Virus evaluation Center opens at Samaritan Clinic
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrea Carter stands next to an adjustable computer stand in Samaritan’s Respiratory Virus Evaluation Center after its first day of operation.
Emry Dinman/Columbia Basin Herald
Emry Dinman/Columbia Basin Herald Patients entering through the front at Samaritan Clinic on Patton are greeted with a sign asking them to check in if they have a number of symptoms in order to determine whether they need to be seen at the respiratory virus evaluation center, rather than a different suite in the clinic.
MOSES LAKE — A Respiratory Virus Evaluation Center has been opened at the Samaritan Clinic on Pioneer to screen patients experiencing respiratory illness symptoms that are associated with the coronavirus.
Patients are asked to call the 24-hour nurse hotline at 509-764-3331 prior to visiting either the clinic or emergency department in order to determine whether visiting the evaluation center is necessary and to keep those without symptoms from potentially becoming exposed.
“This is an extra level of precaution we’re taking to protect our patients, staff and community,” said Samaritan Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrea Carter. “By directing patients to use a single entrance into a single clinic, we’re establishing a more controlled screening area for patients who may be contagious. Furthermore, this aids us in reducing the potential for otherwise healthy patients and staff being exposed to this virus.”
The Herald was given a behind-the-curtain look into the center, and a full story will be available in Friday’s paper.
