Changes in the Clinic During COVID-19

The safety of our patients and staff is our number one priority. Please see our most up-to-date clinic procedures at SoCal Food Allergy.

As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, we must evolve with it. We would like to provide you with an update of our operational infection control measures. We are working diligently on keeping our screening measures current with CDC recommendations to maintain a COVID-19 safe zone for our employees and staff.

Per CDC recommendations, the City of Long Beach is REQUIRING that all of our patients & their parent/guardian wear a face covering while in the clinic & other public places within Long Beach. Cloth masks are acceptable for persons who have NOT had direct contact with a COVID-19 person or tested positive themselves. Please note, we will not be providing patients/parents/guardians with masks.

We have developed an additional safety algorithm in regards to the following screening question:

• Have you had direct contact with a positive COVID-19 person or tested positive yourself?

According to the CDC, as of today, 605,390 people in the US have tested positive or are suspected of having had COVID-19. With the first case being in December, we are at a point where some of our patients and their family members may have been infected or have had direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person and have since recovered from their illness and enough time has passed that according to the CDC guidelines they are no longer an active threat to spread the disease.

It is because of this that we need to further define our screening measures. We will maintain this as a screening question. If yes, we will follow an algorithm to determine what type of exposure, if they themselves were infected, and when, to determine whether they are clear to enter the clinic.

IF YOU HAVE TESTED POSITIVE OR HAVE HAD DIRECT CONTACT with a positive COVID-19 person, please CALL the clinic BEFORE you arrive at your appointment. All patients who do not complete a pre-screen over the phone who have met these conditions will not be allowed into the clinic and will have to reschedule.

Over the safety of the phone, we will complete the additional screening questions to determine if you are clear from your exposure to enter the clinic. Details of the exposure will be reviewed by a physician before a determination will be made.

There are two types of exposures:

• CONTROLLED
  • Example, first responders & healthcare workers caring for a COVID-19 patient in a controlled environment with properly donned PPE.
    
    
• UNCONTROLLED
  • A member of your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19
  • Patient contact without proper PPE
  • Visited a Skilled Nursing Facility

For either exposure, We will begin our additional screening questions:

• Have you had any symptoms of potential illness? i.e., fever, cough, sore throat within the past 72 hours?
  
  
• IF YES, you will be rescheduled according to CDC recommendations for infection clearance.
  • You must contact us to RESCHEDULE for no less than 14 days later, In addition to the following criteria:
  • At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and,
  • At least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared (whatever is longer)

• If NO symptoms within the past 72 hours, we will obtain the following details & review them with our Lead Provider.
  • What setting (Hospital, Doctor’s Office, Field, Patients Home)
  • When exposure occurred
  • Describe PPE
  • If details approved for controlled exposure, you may continue with your scheduled appointment WITH the use of a clinic issued mask

For patients who have reported a direct exposure or previous COVID-19 infection, have completed phone screening, and have been cleared by a provider to proceed with their appointment:

• We will provide the patient and their parent/guardian with a facemask to wear for source control at all times while in the healthcare facility. Cloth masks are not acceptable.
• After this appointment, these persons can revert to facility policy regarding universal source control during the pandemic.

NEW CHECK-IN PROCEDURES FOR THE CLINIC

New steps for clinic check-in:

1. Find email sent to you by the clinic 24 hours before your appointment 
2. Once parked, click on the link in the email to check in
3. Wait in your car for a text message notifying you that your room is ready
4. Check in at the tent located outside of the building

In an effort to maximize our safety measures, we have decided to implement additional protocols for patients & staff.

Starting March 27, we will begin to ask the following screening questions to all persons arriving to their appointments (patients and those that are accompanying them):

• Have you had a fever with a cough within the past 3 days?
• Have you had direct contact with a person who has recently tested positive for COVID-19? (Anyone staying within the same home)
• If yes to either question, you will be asked to please reschedule your appointment and not to enter clinic space.

We are asking that patients and their visitors wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds prior to leaving their patient room.

• All staff members will be screened for temperatures of 100.4 or higher prior to them beginning their shifts. Anyone with a fever will be sent home and will not enter clinic space.
• Out of an abundance of caution, all of your clinical team members will wear masks.