Dr. Dipen Parekh is interim chief operations officer at University of Miami Health System. For more information on UHealth’s COVID-19 safety guidelines visit the UHealth health news blog
UHEALTH MEDICAL FACILITIES OPEN FOR ALL
Now that elective medical procedures have resumed in South Florida, patients can take comfort in being able to access the care they need at the University of Miami Health System and its facilities.
UHealth interim chief operations officer Dr. Dipen Parekh says patient safety is paramount as UHealth welcomes patients for everything from surgeries to routine medical appointments. Precautions to mitigate transmission of COVID-19 begin outside, where each person is screened and given a mask.
“We have adequate supplies of personal protective equipment to take good care of our staff and our patients,” says Dr. Parekh.
Although visitors and companions are not currently permitted for adult patients, UHealth team members are available to greet patients upon entrance and guide them to their appointment location. Re-designed waiting rooms help patients practice safe distancing, and partitions have been installed at check-in points to protect both patients and healthcare workers.
Even the emergency room has been reconfigured with COVID-19 in mind. Patients who come to the ER are first directed to a separate mobile unit. Here, they are screened by medical staff wearing full personal protective equipment. An isolation area has been created to triage patients suspected of having COVID-19 and provide them with appropriate care in an area separate from other patients.
For those who need to stay home or are immune compromised, UHealth offers telemedicine appointments via UHealth Virtual Clinics, where patients can be seen by their doctors remotely using video conferencing. Dr. Parekh says telemedicine is a bright spot during this uncertain time. It is a convenient option for patients who prefer to stay home and it reduces traffic inside the facilities, allowing better physical distancing.
But if you need to see your doctor in person, Dr. Parekh says every precaution is being taken. “Be confident in the fact that this is an academic health system that is at the cutting edge protocol of all COVID-19- related and non-COVID conditions. Do not delay your care,” he says.
FOCUSING ON YOU
Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine is a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit YouTube channels for UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.
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