends or family who have been considering joining, now is a good time!
  • Our “We’re all in this together” yard signs are available for anyone who would like one – just let us know when you stop by for curbside medication pick-up, etc and we’ll bring one out to you.
 
 
This is a good place to stop if you are trying to minimize your news intake.  If you’d like more detailed local updates, feel free to keep reading.
 
As always, we’re here for you,
Health Suite 110
#staysafestayhome
 
 
 
General updates:
  • Antibody testing continues to be hot topic, but for now does not offer the reassurance we would hope.  Good 4 minute explainer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtlSu7OhkYE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0DotyN23CMMufq65uG7-GsWasCAOIpXaCZotaNOSKJaf1peLW6OV7gR24
  • The CDC has updated recommendations on how long a person with covid-19 symptoms should self-isolate to a MINIMUM OF 10 DAYS after symptoms have started AND at least 72 hours after symptoms have resolved.
  • Kansas has updated travel locations that require 14-day quarantine upon return to the state: Washington, Florida and California have been removed.  Massachusettes and Rhode Island have been added.
  • Our website remains the best place to start with any covid-19 questions https://www.healthsuite110.com/coronavirus-covid-19.html
 
 
5/7/20 KDHE updates:
  • Worldwide cases have reached over 3.6 million with over 258,000 deaths (last week we had about 3 million cases and around 224,000 deaths).
  • The U.S. has reached over 1 million cases with over 68,000 deaths (last week we had around 980,000 cases and about 55,000 deaths).
  • Kansas has had 5,734 cases, 144 deaths with 150-200 new cases reported daily.  
  • Kansas is still well behind on number of overall tests done, but the health department has set a goal of 60,000 more PCR (nasal swab) tests in May, which will double the number tested so far in the state.
  • Resources for businesses to help re-open safely: https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/248/Business-Employers
 
We wish you all a safe and happy Mother’s Day weekend.



5/1/20 member email

CLINIC UPDATES:
  • ALL visits need to be scheduled.  We LOVE to see your faces, but will not be unlocking the door for unannounced walk-ups. 
  • Our clinic hours remain the same (Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-noon) and will continue telemedicine and curbside visits whenever possible to minimize risk to patients and staff.
  • Due to Dr. Willnauer and Dr. Ahmed working in high risk environments outside of clinic, they will continue to serve their patients via telemedicine, but will NOT be available for in-person visits at this time. 
  • Dr. Teegarden and Dr. Vannaman continue working at clinic full-time and are available to see all Health Suite 110 patients in clinic as necessary.  
  • Kayla has been working from home this past month and will be returning to clinic in mid-May.  Laura remains at clinic full-time and Arshia continues to manage the clinic remotely.
  • Please continue to EMAIL your physician directly for any medical needs during this time.  If you are not sure how to reach your physician directly by email or cell phone, please reach out to the nurses at hello@healthsuite110.com who will be happy to help.
  • All ancillary services (medications, imaging fees, etc) will be charged at time of service.    
  • We are still offering routine vaccinations to children and adults as needed.  For those who utilize the health department for vaccines, as of 4/30/20 only the Johnson County Health Department in Olathe is currently offering routine vaccinations. 
 
IN-CLINIC VISITS will be scheduled to maximize patient and staff safety.            
Please DO:
  • LIMIT EXTRA FAMILY in attendance to only those necessary (ex: 1 adult with a young child, no siblings please).
  • Stay in your vehicle and CALL WHEN YOU ARRIVE.
  • All patients will be required to WEAR A MASK upon entering the clinic (not applicable to young children or others who would have difficulty with this).  Please bring your own if you have one; a homemade cloth mask, scarf, bandana, etc is fine.
  • Remember, staff will be wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves, eye protection, gowns, etc. so don’t be alarmed.  We are still smiling underneath all that gear!
 
Annual physicals, well child checks and routine follow-up visits will be resuming over the next few weeks.  
  • Everyone will need a phone visit first, which will be scheduled with you by your physician.
  • In-clinic visits will be scheduled per your physician’s recommendations.
  • If you have had a visit that has been postponed this past month, please feel free to email your physician to discuss getting a phone visit scheduled.

Stay-at-home orders will be starting to lift over the coming weeks, but we encourage everyone to remain vigilant and continue practicing social distancing, regular hand washing/sanitizing and wearing a mask when out in public.
 
This is a good place to stop if you are trying to minimize your news intake.  If you’d like more detailed local updates, feel free to keep reading.
 
As always, we’re here for you,
Health Suite 110
#staysafestayhome
 
 
-------------------
General updates:
  • Gov. Kelly has recently issued plans to reopen Kansas in 4 phases starting May 4th.  Social distancing and wearing masks in public is strongly encouraged.  More details here:  https://covid.ks.gov/ad-astra-a-plan-to-reopen-kansas/.  The state has ordered 500,000 FDA-approved test kits from an overseas company and will begin arriving next week.  The federal government will also be shipping an additional 50,000 test kits to KS over the next 2 weeks.
  • Local KS health departments may continue to advise restriction orders based on the risks of each county.
    • Johnson County has extended the stay-at-home order to May 10th.
  • Gov. Parsons is allowing Missouri businesses to open back up on May 4th as long as residents and business owners continue to practice proper social distancing and other requirements.  This first phase of reopening will last through May 31st.  State and health officials will re-evaluate the data later in May to determine next steps.
  • Kansas City’s stay-at-home order is scheduled to continue through May 15th, while St. Louis (which has had the majority of the state’s cases) has not said when it will lift its order.
  • According to HealthData.org, Kansas is estimated to be at its peak use of resources now, while Missouri’s peak seems to have been around 4/22/20.  Relaxing social distancing after June 29th in Kansas MAY be possible with containment strategies that include testing, contact tracing, isolation and limiting gathering sizes.  There were no specific recommendations for Missouri. https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america/kansas.  
  • We continue to offer covid-19 testing to our patients as needed.  If you are having symptoms, please complete our online covid-19 questionnaire and we will reach out to you with further instructions.https://www.healthsuite110.com/covid-19-risk-questionnaire.html
  • Antibody testing is being done by the CDC to help determine how much of the population has been exposed to covid-19, but there is still a lot we do not know.  Questions that are NOT able to be answered at this time include: How many antibodies are needed to protect someone from covid-19 and how long does this protection last?  Does having antibodies mean you cannot get covid-19 again?  Can someone with antibodies return to work?  Once we know the answers to these questions, widespread antibody testing may be very valuable in controlling new outbreaks of the virus.
  • The FDA is expected to approve emergency use of a new IV antiviral medication (Remdesivir), which has shown some promise in reducing recovery time and mortality rate.  https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/nih-clinical-trial-shows-remdesivir-accelerates-recovery-advanced-covid-19
 
Children’s Mercy updates:
  • Telemedicine consults continue while in-person clinic visits and elective surgical procedures will open up as community restrictions are lifted.
 
4/30/20 KDHE updates:
  • Worldwide cases have reached over 3 million with over 224,000 deaths (last week we had 2.6 million cases and around 183,000 deaths).
  • The U.S. has reached over 981,000 cases with over 55,000 deaths (last week we had around 800,000 cases and about 44,000 deaths).
  • Kansas has had 3,738 cases, 515 hospitalizations and 125 deaths.  Average age of all cases has been 47 years old, with a range of ages 0-99 years). Median age of those who have died was 81 years old.  
  • Kansas is still well behind on number of overall tests done, but the health department has set a goal of 60,000 more PCR (nasal swab) tests in May, which will double the number tested so far in the state.
  • A recent study showed that people were infectious starting about 2.3 days BEFORE any symptoms.  Rate of infectiousness dropped significantly by Day 7 of symptoms, however viral shedding was detected for up to 21 days.  This highlights the importance of practicing social distancing and good hand hygiene for everyone, regardless of symptoms.