Richmond Leader

Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following announcement on Dec. 22

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand you may have concerns about coming to a medical facility. We want you to know that at the very beginning of the pandemic, we intensified our already rigorous protocols and precautions to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors and employees, and we continue to follow those protocols today.

On-site patient services

Our doors are open for safe, routine patient services. These include:

• Office visits
• Routine tests
• Emergency room care
• Inpatient and outpatient surgeries, including complex and non-emergency (elective) surgeries
• Cardiac catheterizations
• Inpatient rehabilitation
• Endoscopies

Safe, comfortable environment

We provide:

• A highly clean environment with safety protocols put in place
• Compassionate expert caregivers
• Plenty of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• The latest medical equipment
• A full supply of medicines

Our safety practices include:

• Separate locations for potential COVID-19 patients from those with other conditions.
• Regular screening for all patients.
• Sanitation of all places and objects patients and staff encounter as well as extra hand-washing stations.
• Enforcement of social distancing in waiting rooms and other public spaces across our facilities.
• Our staff wear face masks and other personal protective equipment when caring for patients.
• All patients and visitors must wear a mask. Masks are required and will be provided to anyone who needs one.

We require on-site screening and testing for COVID-19:

• Screening refers to a series of questions asked to determine your risk for COVID-19. They include questions about symptoms, travel history and exposure to someone who has been confirmed to have the virus.

   

• Testing is done only after screening. This involves taking a nasal swab and sending it to the lab for testing.

For your safety, we screen everyone for coronavirus symptoms at our entrances. We also test every patient for COVID-19 before undergoing surgery or being admitted to the hospital.

Visitation policy 

Please see "Changes to visitor policy and valet parking" for specific information. Check this page before your next visit, as our policies do change. 

Telehealth (virtual visits)

If you prefer, you can visit your doctor by virtual visit, also referred to as an e-visit. If you would like to speak with a specialist, our patient access representatives can work with you to schedule an appointment.

If you have an urgent care need, our on-demand virtual urgent clinic is open daily to adults in Virginia from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. using the MyChart app. An on-demand pediatric clinic is available daily from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. For these virtual visits, no appointment is required.

For questions related to an upcoming in-person or virtual video appointment, please contact (804) 828-7929. For questions about a pediatric visit, call (804) 828-CHOR (2467). Existing patients can also send a message through the My VCU Health patient portal. In a medical emergency, call 9-1-1.

Valet parking

For information on valet parking, including parking for VCU Massey Cancer Center, please see our visitor policy. 

Original source can be found here.