COVID-19
Important Information about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Axia Women’s Health is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our patients, clinicians, and employees amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are continuing to respond to the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Public Health from each state. Visit this page frequently for updates on how Axia Women’s Health is responding to the crisis and how we are ensuring the health of those in our patient community.
Information on the COVID-19 Vaccine
While our offices do not plan to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, we understand that our patients have many questions regarding the vaccine and its safety, especially during pregnancy. We’ve pulled together a dedicated page devoted to the topic of vaccination, dispelling common myths regarding the vaccines, and sharing links to research and information to help you make an informed decision regarding its safety. As always, we encourage our patients to discuss their concerns directly with their healthcare provider. Axia Women’s Health remains here for you during this time. Read more about the vaccines here.
Breast Health Services and COVID-19 Vaccination
The Society of Breast Imaging recommends scheduling your screening mammogram prior to your first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination OR 4-6 weeks following the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. Doing so will help to avoid incorrect results. However, if you have a concern, you should still seek care and speak with your physician.
Feel Confident in Your Care
Now that we better understand the risks and spread of COVID-19, we are more prepared than ever to help ensure a safe environment for patients to access care. Our care centers are taking the following precautions, as well as requiring participation from patients, to minimize exposure and help you feel confident in receiving the quality OB/GYN care you deserve.
What You Can Expect from Us:
- Extensive Cleaning. Cleaning of exams rooms takes place between each patient visit, along with frequent disinfecting of our welcome areas and frequently touched surfaces.
- Enforcement of Social Distancing. Our welcome areas have been arranged to provide more separation between seats. We are also encouraging patients to wait in their cars whenever possible. After you check-in, we will be happy to send you a text when we are ready for you.
- Limited Schedules. While we are pleased to welcome back more patients, we are doing so with an abundance of caution, limiting the number of appointments each day to have fewer individuals in our offices at the same time. If you have an appointment in the next 30 days, it’s possible you may be contacted to reschedule if necessary, in order to achieve this.
- Patient Screening. We will continue to screen all patients with our COVID-19 screening questions and will be closely monitoring patient temperatures.
- Staff Screening. All staff are screened daily for symptoms of COVID-19 and temperatures are checked twice daily; the first being prior to beginning their shifts. Anyone exhibiting symptoms, or who has been in close contact with an individual with symptoms of COVID-19, will be quarantined according to current CDC guidelines prior to returning to work.
What You Should Do:
- Wear a Mask. All patients should bring a mask or facial covering to wear at all times when in our offices. Our staff members are also required to wear a mask.
- Don’t Bring Visitors. At this time, visitors (with the exception of some care centers allowing a support person during confirmation and anatomy ultrasound visits – please check with your local care center to confirm their safety protocol) are not permitted. Support persons for confirmation and anatomy ultrasound visits will be subject to our COVID-19 screening questions. Additional exceptions may also be made for medically necessary assistance, or if the patient is a minor.
- Stay Home if You’re Unwell. If you are experiencing fever, cough, or shortness of breath, please call us to reschedule or shift your visit to a telemedicine appointment.
Telemedicine with AxiaConnect
To improve access to care during this difficult time, we have launched AxiaConnect telemedicine as an opportunity to help complete appointments without risking patient exposure. AxiaConnect is secure, HIPAA-compliant, and allows patients to connect to their provider easily via videoconference (from computer, tablet, or phone) from the comfort of their home. Click to learn more about AxiaConnect.
Tips for Prevention
The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed. There are simple everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of any respiratory viruses. These include:
- There is still time to get a flu shot. This is strongly suggested, as the flu season is still here and the symptoms are very similar.
- Make sure to wash your hands continuously for 20 seconds and keep hands away from your face; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home if you are sick!
- Always cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in your home using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Additional Information and Resources
The CDC believes the virus may appear between 2-14 days after exposure, and that the virus is spread person to person mainly by respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. This is similar to other respiratory pathogens like influenza. For more information, visit:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Official Information on COVID-19
- Read more about the vaccines
Hospital Resources and Guidelines
Many of the hospitals that we deliver at have instituted new guidelines and protocols to reduce exposure and limit the spread of COVID-19, particularly in the Labor & Delivery Units. Below are links to some of these hospitals’ dedicated COVID-19 pages. If you do not see your hospital here, please visit their website directly to understand their policies.
- Clara Maass Medical Center
- Saint Barnabas Medical Center
- Monmouth Medical Center
- Robert Wood Johnson New Brunswick
- Cooper University Hospital
- Albert Einstein Medical Center
- Einstein Medical Center Montgomery
- Abington – Lansdale Hospital
- Abington Memorial Hospital
- Aria Health
- Jefferson Washington Township Hospital
- Kennedy Health System
- Bryn Mawr Hospital
- Lankenau Medical Center
- Paoli Hospital
- Riddle Hospital
- Pottstown Hospital
- Phoenixville Hospital
Southern Ocean County Hospital
St. Peters University Hospital
- Virtua Voorhees
- Virtua Memorial
- Summit Surgical Center
Axia Women’s Health will continue working to meet the current challenge in order to ensure our patients receive the quality of care they deserve in a safe, comfortable environment.
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