Don’t Delay Life-Saving Emergency Care During This Pandemic

Dr. John Meyer, Chief of Staff and Emergency Department (ED) physician encourages the Estes Park community to seek emergency care when needed. “I’ve had a few cases this week where patients almost waited too long for emergency care. Luckily the outcomes were good.”

Estes Park Health is not unique in this situation of people avoiding the ED. Many hospitals are seeing a large drop in emergency department visits and that has ED physicians nervous. Dr. Chris Daley, Emergency Room physician shared, “I think many of our community members are nervous to come to the ED because of the fears surrounding COVID-19. People should not be concerned that they’re going to be exposed to COVID-19 if they come to our ED.”

Estes Park Health has had a screening process in place for entry into the ED since March. Leslie Roberts, ED Director says, “We are screening people when they come to the ED entrance. Patients with emergency care needs are registered and taken back to see an ED physician. If a person coming to the ED meets the criteria currently established by the CDC for possible COVID-19 exposure, this person is met by an ED nurse in full PPE and taken to a negative pressure room for additional assessment.”

Estes Park Health is encouraging the community to take advantage of the new Virtual Visit option to speak with a Physician Clinic provider and discuss the severity of their illness. The provider will let the patient know if they should be seen in the Physician Clinic or go to the ED. Virtual Visits are either conducted by audio or video using a smartphone, computer, or tablet. Patients can call the Physician Clinic at 970-586-2200 to set up a Virtual Visit or request a virtual appointment via their My Health Connection portal.  More information about the Estes Park Health Virtual Visits is available at: eph.org/virtualvisits.

Coming to the Emergency Department is usually an unplanned and stressful event for most patients and even more so during the COVID-19 healthcare crisis. At Estes Park Health you will receive personal, professional care, and treatment by our highly trained and dedicated ED nurses and physicians. We strive every day to treat each patient in our ED like they are our family or any close friend.  We have strict processes in place which follow the CDC guidelines to ensure the safety of our patients and our staff.  We want you to know and rest assured that we are always ready and prepared for whatever emergency arises at any time.