Cascade Medical Reopens Outpatient Services With Extra Safety Measures

Cascade Medical Center is reopening a majority of outpatient services while doubling up on precautionary measures to ensure a supported and safe place.

Services reopened include all family practice clinic appointments, physical therapy, speech therapy and 3D mammography.

"It might look a little different for patients as they're seeking care," said Rachel Hansen, public relations coordinator.

A greeter will welcome patients at the door to inquire how the patient is feeling, take a temperature with a no touch thermometer and request the patient to wear a medical grade mask.

"That's a safety precaution that's recommended by the Washington State Hospital Association," said Hansen. "Really, it helps lower the risk of transmission for everyone inside the facility."

The decision came on the heels of Governor Inslee's May 18th proclamation for hospitals to welcome back nonurgent care patients after his March request to postpone those services.

"That was to really give us a chance to gather up all the supplies that we need, including personal protective equipment, testing kits and put in place more safety protocols," said Hansen. "Over the last couple of months, that's exactly what we've been doing."

According to Hansen, Cascade Medical has stocked up on enough protective equipment, along with having exponentially more testing kits now than before, to move forward with reopening services.

"I want to encourage people not to delay care. We just want to make sure people are taking care of their chronic medical conditions or if you've got new symptoms that have come up, you can either come to the facility or you can access care via telehealth," said Hansen.