We hope you are keeping yourself and your family safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. The past 9 months have been stressful on all of us. Although a vaccine will be available within a matter of months we want to remind you to continue precautions to avoid coming in contact with the virus. Here are some updates of what we are doing at BMA to keep you and our staff safe during the pandemic:
Office Procedures – Routine Visits
- Due to the recent surge in both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, as of November 30, we will be limiting the time staff spends with patients during the initial portion of the annual wellness visits.
- Further developments with regard to the pandemic are being monitored by our physicians on a daily basis, and if we feel it is necessary to postpone ALL routine preventive care, we will inform you.
- We continue to encourage all of our patients to obtain their care by telehealth, and only if deemed essential, in the judgment of your physician, will in-office visits be offered.
- We are also suspending all non-time-sensitive vaccinations until further notice.
- Time-sensitive appointments, such as preoperative evaluations, will continue to be scheduled as required.
- Due to the current uncertainty with regard to scheduling, we will not be making appointments after January 31st. We will be keeping a list of those postponed appointments so they can be rescheduled at a later time.
Coronavirus Vaccinations
We are encouraged by the rollout of vaccinations to protect against Covid. We are staying up-to-date regarding vaccination distribution, and will continue to communicate with you as the process of providing vaccinations is developed. At this time, it is unknown as to when offices such as ours will be receiving vaccinations, and the protocols required for their delivery.
In other BMA News,
Pat Zimmerman Retirement
As you may already know, our senior nurse, Pat Zimmerman, is retiring, after decades of devoted service to our patients. Her last day in the office is December 18. if you would like to record a video or audio tribute, which we will continue to collect until 12/15/2020, please click this link.
Laboratory Changes
As of November 30, 2020, BMA has chosen to use Quest as our preferred lab, and our new Quest employees will include Laura Medrano, who many of you may know from her work here with LabCorp, as one of our phlebotomists. LeeAnn Jordan, who was with LabCorp, will now be joining BMA as one of our medical assistants.
If you plan to have laboratory testing done outside of the office, we kindly ask that you find a Quest lab. You can visit their website for a map of locations nearest to you.
As always, our most important priorities remain the health and safety of our patients and staff. Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Bethesda Medical Associates