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Tips: Traveling to Mayo to get medical care safely during COVID-19
Medical needs don't go dormant and wait for the current pandemic to pass. People still need cancer treatment, heart surgery, diagnostic procedures, joint replacements, lung assessments, wound care and compassionate care. Some medical needs can be met through telemedicine, but certainly not everything.
Postponing nonessential appointments and surgeries in March allowed time to increase Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 testing capabilities. Mayo Clinic hospital and intensive care capacity meets and exceeds the current projected needs for COVID-19 patients, due to a revised, smaller expected COVID-19 peak. With these important favorable developments, Mayo Clinic is ready to safely treat patients whose care was delayed, in adherence with federal and state executive orders and guidance. Mayo is also welcoming new patients, and able to offer more phone and video visits to new and established patients. Read more about the new precautions Mayo added to minimize risk of COVID-19 transmission.
What can you do to stay safe when:
- Going to the hospital for appointments
- Traveling to a hospital out of your local area
- Staying at a hotel
- Getting food
What are your tips?
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@lannonvarnum Rosemary's suggestion about a bag is great. I have a "go bag" from years of appointments, it also contains a snack or two and either an extra "power brick" for charging up my cell phone and tablet or charger cords.
Sue
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2 ReactionsBring your own pens to use
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1 ReactionThank you, again, to all who took the time to share their expertise on a Mayo visit esp. during COVID times! 👍🏻
We feel more prepared and ready to take on each day🌷Serranos
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2 ReactionsI leave Sunday the 17th of May for Mayo. I am going to have all my tests needed for my surgery on May 18th. I am not scared going to Mayo because they have everything under control. Just the masks and hand sanitizer, that's what I'm taking a long. It's a 31/2 hour drive for us. Now where do we stop to eat? My husband who I swear iidolize (probably not word or sp) would probably not want us to eat in it. So hope it is a nice day and we can pick up something at a to go window and eat outside the car. All you can laugh, but he is a big perfectionist. I feel safe at the Hilton and can have food delivered or curb pick-up. Found out the cafeteria is open at the Mayo Clinic. Oh Boy, food. I feel safe through God's grace.
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2 ReactionsGood luck, Lilypaws! May you have strength and healing.
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1 Reaction@zep Thank you for the thoughts. I will have strength and healing, but it's great to hear the word strength. So encouraging.
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1 Reaction@lilypaws safe travels to Mayo Clinic! Can you look into parks along the way that are open? I have directed some visitors to go to parks instead of sitting in the car for several hours. If you decide to stop at a park be sure to bring your own sanitizing wipes to clean the surfaces. The Hilton hotel where you are staying has a Concierge team that can help you find restaurants offering curbside pickup as well and delivery. Be sure to ask the front desk when you arrive. Stay safe!
You’ve got this @lilypaws!! Success and healing in the days to come!
Protocols at the point of care are changing frequently. Call and ask for guidance from a front desk person so you know how to navigate the process as it changes. The last treatment my dad had in Mayo FL (last week), more care professionals were wearing masks. This was comforting to him. Visitors should know that there are signs posted on the road leading into campus that indicate visitors are asked to stay away from the hospital and ER. It's not clear whether visitors are discouraged from accompanying a patient who is receiving outpatient infusions, for example. In the Mangurian building in FL, there is a table set up right by the entrance to query people on their health status, etc. Out of an abundance of caution, I chose to forgo accompanying my dad during his daylong visit. I did not want to be exposed to the virus. Normally I would help him get from labs to in-person clinical encounter to infusion clinic. He is able to handle this on his own for the most part fortunately. I don't know what we would do if he was not able to move under his own power. Perhaps a volunteer would be available to help? Fortunately my dad was able to acquire masks from a local pharmacy. These are hard to come by. It would be nice if Mayo provided PPE to patients with underlying conditions. This may be the case. I did not inquire at the entry checkpoint.
I need to travel back to my home state and return in a week. When I do, I will quarantine for 14 days in a vacation rental. Then I will be available to be the designated driver for the next monthly infusion appointment. Traveling and caregiving is a lot more complicated now. Plan accordingly.
Most other visits are telemed now. This is a huge challenge for both patient and provider. Once the technical hurdles are dealt with, the encounter quality and level of care is just as good as in person from the patient's perspective. We should have been doing this all along.
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2 ReactionsAfter reading many informative and helpful messages, still a little confused. Are our own pillows and blankets necessary at the hotel? We were also told Mayo would take temp and furnish masks every morning before appointments, true?? Thanks so much!! Serranos