COVID-19 - Information
Silver Spring Animal Hospital
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March 16, 2020
Dear Clients, We hope you are all well and living safely in the midst of the current situation. We intend to provide sick and well care for all of our patients with normal hours but will post a notice on the website and on the voicemail if we are instructed to modify our hours. In the meantime, we would appreciate it if you could take the following steps when you visit us:
We are cleaning surfaces on a regular basis. We are also avoiding physical contact with clients, such as shaking hands, and we may wear gloves when handling our patients. We ask that you understand that we do this to keep everyone healthy. Finally, we hope that you and your wonderful pets stay safe. Gouri Krishna, DVM Patrick Barnes, DVM State Veterinary Board News from the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners February 2020 Veterinary Hospitals to Remain Open (March 16, 2020) - Today, Governor Hogan announced additional actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Maryland; however, veterinary hospitals provide a vital service to the state and should continue operations. The Maryland Department of Agriculture urges all veterinary professionals to practice social distancing as much as possible, regularly sanitize all touch surfaces, and provide ample access to hand sanitizers/hand-washing stations for employees and customers. Note: The Board staff is working remotely. We are checking voice mail message every hour. You can also reach us by email below. Contact Us . . . Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners 50 Harry S Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401 Main Office: 410-841-5862 Website: www.mda.maryland.gov/vetboard Email: [email protected] Online portal: portal.mda.maryland.gov Twitter: @MdVetBoard Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners |
Local Emergency Rooms - Updated Procedures |
From Friendship Animal Hospital (March 16, 2020): Due to ongoing concern revolving around COVID-19, Friendship will be implementing additional guidelines and protocols to ensure we can continue caring for your pets Friendship leadership has been meeting around the clock to evaluate the dynamic nature of the situation facing our community. After much thought and consideration, we will not be allowing clients into the hospital, effective March 17th. All scheduled wellness visits, non-routine exams, surgery/dental drop-offs and specialty appointments:
ADDITIONAL REMINDERS: Medication Refills - If your pet needs a medication refill, please call 202.363.7301, email [email protected] or submit online. You can pay for your medications ahead of time at friendshiphospital.com/payonline. When you arrive, please call from outside or from in your car, and a member of our team will run the medication out to you. When In Doubt, Call! - If you're unsure whether your pet needs to be seen on emergency, please call us to help you assess the situation. If you're feeling ill or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, please call us for guidance as we may have additional protocols to ensure our safety while still meeting your pets' medical needs. Handshake Free Zone - Our staff strives to provide outstanding in-person communication. However, at this time we feel that it is best for the safety of our entire community to limit face-to-face communication and physical contact, such as shaking hands. Our hospital is continuing to disinfect and deep clean throughout the day and overnight. We will continue to keep you updated as any additional precautions become necessary. Thank you for your help and understanding during this ever-evolving situation. Sincerely, Your Friends at Friendship Hospital for Animals Friendship Hospital for Animals 4105 Brandywine Street NW Washington, DC 20016 202.363.7300 [email protected] From Metropolitan Emergency Animal Clinic (March 16, 2020): Dear Pet Families of Metropolitan Animal Emergency and Specialty Center, We know Coronavirus/COVID-19 is a concerning topic for people everywhere, including pet parents. As your partner in caring for the overall health and wellness of your pets, we want to ensure you still have access to pet care during this time. Our facility remains open at this time to provide safe service to all. Be assured that we have procedures in place addressing a variety of health and safety issues, and while we have always ensured the highest levels of cleanliness and sanitation, we have recently updated our health and safety guidelines in direct response to the emergence of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). These guidelines are based on guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). These include updated hygiene practices, as provided by the CDC, that are good to follow in all seasons. Things like frequent and thorough hand washing, good coughing and sneezing etiquette, and avoiding direct contact with others when you are sick. Our team members are being asked to stay home and take care of themselves if they, or their family members, are ill. That's one way we can help minimize the spread of the illness for both pet parents and team members. Please continue to schedule your appointments as needed. However, if you are scheduled or need to schedule an appointment with our practice and are presenting symptoms of COVID-19, or are confirmed positive, please contact us so we can provide you options for your pet’s care. Caring for our team members, our clients, and your pets is the cornerstone of our culture. And at this time, we'll need everyone's help to do that. We hope by working together, we can all do our part to help others to stay safe by using these best practices. Thank you for your help in ensuring the continued good health of our community and our pets. Sincerely, Your Petcare Team Metropolitan Animal Emergency and Specialty Center 301-770-5225 From VRA (March 16, 2020): An Update from VRA Veterinary Referral Associates is committed to keeping our offices healthy and safe for all of our patients, clients, staff, and family members. In light of growing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Hogan has issued an amended executive order to close all bars, restaurants, fitness centers, spas and theaters in Maryland, effective at 5:00pm today. Effective immediately, gatherings of more than 50 people, including social, community, spiritual, religious, recreational, leisure, and sporting gatherings, are prohibited at all locations and venues. In light of these recent developments, VRA will be making the following changes to our protocols. PATIENT INTAKE PROTOCOL Effective March 16, 2020 at 6:00p we will be changing our patient intake protocol for all non-emergency appointments. In the interest of public health, we kindly ask you to only make essential veterinary appointments at this time. If any pet owners refuse to follow these new protocols, they will be asked to reschedule for when the guidelines are no longer in place. Our scheduled appointment/procedure patient intake protocol is as follows: 1) Upon arrival in our parking lot, clients will remain in their vehicle with their pet. 2) Clients will call our main hospital number, 301-926-3300, to notify us that you are here and give a description of your vehicle. 3) A technician and/or assistant will come to the client's vehicle. The technician will obtain a history while the pet is brought inside for evaluation. 4) Once the pet has been examined by one of our doctors, the client will receive a phone call to discuss recommendations and a treatment plan. Verbal consent for treatment and any outpatient estimates will be authorized over the phone. 5) A Patient Care Coordinator will then obtain payment information via phone and an invoice and all discharge instructions will be sent to you via email. 6) A technician or assistant will return your pet to you. Our EMERGENCY VISIT patient intake protocol, is as follows: 1) Upon your arrival, immediately check-in at the front desk. 2) A technician and/or assistant will come to triage your pet and will obtain a brief history. 3) Your pet will be escorted to our main treatment room to be examined and monitored during the wait time. We ask that all clients wait in their vehicles while their pet is being examined. Rest assure, your pet will be housed and monitored in our main hospitalization area with our Emergency and Critical Care Team. 4) You will be asked to provide the best phone number to contact you after one of our emergency doctors have examined your pet. 5) Once the pet has been examined by one of our emergency doctors, you will receive a phone call to discuss recommendations and a treatment plan. Verbal consent for treatments and diagnostics and any outpatient estimates will be authorized over the phone. 6) If your pet has a serious medical condition that requires hospitalization, we will ask you to come in and sign all authorizations and leave any financial deposits required. Visitation Hours will be temporarily suspended. All visitation will be limited to the immediate family of hospitalized patients whose prognosis is imminently terminal. Only the family of pets that our doctors have deemed are in the end of life stages will be allowed visitation. WHAT WE'RE ASKING OF YOU Our hospital is a no handshake zone – our staff is practicing social distancing and maintaining a 6ft distance from other people – that means our clients as well. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer immediately upon entering our office. We urge our clients to follow CDC guidelines including self-quarantine when prudent. We are asking all clients who have COVID-19 like symptoms to reschedule any appointments or send another authorized agent to present their pet to our hospital. If you or members of your family have been required or asked to be quarantined for any reason, or test positive for COVID-19, and you have visited our facility within 72 hours, we kindly ask you to please alert our hospital. As always, please plan ahead for your pets. We recommend having a 2 week supply of food, medications, and sanitary supplies, as well as an identified friend or family member who can help care for your pet if needed, in the event you or a member of your family becomes ill. It is important to note that COVID-19 is not thought to be a threat to your pets at this time. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation during these challenging times. In good health, Veterinary Referral Associates From Blue Pearl (March 15, 2020) Dear Primary Care Clinician, The steady stream of news and information about COVID-19 (coronavirus) has impacted each of us. At BluePearl Specialty & Emergency Pet Hospital, the health, safety, and wellbeing of our patients, staff, and community is our number one priority. As a tertiary care provider and the provider of last resort in the communities in which we operate, we are committed to keeping our hospitals open as long as we can continue to staff our specialty and emergency services. Our goal to provide seamless and available service for you and your clients remains unchanged. We are committed to offering a safe and healthy environment for your clients, their pets, and our hospital teams. To do this we are implementing the following procedures at all BluePearl Hospitals. For Any Pet Visit It is essential that anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, or shortness of breath) or who has traveled internationally in the last 14 days or to an area in the United States with high incidence of COVID-19 call from the car to discuss the situation. We have plans in place to help ensure your pet receives the care it needs. This can include having a staff member in personal protective equipment meet your client at their car to bring the pet into the hospital. New Policy for Inpatient Visits
Thank you for your understanding and please do not hesitate to call us with any questions. We’re here for you, your patients, and the communities in which we live. We will continue to keep you informed as news and information becomes available. Thank you for being part of the BluePearl family. |