New Letter from Your DOHC COVID-19 Task Force

December 9, 2020

We need everyone’s help to slow and reduce further spread of COVID-19. As you know the number of people infected with COVID-19 in the greater Coachella Valley, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have reached alarming rates especially following the Thanksgiving weekend. If not reversed, we are going to experience unprecedented numbers of people with COVID-19. This will put additional stress on our local hospitals who are already dealing with record numbers of patients with COVID-19. This can negatively impact all levels of healthcare and related services for patients needing routine or urgent hospital care.

As we move through the holidays, here are key resources we encourage you to consider for your families and our community’s health:

COVID-19 TESTING

DOHC offers daily drive through testing for COVID-19 at two locations.

Hours: 8a – 5p (Monday - Friday) and 9a - 5p (Saturday)
Palm Springs: 275 North El Cielo Road, Palm Springs, 92262
Indio: 81880 Dr. Carreon Boulevard, Indio 92201

You must wear a mask to the testing site. Stay in your car. Our staff will determine if a rapid or send out test is indicated based on your symptoms. Due to the high number of tests, results are taking up to 4 days. Please follow instructions given by the test site staff.

Get the healthcare you need – please do not delay your healthcare! You must wear a mask to access any DOHC clinical or administrative site. You will also be given a medical grade mask upon entering the facilities. Masking is required to protect both you and our health care team.

If you need care urgently, DOHC’s 4 Immediate Care locations are open from 8a- 8p, M-F and 9a-7p Saturdays and Sunday.

HOLIDAY HOURS:

Christmas Eve

12/24: 8a - 6p (all sites open) Palm Springs and Indio COVID Tent 8a -12p

Christmas Day

12/25: 9a - 5p (PS and YV only)
12/26: 9a - 7p (all sites open)
12/27: 9a - 7p (all sites open)

New Year’s Eve

12/31: 8a - 6p (all sites open)
Palm Springs and Indio COVID Tent 8a -12p

New Year’s Day

1/1: 9a - 7p (all sites open)

Schedule a Virtual Visit (video) with your doctor or health care team for routine or non-urgent health care. During this high-risk period, you will first be offered a virtual visit. Limited in person visits are available. If you do not have access to the technology for a virtual visit, our team can help schedule a team member to bring a device to your door. Ask our staff for how to arrange such an appointment.

Preventative care is still important. Have you completed your blood pressure screening, yearly lab work or blood sugar screening, colorectal screening, mammogram, diabetic eye exam? If not we have team members ready to help get you safely scheduled.

Think through and improve your COVID-19 precaution strategies:

We encourage everyone to strictly follow the County, State and Federal recommendations to:
- Wear a mask outside your home or any indoor space where other people are present
- Wash your hands and exposed surfaces frequently
- Avoid unnecessary travel or local trips away from home; if you do, follow the recommendations to isolate or quarantine for 10 days
- Minimum, maintain 6 feet of distance
  - Better, more than 6 feet of distance
  - Best, stay away from people not in your household

If you need help with food:

Having sufficient and healthy food is essential to your overall health. Think of food as medicine. We want to make sure you have access to the food you need. For that reason, DOHC partners with two great local organizations to make food available:

Mizell Center – Meals on Wheels delivers to eligible seniors Monday – Friday. Visit https://mizell.org/meals/meals-on-wheels/meals-on-wheels-delivery-program/ or call 760-323-5689.
Find Food Bank partners with DOHC to get food to patients who are eligible. Please call FIND at 760-969-6562 ext 2862.

Vaccines:

As you likely know, there are now 3 potential vaccines making their way through the initial approval and future distribution process. California’s local counties will be finalizing plans for how and when vaccines are made available in our community. When vaccines do become available for the public, DOHC is planning for how to bring patients in for their vaccines (which may require two doses).

Thank you to the many of you who have taken the step to get your flu shot this year. If you still need to get your flu shot, it is not too late. You can receive a regular or senior (high dose) flu shot at any Immediate Care as well as either of the testing sites (drive thru). Additionally, if you have an upcoming in person visit scheduled you can receive your flu shot at that time. Getting a flu shot is very important this year in the effort to reduce the number who actually get the flu but also to prevent a double burden on the hospitals for flu and COVID-19.

Holiday Gatherings for Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanza and New Year’s. First, have a happy and safe holiday celebration.

We have all learned from the summer and fall holidays, getting together for gatherings, weddings, funerals, parties, or larger gatherings with people who are not in your protected home circle increases your exposure. This results in increased COVID-19 positive numbers. It is difficult, but to protect ourselves and the community – we strongly recommend very limited gatherings, or avoiding gatherings in the next several weeks through the holiday season. Simply put, these gatherings put people in harms way and should be avoided. Like the hospitals, our health care team becomes overwhelmed with demand as COVID-19 cases spike. Help protect your health care team so that they can be available for the many patients who have healthcare needs to be met every day. Together, WE CAN DO THIS!

Need Help or Have Questions? Call our DOHC Helpline: 760-969-6555.

Remember, should you have any questions, please contact DOHC or visit our website for information at MyDOHC.com.