The emerging situation and efforts to contain and mitigate the spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected many people in our area, including patients, families, and local businesses.  As a part of our West County Health Centers family, we would like you to know that we are available to support the health of you and your family.

Visit our website for updated information and available resources at West County Health Centers including:  Hours and Services, Appointments, and Prescriptions.  https://www.wchealth.org/news/coronavirus-covid-19-resources/

If you are feeling concerned about the coronavirus (aka COVID-19), you’re not alone.  Click here for information provided by our behavioral health staff to help cope with this potentially stressful situation: anxiety management tips and resources. 

 West County Health Centers is dedicated to keeping our providers, support staff and patients informed and safe. By providing you with the latest information, we hope to keep you informed. COVID-19 pandemic is an evolving situation and we are coordinating our efforts closely with the Sonoma County Department of Health Services & So Co Emergency and the CDC.

Please see the following updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Access to care: 

As part of a collective effort to curb the spread to the COVID-19 virus and limit the exposure to our most vulnerable community members.  West County Health Centers will be moving to the use of video and telephone visits as our primary method for patient care for medical and behavioral health needs.  Wellness and Behavioral Health group visits will also be offered using secure video technology.  We are in full support of purposeful and broad adoption of social isolation and limitation of gatherings during this critical time of early community spread.

• Patients should contact their primary care site to schedule appointments and will be given instructions on how to set up a telephone or video visit. 
• We will continue to have options for in-person office visits on a limited basis. 

Testing:

We are currently offering COVID-19 testing based on the following criteria and per the recommendations of the CDC and the Sonoma County Department of Health Services: 

• Patients who are symptomatic with temperature of 101 or above, and cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat without a known source of those symptoms (such as influenza).
• Fever with recent travel or exposure to a person with concern for COVID-19.  
• Testing is offered by appointment – interested persons should contact their primary care site for triage and to schedule an appointment for testing. 

We are in full support of rapid expansion of testing to better understand the community spread of COVID-19 and to allow for more informed decisions for community needs, employment, and personal exposure.  At this time, due to a limitation in the number of swabs required for testing, and under the direction of Sonoma County Department of Health Services, we are not able expand testing beyond symptomatic patients.  We anticipate this will be available soon.

Staff support:

• All staff have been through COVID-19 training and certification for triage, how to test, effective use of personal protection equipment, and patient exposure protocols. 
• We are working with each of our staff to understand their particular needs and to support ongoing participation in full employment, including offering telecommuting capacity. 
• Wellness and resilience training and support is part of what we do really well and will continue to offer these services in person and remotely. 

Care through the lens of social equity: 

COVID-19 will affect populations and communities differently and will disproportionately affect patients with chronic illness, advanced age, mental illness, immune compromise, in addition to patients with social and economic barriers such as homelessness, poverty, social isolation, transportation insecurity, food insecurity, among others.  We are committed to providing effective, compassionate care to all our community members and will be providing targeted outreach to patients with increased vulnerability.

We need your help.  If you are able, please make a donation.  We appreciate support for our work, particularly with vulnerable populations.

Community Collaboration: 

We are passionate about community collaboration and collective action and rely on our community partners to create a dynamic and effective response to this and many of our most pressing healthcare needs.  We are actively working with our local communities to leverage deep assets, provide effective communication, find creative solutions for pressing barriers to care, and offer support for our most vulnerable communities.  In the future, we look forward to exploring innovative solutions and welcome new partnerships to support our mission.

We hope this information is helpful to you.  For more than 45 years, West County Health Centers has maintained its commitment to providing high quality healthcare services to working families, children and teens, seniors, homeless persons and others in need.  In good health & with gratitude!

Dr. Jason Cunningham
CEO

P.S. Please make a donation TODAY to West County Health Centers– any amount will be appreciated and helps us to continue providing care for people in need in our community. 

Please make a tax-deductible gift online by clicking here:   
http://www.wchealth.org/help/donations/ . 
Checks, made payable to West County Health Centers, may be mailed to P.O. Box 1449, Guerneville, CA  95446.