Obstetrics Gynecology & Menopause Physicians: Gynecology Update

It has been awhile since we last communicated, primarily because we don’t have many changes to report on a practice or hospital level. We recognize, however, that more than ever we are living in a virtual world and can feel overwhelmed by the increasing human suffering we are witnessing during our global pandemic as well as with the tragic deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, among so many others marginalized by systemic racism. Once again, we want you to know that the loss and apprehension many are experiencing has not gone unnoticed by our practice, and we are here to support your varied needs as we all work our way through these difficult times.

On an encouraging note, Yale New Haven Hospital continues to see a decline in the number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations as well as those requiring intensive care. Given this decline, Yale New Haven Hospital has begun the process of resuming normal operations and as we reported with our last email our practice has begun to carefully and safely resume usual office visits. All of our doctors and office staff remain healthy, and we are looking forward to seeing you!

OFFICE UPDATES:

OFFICE HOURS: The resumption of normal office hours 8am – 5pm has gone well. All of our offices are open – Shelton, New Haven, Guilford and Essex – but we continue to carefully limit and space our patient volume to adhere to appropriate social distancing and infection control procedures. We have resumed seeing healthy patients for routine visits – as long as you feel comfortable coming to see us, we are happy to see you. As usual, please call us to schedule both urgent and non-urgent appointments during our usual office hours.

CORONAVIRUS SCREENING: All patients are pre-screened by phone and undergo additional screening at check-in for recent travel, symptoms of COVID-19 and recent contacts with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. In addition, we are conducting routine temperature checks for both our patients and our staff. Be assured that we are not allowing patients with symptoms or known infection to come into our offices. However, if you are sick with COVID-19 and need care please reach out to us so that we can coordinate the best approach to provide you with the care that you need. All patients continue to come alone to all appointments, and appointments are spaced to optimize our ability to directly move patients to the exam room and minimize time in the waiting room.

INFECTION PREVENTION: We continue to meticulously sanitize our exam rooms and all equipment used in the course of your care, as well as high-touch surfaces. We have set up clear physical barriers at check-in and check-out as an added layer of protection beyond the masks that you and we are already wearing.

FACEMASKS: Very good data supports the efficacy of facemasks in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19. As such, to protect both you and our staff, we will routinely wear facemasks while interacting with you. We also ask that you wear a facemask to your appointment. We believe this added layer of protection is appropriate and will protect both you and us. You do not need the highly discussed N95 mask – a regular surgical mask or homemade fabric facemask is just fine. If you need a facemask please let us know, we have a limited supply of extra masks that we can give to you.

NO VISITORS: Without exception, all patients are asked to come to all office appointments unaccompanied, including partners and children. This includes appointments in our office as well as for all outpatient ultrasounds.

SURGICAL PROCEDURES: Yale New Haven Hospital has begun the process of reopening surgical services for all elective surgery. There is a considerable backlog of previously scheduled surgeries that may result in scheduling delays. If you have a planned procedure and would like to discuss likely timing, please call to schedule a time to speak with your physician.

RESCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS: Our staff with be reaching out to you via phone and/or MyChart to reschedule appointments that were cancelled in March and April. If you do not receive a phone call in the next few weeks and wish to book an appointment, please feel free to call our office.

A NOTE ABOUT ANTIBODY TESTING: Several clinical laboratories have developed tests that are designed to detect antibodies to the coronavirus in an effort to determine whether a person has previously been infected with the coronavirus. While there is hope that antibody tests will provide important information about who is and is not at risk of future coronavirus infection and may be something that is widely recommended in the near future, at this time we do not know enough about the accuracy or usefulness of antibody testing. There is widespread concern that these tests do not provide reliable results. In addition, little is currently known about whether people who have previously been infected by the coronavirus will develop immunity (in other words, whether antibodies to the virus protect you or others in any way). We will be sure to let you know if and when antibody testing is recommended for you.

PERSONAL SAFETY: We know that some of our patients are suffering in silence, and we want to encourage you to speak up. Whether you reach out to us over the phone, through MyChart, or during an office appointment, we want to remind you that you can safely and confidentially share with us any concerns you might have about intimate partner violence, food insecurity, or other devastating impacts the coronavirus has caused to your life. We want to help. There is a statewide hotline that is open 24/7 at 888.774.2900 or online at www.CTSafeConnect.org. The Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (better known as “WIC”) provides supplemental food, nutrition services, health care referrals and breastfeeding support to low income pregnant and postpartum women and to children up to age 5. If you have lost your job from a furlough or layoff within the past two months you must act quickly if you would like to enroll in health care access through Access Health CT, Connecticut’s health insurance marketplace.

This unprecedented time brings unusual challenges. We have made every effort to safely and carefully reopen our offices in order to provide you with medical care we all know to be essential to your health. Together we will forge our way forward! We cannot wait to see you all again. We are all in this together!

Warm Regards,

Thomas Hanson, MD, FACOG
Musa Speranza, MD, FACOG
Steven Fleischman, MD, FACOG
Michael Reel, MD, FACOG
Margaret Baumbusch, MD, FACOG
Meagan Haynes, MD, FACOG
Erin Moroni, FNP-BC