We are providing the same standard of care as before COVID -19 with extra safety precautions, observing social distancing, increased sanitation of surfaces, and patient screening upon arrival.
Yes! We are ready for your visit, and will provide the same level of safety and service you expect from us, with enhancements.
We are taking every precaution to ensure that your visit to an EvergreenHealth Medical Group (EHMG) practice is safe:
During COVID-19, we encourage you to consult your EHMG provider just as you normally would to check out any new symptoms or to manage chronic conditions. Your overall health and well-being is important to us.
Learn more about what EvergreenHealth is doing to keep you safe in our podcast.
For your convenience, EHMG practices also offer virtual visits for certain appointment types. We had already begun early work on providing virtual visits, and when COVID-19 arrived, we were able to move very quickly to advance this additional approach to care as we continue to provide the safest care for our patients. If you would like additional information about virtual visits and their availability, please contact your practice.
Yes. We are taking every precaution to ensure that your visit to our Emergency Department is safe:
Acute and emergent health issues may worsen with delay of treatment, potentially putting your life at risk.
Please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for these conditions:
Any COVID-19, or potential COVID-19, patients being treated at the medical center are isolated in rooms with a negative air flow – meaning the air from their treatment rooms does not circulate through the ventilation system. Our emergency department waiting room and patient care areas are rigorously cleaned and disinfected.
If you prefer, you may visit our freestanding emergency department in Redmond.
As with all clinical testing and screening, EvergreenHealth follows evidence-based protocol and guidelines to ensure all patient testing is medically necessary both as a responsible healthcare provider, and partner to our patients.
COVID-19 testing is based on each individual patient’s medical history and symptoms. Your EvergreenHealth Medical Group provider will work with you to determine if a COVID-19 test is in the best interest of your health.
Current testing criteria includes:
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, contact your provider for more information on being tested. If you do not have a primary care physician, call EvergreenHealth’s 24-hour Nurse Navigator - Healthline to speak with a registered nurse at 425.899.3555 or visit one of our six urgent care locations in Kenmore, Mill creek, Redmond, Sammamish, Totem Lake or Woodinville. Wait times for our urgent cares can be found here.
Where do I get tested?
If your EvergreenHealth Medical Group provider recommends testing, you’ll make an appointment at our drive-thru location.
EvergreenHealth Urgent Care is offering COVID-19 viral testing for current symptoms at all six of our Urgent Care centers in Kenmore, Mill Creek, Redmond, Sammamish, Totem Lake and Woodinville. This test is to determine if you have a current COVID-19 infection; this is not an antibody test determining if you’ve had a previous infection. At this time, EvergreenHealth is not performing antibody testing for COVID-19 – for more information, please visit here (PDF).
What does a COVID-19 test cost?
During the national public health emergency period, most insurance plans will cover medically necessary COVID-19 testing at no cost-share (copayment, coinsurance or deductible) when ordered by a physician or health care professional for purposes of diagnosis or treatment. COVID-19 testing for other reasons such as workplace health and safety, travel or public health may not be covered by insurance. If your insurance plan does not cover the cost of your test, you will be responsible for the cost of the test or any cost-share.
EvergreenHealth’s charge for collecting the COVID-19 lab specimen is $55. You may receive a separate bill for the processing of the COVID-19 lab specimen – EvergreenHealth’s charge for processing the COVID-19 lab specimen is $200. If the charge is not reimbursed by your insurance plan, you will be responsible for any charges not covered.
What to do after you are tested
If you test positive for COVID-19, or are caring for someone who tested positive, follow these protective steps.
When will I get my test results?
Once your results are in, you'll receive a call from the practice informing your of your test result.
Yes. Patients with COVID-19 are isolated in a different part of the medical center, in rooms with negative air flow, meaning the air doesn’t circulate through the ventilation system. COVID-19 patients are cared for by trained staff using specialized protective equipment.
We have several procedures in place to protect you when you come for your prenatal visits with your OB/GYN or midwife.
All staff, patients and visitors are screened before they enter our maternity center or our practices. The screening criteria includes these questions:
Visitors or staff who have any symptoms will not be permitted into the maternity center units or practices and will be asked to return home.
We are following Universal Masking guidelines. Everyone will be wearing a mask – patients, visitors, physicians, staff, vendors – everyone.
All our patients and visitors must please wear a mask from home while visiting EvergreenHealth. This can be a disposable mask or a cloth mask. It must cover your chin and nose. We ask that you wear your mask for the duration of your visit. Thank you for partnering with us for the safety of everyone.
You will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms when you arrive at our Family Maternity Center. This will ensure that we are caring for you appropriately during labor, delivery and postpartum, and keeping both you and your newborn as safe as possible before you go home.
The screening criteria includes these questions:
All laboring moms will be tested for COVID-19.
If you test negative for COVID-19, you’ll be able to have the same two consistent, healthy birth partners with you for labor and delivery. Should you choose, you may walk the hallways in the maternity center during your labor; you and your birth partners will be asked to wear a mask.
If you test positive for COVID-19, you’ll be limited to just one consistent, healthy birth partner in order to minimize the risk to others. You and your support person will need to remain in your birthing suite throughout your care.
We have reduced the number of people in the public areas of the maternity center as a result of our limitations on visitors, along with our pause on students and volunteers.
For your safety, only your provider, labor nurse and other necessary staff will have access to your birthing suite (along with your support person).
Everyone involved in your care will wear masks. They will wear additional PPE during active labor and delivery including gowns, gloves, masks and goggles.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19, our nurses and lactation consultants will help you breastfeed safely – protecting baby while still allowing for this important part of baby’s care to continue.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19, we will ask your support person to remain in the room with you and have food delivered instead of visiting our cafe or leaving/entering the unit multiple times.
If you have questions and/or concerns about your upcoming delivery in our Family Maternity Center, please contact us at 425.899.3501.
We have several policies in place to protect you when you come for your prenatal visits or stay with your newborn in our NICU.
In order to continue to ensure the safest environment for all of our moms and babies, we are limiting the number of maternity support people to two adults per patient for visits to the NICU. We ask that these two adults (18 years or older) remain consistent for your entire stay.
All staff, patients and support people are screened before they enter our maternity practices or the NICU. The screening criteria includes these questions:
Support people or staff who have any symptoms will not be allowed into the maternity practices or NICU and will be asked to return home.
All patients and visitors must please wear a mask from home while visiting EvergreenHealth. This can be a disposable mask or a cloth mask. It must cover your chin and nose. Vented masks, gaiters and bandanas are not acceptable face coverings. We ask that you wear your mask for the duration of your visit. Thank you for partnering with us for the safety of everyone.
Twice each shift, we are screening all hospital employees who come into contact with patients – including doctors, nurses, food services, environmental services and others.
If you have questions and/or concerns about your pregnancy, upcoming appointments or impending delivery, please contact your OB/GYN practice or midwife provider directly.
Most of our classes have been moved online to support social distancing. If you have registered for a class, you’ll be contacted with information to access the online class.
If your class must be rescheduled or canceled, you’ll be contacted directly to confirm.
Yes, our EvergreenHealth research team has on-boarded several clinical trials pertaining to COVID-19, and was the first community hospital site to offer the COVID-19 research treatment, Remdesivir.
To learn more about available clinical trials, participation qualifications, and to support research of the novel coronavirus, visit our research page or call 425.899.8385 to speak with our team, who will partner with you throughout the process.
While there is much we are still learning about the virus, cases of COVID-19 and instances of community spread are being reported across the U.S. According to the CDC, there are some groups who are at higher risk for contracting COVID-19; this includes:
People 65 years and older.
People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility.
People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, including:
People who are immunocompromised, including:
People who are severely obese (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher).
The same good health habits that prevent other viruses, like the flu, also prevent the spread of COVID-19. They also decrease the risk of getting sick, which would make you more susceptible to COVID-19.
These include:
If you’re in public settings, include these practices:
The COVID-19 virus affects different people in different ways. Most infected people will develop mild-to-moderate symptoms. Per the CDC:
These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:
Some people may experience:
On average it takes 5-6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days.
People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should self-isolate.
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
Call 9-1-1 if you have a medical emergency: notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives.
If you have mild symptoms or are otherwise sick, you will likely be advised to stay home and self-care until you are well or your symptoms worsen. Tips on caring for yourself and your family >
If you are concerned about your health, call your EvergreenHealth Medical Group provider to discuss COVID-19 testing and other possible reasons for your illness.
If you have symptoms and are at a higher risk for complications, call your EvergreenHealth Medical Group provider to ask about COVID-19 testing. According to the CDC, those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are:
People 65 years and older.
People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility.
People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, including:
People who are immunocompromised, including:
People who are severely obese (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher).
If you develop any of these symptoms*, get medical attention immediately:
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
Why practice social distancing?
Per the CDC, social distancing means keeping space between yourself and other people when outside of your home. It’s one of the best tools we have to avoid being exposed to this virus and to slow its spread in our community.
COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a cumulative time of 15 minutes or more. It can spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, and droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The droplets can also be inhaled into the lungs.
Droplets can also land on surfaces and objects and be transferred by touch. A person may get COVID-19 by touching the surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes. Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
Social distancing helps limit contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces.
To practice social distancing:
Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Someone in self-quarantine stays separated from others, and they limit movement outside of their home or current place. Quarantine helps limit further spread of COVID-19.
Isolation is used to separate sick people from healthy people. People who are in isolation should stay home. In the home, anyone sick should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick” bedroom or space and using a different bathroom (if possible).
You can be around others after:
*Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation
If you have mild symptoms or are otherwise sick, you will likely be advised to stay home and self-care until you are well or your symptoms worsen.
For current information about COVID-19 and recommendations for keeping yourself and your family healthy, we recommend these resources:
If you have questions, please call the Washington State Department of Health at 1.800.525.0127
Our 24-Hour Nurse Navigator – Healthline is a free service available any time of day and night. Our consulting nurse service provides home care information, and can help determine if urgent care or emergency care are called for. Call 425.899.3555 with specific questions about COVID-19.
