Can I see a doctor by video rather than in-person?

Yes, in many cases. Many symptoms and conditions can be cared for via video visits, including most follow up care for ongoing conditions, and even care for new symptoms that pop up. Just like an in-person visit, a video visit is a scheduled appointment with a provider – using secure video conferencing technology. All you need is 15 minutes, a smartphone or tablet, and a quiet, private location.

What are you doing to clean and disinfect?

John Muir Health is following cleaning and disinfection guidelines recommended by the CDC and California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), as well as instructions from John Muir Health infection prevention specialists.

Hospital cleaning procedures

• We regularly clean all high-touch surfaces (anything people commonly touch such as door handles, armchairs, counters, etc.) using CDC-recommended cleaning & disinfecting supplies.
• We clean every occupied inpatient room daily. We also clean and disinfect every vacant room before the next patient arrives.
• We deep clean any isolation precaution rooms in our hospitals, Behavioral Health Center and outpatient facilities where we have cared for patients with symptoms of COVID-19.

Urgent care center and physician office cleaning procedures

• Waiting areas:
  • We clean and disinfect regularly; special attention is paid to high-touch surfaces such as door knobs, chair arms, and the reception desk – including disinfecting pens. We also complete a room cleaning log.
  • We have a number of clean pens and a location to put used pens to be ready for disinfecting, so it’s clear which pens are clean. You may also bring a pen if you are more comfortable using your own pen.
  • We disinfect clip boards after every use. For credit card payments, we’ll have you swipe your own card.
  • We have removed common-use items such as brochures, toys, magazines, books, etc.
• Exam rooms:
  • We clean and disinfect each exam room thoroughly between patients, including any medical equipment used (exam bed, blood pressure cuffs, ultrasound machines, etc.) as well as counters, computer monitors and keyboards, chairs, etc. We also complete a room cleaning log.
  • We have removed common-use items such as brochures, toys, magazines, books, etc.

Behavioral Health Center, Outpatient Services cleaning procedures

• We clean and disinfect frequently, including our program rooms.

Medical Imaging departments cleaning procedures

• We are cleaning the rooms appropriately after each exam.  

Are staff and patients required to wear masks?

As of June 15, 2021, California and the nine Bay Area counties "opened up" and aligned guidelines for masking with those recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These guidelines state that masks are still required in health care facilities, for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. For the protection of all, everyone who enters a John Muir Health facility is required to wear a medical face mask while in our facilities, including staff, physicians, volunteers, patients and visitors. 

• All patients and visitors are given commercially produced medical face masks upon entry into our physician practices, hospitals, urgent care centers and Behavioral Health Center, Outpatient Services facility.
• Patients may not wear cloth face coverings, cloth masks, or masks that have a valve (small plastic disk on front of mask) while in John Muir Health facilities. This is because these masks do not provide as much protection against droplet release as medical face masks. Patients who arrive wearing one of these masks can either change masks or place a medical face mask over the one they are wearing.
• Patients and visitors in our hospitals will be given a new mask each day.

Are you screening people before they enter facilities?

Before entering any of our facilities, all visitors undergo routine symptom screening.

• Screening for symptoms helps us catch any potential illness that a person may not yet be aware of themselves.
• The screening process includes quickly responding to a few brief COVID-19 symptom screening questions. 
• Anyone who says yes to any of the COVID-19 screening questions will not be permitted to enter our facilities.

Hospital Access: In accordance with the California Department of Public Health’s Public Health Order, visitors must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof (COVID vaccine card or digital record) or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours to enter the hospital.

Can patients have visitors in the hospital?

As the pandemic continues, JMH is committed to meeting the needs of our patients while maintaining the safest possible environment for our staff and visitors. Thank you for your compliance with and understanding of these guidelines. All visitors must adhere to the following with no exceptions:

• In accordance with the California Department of Public Health’s Public Health Order, visitors must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof (COVID vaccine card) or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within the last 48 hours to enter the hospital. At-home tests are not acceptable.
• Visitors who have had COVID in the last 90 days and are currently symptom-free can show proof of original positive test if date on test exceeds 10 days. 
• Visitors must wear a JMH issued face covering over their nose and mouth at all times. No cloth masks allowed. No exceptions. 
• Visitors will be asked to only visit in their assigned patient area. 
• Visitors who have been exposed to a Covid+ or a suspected Covid+ person may not visit for 10 days after exposure.

• Visitors must be 12 years or older.
  
• Visitors must perform hand hygiene upon entering and exiting the patient’s room.  Visitors must wear a JMH issued face covering over their nose and mouth at all times. No cloth masks allowed. No exceptions.
• Visitors are not allowed to eat or drink in patient rooms.
• We will not be storing food brought from the outside for patients.
• If you need to wait outside of a patient room, you must either wait outside the hospital or in the hospital cafe. Waiting in rooms, hallways or other common areas is prohibited.
• Timing of visitation may be adjusted by the unit leadership for special circumstances, especially at end of life and/or when patient first being admitted to the unit from the Emergency Department or other location.

Can patients bring someone with them to in-person appointments at physician offices, urgent care centers or the Behavioral Health Center, Outpatient Services facility?

For the safety of our patients, visitors, physicians and staff, we continue to adjust visitation guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 across our outpatient care locations. Our precautions are consistent with the guidelines issued by the California Department of Public Health, as well as Contra Costa and neighboring counties. 

• All patients and visitors must follow proper infection prevention practices, including masking, hand sanitizing and physical distancing from others not part of their group at all times while in the building.

• At point of entry, all patients and visitors accompanying patients, regardless of vaccination status, will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms. 
  • If you do not have symptoms, you will be able to proceed to your appointment. 
  • If you do have symptoms, your provider will be notified and you will either be seen with appropriate precautions, asked to reschedule or directed to Urgent Care. 
    
• Two designated visitors, not necessarily from the same household, may accompany a patient during an outpatient visit or procedure, if needed, to: 
  • Help facilitate care or treatment; 
  • Assist patients with wheelchair, walking, translation, or other care/support; 
  • Facilitate complex care decisions.

• Two parents/guardians, not necessarily from the same household, are permitted to accompany pediatric patients during outpatient visits.

• Minimizing the number of siblings who accompany the parent/guardian and patient to the visit is recommended, but not required.
  
  
• Clinics / Medical Offices may ask visitors to wait in the waiting area or outside if required for social distancing.

Is John Muir Health making the vaccine mandatory for employees?

Yes. We are requiring that all of our employees be fully vaccinated by September 30. Until that date, any unvaccinated staff will be regularly tested for COVID-19. As a health care provider, we feel it's our responsibility to do everything we can to keep our staff and patients safe and to do our part to help end the pandemic.