Tips: Traveling to Mayo to get medical care safely during COVID-19

I am traveling to Mayo hopefully this month and these suggestions help so much. Thank you

We are driving by car it is a four and half hour drive. Going day early to have the Virus test and two days of testing and doctor's visits. I wasn't crazy about riding a shuttle bus, with so many people. We have been there two times and buses have been almost full. So staying downtown at the Brentwood Inn & Suites. I was happy with the price, thought it would be a little higher. Wondering if anyone has stayed there, supposely you can walk to Clinic in subway entrances. Hoping that this will work out for us.

@migizii, My husband and I usually stay at the Brentwood Inn on 4th Ave NW. It is clean, quiet, free parking, and has subway access directly to the clinic. An added bonus for us is that it is near the entrance to the Charlton labs where I begin my day.

You might want to contact the free Concierge Service at Mayo Rochester. I used the chat line as I was planning our trip, very helpful with my restaurant questions and other updates that I wanted to know.
Here's how to contact them during Central time business hours.
* Phone: 507-538-8438
* Live Chat: https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide
* Email: concierge@mayo.edu

In advance, be aware that there is lots of road work in downtown Rochester. . Broadway is closed from 2nd St SW to Civic Center Drive. Detours are well marked

You have made me laugh! Along I-39 in Illinois, there were lighted overhead signs with COVID19 messages. Here is one that I remember reading. "You sure look good in that mask".
A tip that I learned from my opthamalogist here at home was to put a small piece of tape on the underside at the top of nose my homemade mask so it would stay in place when I talked. So I tried it, I took a small piece of some surgical tape and doubled it over so it was sticky on both sides, and It worked! No more slipping down my face.

@migizii I don't know if you need a hotel room with a full kitchen. The hotels within walking distance of the Mayo campuses are usually a bit more expensive. Most of the hotels have a shuttle service (this hotel does too), although I don't want to be on public transportation with other people. If you have a car and can drive yourself to the Mayo parking ramp, I recommend the Townplace Suites by Marriot. The rate for Mayo patients was $99 per day. It is a couple exits north of Saint Mary's Hospital on Rt 52 and St. Mary's is about a mile from the Gonda/Mayo/Charleton buildings. The rooms were clean and fairly large.

I just had a blood labs test done at the local Mayo Family Clinic which was originally scheduled for March and postponed due to COVID-19. My annual exam is scheduled for next Tuesday at the Family Clinic. I was quite surprised at the COVID overkill for the appointment which should really alleviate any fears one would have. Before I went I answered five questionnaires online (one or two COVID related), then when I got to the clinic I was greeted at the door and asked all of the questions again, had my temperature taken, did the hand sanitizer routine and entered the building where the receptionist asked me the same COVID questions again. Happy to see wearing a mask was a requirement and people were seating socially distant 🙂 I also saw maintenance folks with a tape measure rearranging chairs and tables. Really looking forward to my doctors appointment next Tuesday. I've already made a list of questions to take with me about ongoing health problems. Sigh...not looking forward to getting a new doctor who I'm sure will be introduced to me by my pcp Tuesday. It's all about change and the unknown - I like the doctor I have and what will the next one be like. Thank you Mayo Clinic Connect for making me a better advocate for my own health, part of which is communicating with your doctor 🙂

What's really a surprise is that I usually wait a couple of days to get the test results. I received an email from my Mayo Clinic Portal at 9:18 AM and the blood test was done at 8:30 AM. My fasting glucose was 104 down from 137 last year. Probably still marginal but I'm a work in progress 🙂

@johnbishop, I was at Mayo in Rochester a couple of weeks ago for a my annual post liver and kidney checkup. Mayo is unbelievably efficient!
Here is my experience for day 1 that started at 6:00AM in the lab for my fasting blood lab that consisted of 17 vials. This was followed by urine samply, EKG, Abdominal ultrasound, Chest x-ray, Dermatology exam, and at a quick cup of coffee and a muffin. Then at 10:45 I had visit with my transplant coordinator and all my results were already posted😊

Congratulations on your progress. Keep up the good work.