Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates for Our Patients

With the current outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community and beyond, we wanted to let you know how Heart and Vascular Care is preparing and share some important information with our patients. We are taking additional steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 at our facilities and ask for your partnership in this effort. As always, we are using proper disinfectants, personal protective equipment, and screening measures for our patients. We will be posting signs in our offices and following CDC and Georgia DPH recommendations for screening and management of patients.

If you are at all concerned you may have a serious infectious disease, your best course of action is to call or seek care from your primary care physician’s office or local hospital’s emergency department.

Cancellation of Services

We ask all patients and their guests who have a fever, symptoms of a respiratory infection, or have been exposed to a person with a coronavirus, the flu or any other communicable disease to please call to reschedule their appointments or procedures.

Office Closings

Starting Monday March 23, Heart and Vascular Care providers will no longer be seeing patients in our Jasper, Ellijay, and Dawsonville locations. If you have a current appointment scheduled in one of these locations we are offering the option to reschedule with your provider in one of our other locations as a way to limit disruption to your treatment plan. The expected reopening date for these offices is tentatively April 27th, and patients are welcome to reschedule their appointments in our North Georgia locations after this date. Due to the evolving precautions and government recommendations involving COVID-19, this date may change. We will continue to update our website and social media accounts with new information as it comes in.

Visitor Restrictions

We have temporarily updated our policy to only allow one person to accompany each patient to a provider appointment.

For testing appointments, we ask that no visitors be in the room with the patient unless they need assistance during the test.

If You Are Coming to Us for Care

To ensure the well-being of our patients, visitors, and team members, we are:

• Screening all patients for symptoms and exposure risks.
• Asking patients who are under self-quarantine to call and reschedule their appointment. Elective care should occur after your quarantine is over.
• Asking patients to call ahead to their primary care physician’s office if they are experiencing fever and/or symptoms of a respiratory illness. Your doctor’s office can advise you on whether you should come in to be seen or manage your symptoms at home.

Prevention

There are simple everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including the coronavirus. These include:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

If you are sick with any respiratory illness, to keep it from spreading to others, you should:

• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Again, this is an evolving situation, and we will be closely monitoring it and providing
our patients and staff updates. We are doing everything we can to keep our patients and staff healthy.

If you have questions or need any assistance rescheduling an appointment, please call us at 678-513-2273.