Tag: COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine Access

Posted on by Galbraith Family Medicine

We are proud of the work we did during the COVID-19 pandemic to reach out to our entire adult patient population to ensure that they were aware of the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. We were able to provide over 100 doses of vaccine ourselves and connect many patients to resources to get successfully vaccinated elsewhere. We no longer carry COVID-19 vaccine, but if you have not yet been vaccinated or boosted and desire to do so, we want our patients to know about where to sign up to get the vaccine. Many of the listed sites are offering the primary series and the vaccine boosters, usuallly by making an appointment. Some sites are offering the vaccine for children ages 6 months and up and the booster for children ages 5 years and up.

The best resource is the Maine CDC website at http://www.maine.gov/covid19/vaccines/vaccination-sites.

As of August 18, 2023, the most local options are:

COVID-19 Prescription Treatment Access

According to the Maine CDC website, COVID-19 treatment is highly effective at preventing a mild or moderate illness from progressing to becoming severe and life-threatening. Treatment is available for unvaccinated individuals, adults age 50 and older and for other people at high risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, such as those who are immuno-compromised, have chronic lung or kidney disease, have diabetes, or who smoke (For full list, see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html ). It does not replace vaccination.

COVID-19 treatment works best if started within the first 5–7 days after symptoms begin. Treatment is only available for people with COVID-19 symptoms and a positive COVID-19 test, which can include an at-home test. A doctor needs to determine if you are eligible for treatment, and while Drs. David and Kathryn are qualified to prescribe medication, testing cannot be done at our facility, some of the medications require additional lab testing or pharmacy oversight that we cannot provide, and we cannot guarantee that you will be able to get a prescribed medication filled as the number of pharmacies who carry the medications are limited. We highly recommend going to a state designated “Test-to-Treat” location where anyone can go to get tested, be seen by a medical provider, and get treated, with access to medication guaranteed, if deemed appropriate. Some sites offer tele-health options so consider calling ahead.

Visit https://www.maine.gov/covid19/treatment/where-to-get-treated to find a provider nearest you and contact that location for more information before going. As of August 18, 2023, the closest area Test-to-Treat locations are:

  • Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland at 204-8551
  • Southern Maine Health Care Walk-in clinics in Sanford and Saco at 866-722-5165
  • Convenient MD Urgent Care in Saco at 751-7991
  • Convenient MD Urgent Care in Sanford at 850-5744
  • York Hospital Walk-in campus in York at 351-2284

In addition, telehealth treatment services may be available through ConvenientMD (https://convenientmd.com/virtual-care/), CVS Pharmacies (https://www.cvs.com/content/coronavirus?icid=coronavirus-lp-treatment-services#services), Northern Light Health (https://northernlighthealth.org/Resources/COVID-19/Get-Treatment), York Hospital Walk-in Care (https://www.yorkhospital.com/covid-19-treatment-center/) and some Walgreen’s Pharmacies https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/covid19/testing). Certain Walgreen’s Pharmacies and Walmart Pharmacies also have pharmacists who are prescribing treatment directly; call or visit the websites for store lcoations.

Returning To Normal

Posted on by Galbraith Family Medicine

With the official end of the Public Health Emergency for the COVID-19 Pandemic behind us, we wanted to once again update our policies for keeping you safe.

Masking is longer mandatory in our office. For those individuals with a cough or other cold symptoms, we will still require masks that cover the mouth and nose. This is important for the health and safety of other patients and team members.  Everyone is welcome to mask if they wish; if you choose to mask and would be more comfortable if your care team does as well, please let us know and we will wear one.

Precautions that remain unchanged include: 

  • If you have symptoms, you may need to take an at-home COVID test before an in-person visit. Please call us with your situation and your test results and to discuss options, including whether or not you should come in for your visit.
  • We will continue to make masks available at all entrances to our office.
  • Our staff will mask when caring for patients with symptoms or who request that we do so.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month updated its COVID vaccine recommendations. The changes include:

  • An additional updated (bivalent) vaccine dose for adults ages 65 years and older and for people who are immuno-compromised.
  • Monovalent (original) mRNA COVID vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States.
  • Recommendation that everyone 6 years and older receive an updated (bivalent) mRNA COVID vaccine, regardless of whether they previously completed their (monovalent) primary series. Individuals 6 years and older who have already received an updated mRNA vaccine do not need to take any action unless they are 65 years or older or immuno-compromised.
  • For young children, multiple doses continue to be recommended and will vary by age, vaccine, and which vaccine(s) they previously received.

For additional details, visit the CDC’s Stay Up to Date with Vaccines webpage.

On May 11, 2023, the federal government’s Public Health Emergency expired, as did a number of measures designed to provide flexibility earlier in the pandemic response:

  • Prescriptions: Patients may need to see us in person, rather than in a telehealth visit, for medication management and other simple or primarily-discussion medical visits. Please check with your insurance company to see if telehealth visits will still be covered by your plan.
  • Vaccinations: Commercial insurance may have a co-pay for COVID-19 vaccines.
  • COVID-19 testing: Your health plan will cover the cost of a laboratory test if it is ordered by your doctor and you are symptomatic or have been exposed, but not necessarily in other cases.  Due to our limited resources including lack of adequate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), we do not perform testing at our office; we preferentially refer you to one of the state designated Test-to-Treat sites. At-home tests may no longer be reimbursed by your health plan.