Houston/ Harris County is amid a pandemic that we have never experienced before and El Centro de Corazón remains steadfast in its focus and commitment to provide quality healthcare to ensure the health of our community; now more than ever.
The current environment is changing daily, and it is critical for El Centro, as a heath care facility, to remain up to date with best practices and information for the safety of our patients, our community, ourselves and our families. In response to the Stay-At-Home, Work Safe Order instituted by local government officials, our health centers will remain open to serve the needs of our community. We are committed to providing affordable, accessible, high quality health care services during this critical time. I want to assure you that we are following the strict health and safety guidelines for our patients and coordinating with state and local health departments as part of emergency management planning, preparedness, and response.
Although we have scaled back appointments in all our departments and we are postponing most well exams, we are still providing critically important care to our patients, both new and established. The following changes have occurred in appointment scheduling and procedures:
Implementing screening questions to ensure the safety of our patients and staff
Providing only emergent dental services for tooth pain and/or swelling of the tissues
Reducing appointments to focus on those who are sick, but still seeing some necessary patients for such appointments for Well Child Exams (0- 3 years of age) and Ob/Gyn services
Cancelling all group medical appointments, physical fitness classes and gardening activities until further notice
Requiring every staff member to adhere to the existing health and safety protocols, including frequent handwashing and proper use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
Increasing the frequency of the cleaning and sanitation in our health centers
Additionally, we are actively working on the implementation of tele-health services for delivery of care, which gives us opportunities to still “see” our patients for medical and behavioral health needs. We are also providing updated news about COVID-19 on our bilingual website for our patients and the community so they have a better understanding of the Coronavirus, as well as which symptoms to look for. Currently, El Centro is unable to test for COVID-19; however, we hope to begin testing soon.
We are living with a higher than normal level of stress and more uncertainty than ever before and I appreciate all our supporters. El Centro’s sole focus is on COVID-19 and how we can best address the needs of our patients, staff, and community.
We are in this together. Please continue to stay safe and healthy.