- I'm Dr. Bobbie Gostout, President
of Mayo Clinic Health System
with Mary Jo Williamson, our
Chief Administrative Officer
and no matter how our video
team is making this look,
I want you to know we are standing
a safe distance from each other.
As your healthcare provider we wanted
to take a few minutes to let you know
we're approaching this unprecedented time
with great precaution to help keep you,
our staff and our community safe,
healthy and informed.
- It is hard to ignore the
new developments every day.
We know that with such a
quickly changing situation
it can feel worrisome,
especially as you think
about your family and loved ones.
Staying informed is one way to harness
some of that worry.
Our COVID-19 patients and
community resource page,
on our website, provides
the most current guidance,
not only on the virus, but also on how
to get care locally during the outbreak.
It is regularly updated to help insure you
have the most current information.
- It's going to take
all of us doing our part
to help slow down the spread of the virus
so that we can help insure
our healthcare system
has the ability to care
for all of the patients
who need us most.
We're asking our patients to call first
if they have symptoms that are consistent
with COVID-19 instead of
just coming to our clinics.
That will help us to
prepare for your visit.
Of course, for any medical emergencies
always call 911 so that you can get
the immediate attention you require.
Some of our patients may be asked
to re-schedule their appointments,
procedures or surgeries or be open
to a non-traditional way of getting care
through a telephone or video visit.
We're limiting visitors in our clinics
and hospitals, too.
We know that change is
especially difficult.
- Most certainly, we
recognize how difficult
and inconvenient the
changes we are making may be
for you and your loved ones
and we so appreciate your understanding,
flexibility and patience.
As Dr. Gostout said, we are taking
these precautionary measures so that we
can be in the best position to care
for those patients who need us most.
- While this is a challenging time
for all of us, we hope
that you feel confident
that you have access locally to the best
care teams in the world, all here
and ready to care for you, your family
and your loved ones, not only
during this outbreak, but every day.
Together we will see our way through
the COVID-19 pandemic.
