COVID-19 Mitigation policies
At Harbor Health, our goal is to continue to keep our clinic safe for our patients, visitors, and employees. Please read and abide by our clinic’s COVID-19 mitigation strategies, listed below. Our mitigation strategies are thoughtfully adopted from both current CDC recommendations, as well as recommendations made by the State of Alaska. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call our clinic at (907) 523-8888.
· Prior to an in-person appointment at Harbor Health, the patient will be asked the following routine screening questions:
Do you have symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new onset muscle or body aches, new headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea?
Are you isolating or quarantining because you tested positive for COVID-19 or are worried that you may be sick with COVID-19?
Are you fully vaccinated OR have you recovered from a documented COVID-19 infection in the last 3 months (may decline answering)?
Have you been in close physical contact in the last 14 days with anyone who is known to have laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or anyone who has symptoms consistent with COVID-19?
Are you currently waiting on the results of a COVID-19 test? Have you traveled in the past 10 days?
Our screening questionnaire has been adapted from the CDC.
*** Fever can be either measured temperature of 100.0 F or higher or the subjective feeling of fever.
Please note: Answering “yes” to any of the screening questions will not automatically preclude a patient from having an in-person visit. Any “yes” answer will be forwarded to the on-site medical provider for further guidance.
Screening questions will be conducted via form prior to entry when our patients present for visit.
· If a patient cannot be seen in the clinic, or feels uncomfortable doing so, we do offer virtual medical and counseling visits. However, not all medical concerns are appropriate for a virtual visit. Appropriateness will always be determined by the medical provider.
· Visual alerts are posted at our main entrance and within our lobby at the front desk for mask use during upon entering our clinic, as well as hand sanitizer use upon entering lobby (located at the front desk at the check-in window).
· A mask is required for all visitors ages 2 and up, as well as all staff members when patients/visitors are on-site. If a patient has a medical condition that precludes him/her from wearing a mask, please notify our front desk upon scheduling an appointment. If the patient or visitor does not have an appropriate mask available, he/she will be provided a medical mask upon entering our clinic.
· We will schedule our patients as strategically as possible in order to limit waiting in the lobby. No more than two medical patients will be allowed into the clinic at one time, and no more than one counseling patient will be allowed into the clinic at one time.
· Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is easily found throughout our clinic: at the front desk at both the check-in and check-out counter, in the lab where the Medical Assistant is stationed, and in all exam rooms.
· Points of entry into the clinic are limited to the front door (main entrance) for medical patients and other visitors, and the back door (located on the other side of our building) for all counseling patients.
· Suspected COVID-19 patients are screened at the time of their initial phone encounter with our front desk staff and given instructions to remain in the parking lot upon arrival to the clinic. At the time of arrival, the patient is to call our clinic to notify staff that they have arrived. The patient will then remain in their vehicle and medical personnel will assist them at their vehicle.
· All employees at Harbor Health will practice appropriate handwashing, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and cough hygiene while on duty. Additionally, all employees must report any COVID-19 symptoms and/or exposures immediately to her supervisor prior to reporting to duty.
· Traveling employees will follow the State of Alaska’s current travel guidelines, located at https://covid19.alaska.gov/travelers/
· COVID-19 vaccination is encouraged for all employees and patients, but vaccination is not mandatory.
· Patients and/or visitors will not be required to prove his/her COVID-19 immunization status.
· Visitors will not be allowed in exam rooms with patients. At this time, we will only allow one person in the exam room with his/her provider at a time. Exceptions to this policy will allow for one caregiver to remain present with a minor or an incapacitated patient.
· Temperature screening using a no-touch digital thermometer will occur when a patient is brought from the lobby and/or upon entry at the back door.
· After each patient encounter, touched surfaces are wiped clean with a medical grade sanitizing wipe. Surfaces include, but are not limited to, exam tables, desks/countertops, used stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, doorknobs, pens, etc. Our front desk staff will ensure that all pens used at check-in and check-out are sanitized between uses.
· Medical providers, front desk, and medical assistant will each be responsible for sanitizing his/her area. Counseling staff will be responsible for sanitizing the counseling room.
· Our clinic will be deep cleaned before patients arrive every morning, with ongoing cleaning throughout the day, as indicated above, and when needed.
For more information, please visit the following websites for updated information concerning recommended mitigation efforts:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-after-vaccination.html