Dear SWICFT Health Member:
I hope this note finds you in good health. We are in very difficult and unusual times with this COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is that most of our patients, if not all, are doing well. I would like to think that is in part because of the care we provide and most heeding our warnings and advice.
To avoid unnecessary risk and keep everyone safe, we have been conducting face-to-face video visits over the last several weeks with most of our scheduled SWICFT Health patient appointments. This has allowed us to keep in close contact with you and to decide whether you doing well, not so well, or poorly. The patients who are not doing well we will often bring in our isolated office environment.
We have made great efforts using CDC guidelines towards making our offices safe for those who need to come in for visits or testing. Most of our staff are working from home to minimize contact between employees. We are also using masks, gloves and sterilization protocols when in contact with patients and each other. Our waiting room is virtually empty and our chairs are safely separated.
We prefer that while the virus is still a threat that regularly scheduled visits be face-to-face video visits. If you’re not feeling well, we prefer to see you in the office rather than going to the emergency room or urgent care center. If you believe you have an infection then you need to go to urgent care centers.
We in Naples are very fortunate that our numbers of COVID-19 infections are low and that our hospitals are not overwhelmed. While the peak for the state of Florida is currently projected for the beginning of May, I am hopeful that we are ahead of the curve locally. Most of our patients have been following our advice and are staying isolated at home with very few exceptions. Please continue to do so.
If you have any concerns and to keep up with your health we ask you call to make video appointment to see us. We can use FaceTime on your Apple devices, Zoom, Doximity and even only by telephone if video becomes too problematic. Don’t worry if you have not done this before, our staff will call you in advance and walk you through the simple setup process.
While these are frightening times, we at SWICFT Health are confident we will get through this safely together.
Sincerely yours,
James V Talano MD MM FACC