Dear patients,
We hope that you, our patients are well. The office is closed for routine visits until April 3rd to safeguard your health. The safety of our patients and our staff has always been our top priority. Thank you for your understanding and we truly apologize for the inconvenience that many of you have had in rescheduling. When patient care resumes (hopefully April 6), we are implementing these steps to optimize everyone’s health.
1. EXPLORING telehealth options for remote visits. This will allow you to have virtual visits with us while at home. You will need a working email, a smartphone (phone with camera and internet capabilities), or a laptop with a camera, and internet service. More details to come!
2. ADJUSTING our schedules so that there are fewer patients in the waiting room.
3. MOVING patients to a sub-waiting room as necessary to preserve social distancing.
4. SCREENING patients for exposure and risk by phone before you arrive and in person with questions and temperatures taken.
5. PROTECTING our staff with personal protective equipment.
6. PROVIDING convenient hand sanitizers throughout the practice.
7. REMOVING our beloved books that so many of you love in the common areas to avoid cross contamination.
8. POSTPONING surgeries that are not urgent.
9. RESCHEDULING your appointment as necessary and waiving any cancellation fees. If you need to reschedule for any reason, then please email us at tsd.scheduling@tsderm.com (email preferred) or call 832-663-6566. Please be patient with us as we are working through a very high volume of messages.
All these measures are based on evidence and guidance from our medical societies.
Please remember that panic spreads faster than the virus itself. Inform yourself with facts rather than fear. I personally avoid social media sites for information about anything, not just COVID19.
We recommend the following trusted sites:
- Centers for Disease Control website for COVID-19
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html - Texas Department of State Health Services
- https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/
- Harris County Public Health
http://publichealth.harriscountytx.gov/Resources/2019-Novel-Coronavirus - To see if you need to be tested:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/index.html - Apple just released a website and an app (Apple COVID-19) that you can download on your iPhone or iPad.
The website is: https://www.apple.com/covid19/ - To get testing, you need to be screened first.
The location of testing depends on where you live.
Houston Health Department at 832-393-4220 or 832-927-7575 (9 a.m. and 7 p.m.)
Harris County: 713-439-6000
Montgomery County: 936-523-5040 - For questions on what to do regarding routine doctor visits:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/what-to-do-about-routine-doctor-visits-during-coronavirus/ar-BB11EMXa?ocid=msedgntp - Free audiobooks
For those with children at home, audible.com is offering a nice selection of children books that can be listened for free. There are books in English, Spanish, French and even some for our picky teenagers.
https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
Thank you for being our patients and for your understanding during this time. As Americans we will prevail and be even stronger if we all work together. Be STRONG, be SAFE, be KIND. We will be here for you. Be there for each other.
