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:

• chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
• serious heart conditions
• diabetes
• chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
• liver disease

People who are immunocompromised, including:

• cancer treatment
• smoking
• bone marrow or organ transplantation
• immune deficiencies
• poorly controlled HIV or AIDS
• prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications

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:

• Stay home when you are sick (fever, cough, cold).
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. If your hands are visibly dirty, always wash them with soap and water.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your cough or sneeze into your arm. If you use a tissue, discard the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects (door handles, light switches) and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat healthy foods, and manage your stress to keep your immunity strong.

If you’re in public settings, include these practices:

• Maintain at least 6 feet between yourself and others
• Wear a mask or face covering that covers your nose and mouth

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:

• fever
• cough
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• chills
• repeated shaking with chills
• muscle pain
• headache
• sore throat
• new loss of taste or smell

Some people may experience:

• aches and pains
• nasal congestion
• runny nose
• congestion
• diarrhea

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*:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

*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:

• chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
• serious heart conditions
• diabetes
• chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
• liver disease

People who are immunocompromised, including:

• cancer treatment
• smoking
• bone marrow or organ transplantation
• immune deficiencies
• poorly controlled HIV or AIDS
• prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications

People who are severely obese (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher).

If you develop any of these symptoms*, get medical attention immediately:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

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:

• People who present to the emergency department for treatment may be tested for COVID-19 dependent upon their symptoms
•  People with symptoms of COVID-19, especially those at higher risk, can get tested with approval from their EvergreenHealth Medical Group provider.

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 Woodinville, Mill Creek, Kenmore, Redmond, Totem Lake and Sammamish. 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 Woodinville, Mill Creek, Kenmore, Redmond, Totem Lake and Sammamish. 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?
EvergreenHealth is charging $255 for the COVID-19 test (includes test and specimen collection). Your insurance may cover some, or all, of the COVID-19 test.
Insurers are required to waive the copayment and deductible for COVID-19 testing.

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.

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 prolonged period. 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.

You can also get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. COVID-19 can live for hours or days on a surface, depending on factors such as sun light and humidity.

Social distancing helps limit contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces.

To practice social distancing:

• Stay at least 6 feet from other people
•  Do not gather in groups
• Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings

Tips for social distancing:

• Follow guidance from authorities where you live.
• If you need to shop for food or medicine at the grocery store or pharmacy, stay at least 6 feet away from others.
• Use mail-order for medications, if possible.
• Consider a grocery delivery service.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others, including when you have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store.
• Avoid large and small gatherings in private places and public spaces, such a friend’s house, parks or any other place. This advice applies to people of any age, including teens and younger adults. Children should not have in-person playdates while school is out.
• Work from home when possible.
• If possible, avoid using any kind of public transportation, ridesharing or taxis.
• Stay connected while staying away. It is very important to stay in touch with friends and family that don’t live in your home. Call, video chat, or stay connected using social media. Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations and having to socially distance yourself from someone you love can be difficult. Read tips for stress and coping.

Per the CDC

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).

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.

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:

• We are following Universal Masking guidelines. Everyone will be wearing a mask – patients, visitors, physicians, staff, vendors – everyone.
• We are providing the same high quality and safe standard of care as before COVID-19 with extra safety precautions, observing social distancing, increased sanitation of surfaces, and patient screening upon arrival.

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.

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:

• Abdominal pain (severe)
• Asthma attack (severe)
• Bleeding (uncontrolled)
• Burns (severe)
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Confusion
• Cuts/lacerations (moderate - severe)
• Dehydration
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Headaches (severe)
• High fevers
• Infant fevers less than 2 months old
• Ingestion of poison
• Major head injury
• Palpitations
• Pneumonia
• Seizures
• Shock
• Shortness of breath
• Significant trauma or injuries
• Swallowing of foreign objects
• Unconscious of loss of consciousness
• Visible factures

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.

Following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Governor Jay Inslee, all elective surgeries, such as joint replacements, were postponed as part of our response to COVID-19. While our hospital and surgical facilities are safe for care, we have been actively conserving resources to ensure we could support care for all our patients.

We have continued to perform surgeries for urgent and emergent cases such as appendectomies, broken bones, etc.

EvergreenHealth will resume elective surgical procedures as soon as possible following guidelines from the CDC, local health authorities and Governor Inslee.

If you have questions about your specific elective surgery, please contact your surgeon’s office directly.

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:

• Do you have (or have you had) a temperature of 99.5 F (37.5 C) or above within the last 48 hours?
• Do you have any new symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, lack or loss of appetite, sore throat, diarrhea, loss or decreased sense of smell or taste, body aches/muscle pain, or persistent headache?
• In the last two weeks, have you been tested for, or had close contact with, someone who has COVID-19?

If you have any symptoms, we’ll ask you to wear a mask until we can escort you to a private, closed room.

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.

We encourage our patients and visitors to please wear a mask from home while visiting EvergreenHealth. This can be a disposable mask, a cloth mask, or a homemade face covering such as a t-shirt or a bandana. We ask that you wear your mask for the duration of your visit. Thank you for partnering with us for the safety of everyone.

When it’s time to deliver

You will be tested for COVID-19 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.

• If you are coming in for an induction or a C-section, you will be tested at our outpatient testing site.
• If you arrive at the hospital in labor, you’ll be tested in your room.

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.

Limiting access to the maternity center

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.

Everyone involved in your care will wear masks. They will wear additional PPE during active labor and delivery including gowns, gloves, masks and goggles.

After delivery

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.

Questions?

If you have questions and/or concerns about your upcoming delivery in our Family Maternity Center, please contact us at 425.899.3501.

EvergreenHealth Kirkland has several policies in place to protect you when you come for any 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 your provider’s office and 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:

• Do you have (or have you had) a temperature of 99.5 F (37.5 C) or above within the last 48 hours?
• Do you have any new symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, lack or loss of appetite, sore throat, diarrhea, loss or decreased sense of smell or taste, body aches/muscle pain, or persistent headache?
• In the last two weeks, have you been tested for, or had close contact with someone who has COVID-19?

If you have any symptoms, we’ll ask you to wear a mask and we’ll escort you to a private, closed room.

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.

You’ll see our staff and providers wearing masks in patient care areas. We encourage you to bring your own masks from home to wear in our public areas.

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.

Thank you for choosing us for your care.