|
| OFFICE RE-OPENS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
In the wake of Hurricane Ida, the doctors and staff will be back at the office on Thursday, September 9 and will begin scheduling appointments again. Please call to reschedule if you had an appointment to see us during the period we were closed due to the hurricane.
** We have Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines **
If you need your first coronavirus vaccine, or have questions about booster vaccines, give us a call.
|
Update: September 2021
We pray that everyone weathered Hurricane Ida without too much damage. however, we know that was not the case for all of our patients or our office staff. We had to close the office due to power outages from Monday, August 30 through Wednesday, September 8. We will begin seeing patients in the office again on Friday, September 10.
The public health situation due to the novel coronavirus pandemic is fluid and changing rapidly. Please read the following carefully.
As always, we strongly encourage any of our unvaccinated patients to consider telemedicine (virtual) visits instead of coming in, if possible. For your own safety and the safety of our other patients, we will ask unvaccinated individuals to see us via telemedicine for routine, non-urgent visits rather than in-person. Also, until further notice, we will not make appointments for NEW patients unless he/she/they can show proof of vaccination, agree to be vaccinated against COVID-19 infection, or can demonstrate a legitimate medical reason why they cannot be vaccinated. We have doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in the office and we would love to get them into arms of unvaccinated people ASAP. Call with questions on how to do that.
We take care to maintain a clean office with strict mask-wearing and social distancing in common areas. As of now, the CDC still requires hospitals and clinics to continue mask-wearing generally and we follow CDC guidelines, as always..
Current epidemiologic data show that, as of August 2021, the coronavirus has surged strongly again in Louisiana. Infections, hospitalizations and death from COVID-19 are rising. Infections will happen occasionally to unvaccinated people, but hospitalizations and death are largely preventable by getting vaccinated. Please click HERE to open a link to the Louisiana Department of Health's page for the latest information..
We STRONGLY encourage every person 12 years of age and older - with very rare exceptions - to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can. It is now very easy to get a vaccine - call us if you don't know how. We can provide you with a shot right here in our office. Current evidence shows that the risk of getting COVID-19 is much greater than whatever small risk there is to getting the vaccine. The vaccine (all 3 types currently approved by the FDA) are safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 disease. The best vaccine is the one you can get soonest.
Booster shots are coming. Stay tuned for further word on when those will be available to all adults.
For our current patients, here are your options for healthcare through our office if you have health concerns:
1. As always, call the office at 504-349-2908.. Lacie and Valerie are here starting at 8am every day and can answer whatever questions you have about seeing a doctor, refilling medications, getting a COVID-19 vaccination, etc. If the office is closed when you call, you will have the opportunity to speak to a live person - just listen to the recorded message.
2. IN-OFFICE VISITS: The office is "open" and we are seeing patients here for both urgent "sick" visits and for chronic disease follow-up. Those with stable chronic diseases (such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure) who haven't seen us in over 6 months should consider scheduling a routine follow-up now. We believe that most adults with chronic diseases can venture out safely if vaccinated, with appropriate social distancing and mask-wearing. Your risk of severe COVID-19 infection is quite low, if you have been vaccinated. If you remain unvaccinated, you are accepting a high risk of severe infection and death due to widespread coronavirus in the community. We would prefer to see you virtually for now.
3. TELEHEALTH VISITS: Dr. Jackson and Dr. Theis continue to "see" some patients through video conferencing (aka "Telehealth") visits. We encourage you to use this option if you are anxious about venturing out, if you are in a high-risk group, if you are unvaccinated or are currently in quarantine due to infection or exposure. Telehealth visits are easy and continue to be covered by most insurance plans. We can use a variety of platforms to connect virtually with you. Lacie and Valerie can walk you through how to do this.
4. PATIENT PORTAL: Contact us through the patient portal - if you need to be reconnected with that tool, or never were in the first place, call us and we can reset.
5. HOME VISITS: Dr. Theis is making home visits for selected patients, mainly the frail elderly, those in quarantine who need medical care, or those with unsolveable transportation issues. Lacie or Valerie can help you schedule one soon, if a Telehealth visit isn't possible or doesn't meet your needs.
Please stay in touch with us. We remain ready to help you in whatever way we can.
Dr. Jackson, Dr. Theis and staff
|
The waiting room at Suite N-408
|
|
|
