Coronavirus Update

March 19th, 2020 Coronavirus Update

At Arizona Women’s Care our top priority is the health and safety of our patients, employees and visitors. We are requesting that only patients come to their appointments and family/friends remain at home.

If you are sick, have a fever, shortness of breath, cough, runny nose or other concerns please do not come to the office. Please use the patient portal, call our triage department (480-451-8454), or visit our website ( arizonawomenscare.com ) for places to get tested.

The HonorHealth nurse line is also available 24/7 to address any specific questions or concerns regarding Covid-19. Call 480-587-6200.

The Arizona State Department has a hotline for patients and health care workers as well: 1-844-542-8201.

Here is what we know about testing in Arizona: 

Gov. Doug Ducey and Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ met this week with representatives from the Translational Genomics Research Institute, Banner Health, Sonora Quest and Mayo Clinic to discuss efforts to expand public lab testing capacity for COVID-19.

They also talked about establishing mobile and drive-through testing sites across the state.

• Coconino County in northern Arizona is offering drive-up testing to people with a doctor’s order at its county fairgrounds. TGEN is processing the tests.
• Mayo Clinic in Arizona has set up a mobile test collection site. It’s only for Mayo patients who have a doctor’s order.
• TGen has begun “population screening” of people who suspect they might be sick with the coronavirus by testing batches of samples sent by other labs.
• The state health lab is still focused on testing the highest-risk patients.
• Banner Health, along with Sonora Quest Laboratories, will begin broader testing of patients at collection sites in Arizona. The locations have yet to be announced. Banner Health’s sites are expected to significantly increase the number of tests conducted in Arizona because patients won’t need a doctor’s order. They will need to have symptoms — typically a fever, cough and shortness of breath — and agree to quarantine themselves until they get the results of their tests.
• North Carolina-based LabCorp, another testing laboratory, is able to test samples collected by doctors and sent to the company, with results available in three to four days, according to the company. The LabCorp tests may only be ordered by physicians or other health-care providers and not directly by patients, a company statement says.

The most current information about the 2019 novel coronavirus is also available directly to the public at the ADHS and MCDPH:

• Arizona Department of Health Services: www.azdhs.gov.
• Maricopa County Department of Public Health: www.maricopa.gov under the Public Health section.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus under the Public Health section.

Visitor restrictions 

Out of an abundance of caution, we have enhanced our visitor restrictions, effective today, Tuesday, March 17 for our hospital facilities: John C. Lincoln, Deer Valley, and Scottsdale Osborn, Shea and Thompson Peak. These restrictions include the following:

• No visitors will be allowed in the Emergency Department or the inpatient hospital rooms.
• NICU/Pediatric areas will be restricted to one parent and no children. Parent will be screened and badged.
• Labor and Delivery will be restricted to one visitor only, and the visitor will be screened and badged.
• Antepartum – no visitors will be allowed.

To help contain the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases spread through respiratory droplets, including the flu, health officials have issued the following recommendations:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Refrain from touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Don’t make close contact with sick individuals.
• If you are sick, stay home.
• Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue and throw the tissue away.
• Clean and disinfect objects that are frequently touched.
• If someone in your family tested positive for COVID-19, keep that entire household at home.
• Recommendations to cancel or postpone mass gatherings of 10 or more people