What You Should Know about COVID-19

Covid Vaccine Patient Handouts

• Online Pfizer Covid Vaccine Request: Primary or Bivalent Booster
• CDC Quarantine and Isolation Handout
• Pre-vaccination Checklist for Covid-19 Vaccines
• V-Safe Handout
• Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers - English
• Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers - Spanish

Patients Requesting Paxlovid

• Instructions for Patients Requesting Paxlovid
• EUA 105 Pfizer Paxlovid Fact Sheet

More information and links

• We are Offering Low-Contact Check In
  Face Masks are Required
• Antibody Tests
• Share the Facts About Covid
• Prevention Recommendations
• Find My Testing Place
• Meeting in Groups Over the Holidays
• Urgent Care Sites for RAPID Testing
• Use of Cloth Face Coverings
• Cloth Face Coverings FAQs
• 3 Things to Know About Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine
• Wake County Residents: Vaccine Hotline and Wait List - sign up online or call 919-250-1915
• NC COVID-19 Vaccine Options
• Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated
  People
• When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated
• Find a Covid Vaccine Near You

Dear Patients of Family Medical Associates of Raleigh,

Your health and well-being are important to us.

Due to the need to maintain social distancing and to protect both you and our staff, we ask that you call us from your car when you arrive for your visit at 919-875-8150.  One of our Patient Access Representatives will check you in over the phone.  We also ask that you wait in your car and someone will call you when we are ready to bring you back to the exam room or to the lab.  Remember to wear your mask and always maintain at least a 6 foot distance from your neighbor.

Meeting your health care needs remains our top priority. The Coronavirus crisis has not changed our commitment to you. We continue to follow the highest standards of patient-centered care that is based on clinical expertise and the best research recommendations for your care related to your specific health needs. We will notify you when it is time for a follow up
visit for care just like we always have done.

What has changed is how we may provide that care for you. Your safety and the safety of our staff is also a top priority. The Coronavirus changed the steps we take to ensure that safety. We have followed the recommendations of public health experts and began offering Telehealth visits to our patients over the past few weeks. A Telehealth visit is usually face to face and can be done using your computer, smartphone or similar device. Your insurance company is encouraging Telehealth visits as a means to continue to provide you the care you need while keeping you and others safe. Most insurance companies are covering these visits just like your office visits. Feedback from our patients who have participated in these visits has been very positive.
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Not every issue can be addressed over a Telehealth visit and we recognize that some of you may still need to be seen in person. At the present time we do provide office visits for routine care, injuries (such as a sprain or a laceration), and acute health issues. If you are thinking about going to Urgent Care, please call our office first. If you are sick at the time you are scheduled for a routine office visit or calling for an appointment because you are sick, please call our office so that you can be screened by a provider and so that the most appropriate plan of care can be determined.

Telehealth Visits - We are now offering telehealth visits with our providers using your computer, smartphone or similar device starting on Monday 3/23/2020. You will be connected to a secure video channel with your provider to discuss your needs and plan of care. Insurance companies and infectious disease experts are encouraging these visits as an alternative for patients who are unable to come to the office and many insurance plans are covering telehealth visits the same as a regular office visit would be
covered. Call our office at 919-875-8150 to schedule your visit!

Office Visits for Well Patients – We continue to offer routine office visits to care for our patients for follow ups on health issues, physical exams, etc. These visits are through our main entrance, lobby, and exam rooms. No patients with sick symptoms are seen in these areas. Any patients who call in with symptoms are screened over the phone by a provider and are not exposed to these areas of our clinic. We are not allowing any walk-in appointments at this time.
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Phone Pre-Visit Screenings for Sick Patients – Our providers are evaluating and talking with every patient calling in with symptoms of respiratory illness. This phone visit will assess your needs and help us decide the best plan of care for you. This may be scheduling a visit or referring you to an outside testing center. Please note - we are currently unable to perform COVID-19 lab tests due to limited supplies.  We encourage patients who are feeling sick to call our office to be screened.  This phone visit
will assess your needs and help us decide the best plan of care for you.
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Acute Care Clinic – All patients who have symptoms of respiratory illness are being addressed through our Acute Care Clinic. The provider will collect a history of illness over the phone and may perform a brief exam and testing without you having to leave your car. If you need to be examined more thoroughly, we will give you a mask and escort you directly into the exam room through a separate entrance, in a completely separate part of the building. These steps help reduce any contact with other patients or our staff. We follow CDC cleaning and disinfection recommendations for surfaces, equipment, and rooms used in the service after each patient visit.

We have a dedicated and trained staff who are following strict protocols and CDC and state guidelines to prevent disease transmission. We are continuing to monitor information from the CDC, NC Department of Health and Human Services, and other healthcare experts’ multiple times a day to update our protocols to provide the best care and safety to you, our patients, and our staff.

We understand that this is a difficult time for all of us, and we are committed to providing the high-quality care that you expect to receive. We look forward to seeing you at your next visit.

Sincerely,

The Staff and Providers of Family Medical Associates of Raleigh

Antibody Tests for COVID-19

3 Things to Know About Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

We know you may have many questions about the COVID-19 vaccine - here are the top 3 things to know right now:

1) Our goal is to vaccinate you and all our patients as soon as you are eligible. We will contact you as soon as we have more info about who is eligible, when you can schedule, and where vaccines will be given. At this time, we do not have any COVID-19 vaccine at our office.  We will continue to send updates via email and our website as we learn more.

2) Health care workers, essential workers and high-risk patients will be eligible for the vaccine first, since there will be a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines available initially. Then, other adults will be eligible. Finally, children will be eligible – early clinical trials did not include kids, so the vaccine will be made available to children when it is shown to be safe and effective.

3) The safety of COVID-19 vaccines is a top priority, and there are many reasons to get vaccinated including protecting you and your loved ones from getting COVID-19.

There is no need to contact our office to schedule a vaccine appointment at this time. We will send updates as we receive information and look forward to seeing you soon!

Warm regards,
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Still have questions? Visit CDC's Frequently Asked Questions About Vaccination
Not sure if you're high-risk or an essential worker? Learn more about who will be eligible for the vaccine first from CDC