Greetings my friends. I know these are uncertain times and uncertainty naturally causes anxiety. I want to update you on what is happening nationally to respond to the very real threat of COVID-19. This weekend, thousands of doctors across the country have been sharing the latest information on the virus to better educate ourselves and we have agreed, for the most part, to cancel all elective (non-emergent) surgeries and clinics for the next couple of weeks so that we as physicians and healthcare providers and focus our time and energy on slowing the progression of this illness. More importantly, we want to keep you, our patients, out of harm’s way in places where people gather (hospital and office waiting rooms and holding areas).
If you had surgery or an appointment scheduled with myself, Arin, or Elina, I apologize for the cancellations. Please understand that this is for your safety and the safety of my staff. If you have an emergency and need to see me, I will make sure that I find time to see you for a one-on-one appointment. We will also be setting up telemedicine visits for non-urgent follow ups.
If you need to speak to the office regarding a non-urgent issue, please call us on the office line at 941-260-4440. If you have an emergency and need to speak to me directly, you can always reach me on my mobile phone at 941-275-5777. Please only use this number for extremely serious issues.
We as health care professionals in this country are among the world’s very best and we will be working tirelessly to help all of you get through this difficult time.
REMEMBER: wash your hands regularly, cover your face and mouth when you cough, avoid gatherings of large people (ideally less than 10), make sure you stock food, water, and prescription and non-prescription medicines for a couple of weeks, stay home if you are sick, and don’t go to the hospital or
ER unless you are having trouble breathing or having a very high fever.
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!
Matt