Dear University of Idaho Student,
We at Vandal Health understand this may be a stressful time, full of fear and uncertainty, for you and your family. We want to assure you we will do the best we can to support you and keep you healthy.
Because the virus can be transmitted for two weeks even by healthy people, here are our recommendations for your daily life:
- Stay home as much as possible.
- If you must go out, stay at least 6 feet away from other people.
- Avoid touching surfaces that others have touched such as doorknobs, shopping cart handles, tables, etc. If you cannot avoid touching them, wipe them down with a sterilizing wipe first. Wash your hands as soon as possible afterward, with soap & water for 20 seconds or with hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
- Don’t touch your face, to prevent any viruses you picked up despite these efforts from getting into mucous membranes in your eyes, nose & mouth.
- If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with a tissue or with your elbow. Wash your hands after throwing the tissue away.
- As always, wash your hands before eating and after going to the bathroom. Wash your hands frequently during the day because no matter how hard you try you will still pick up viruses from various surfaces you touch.
If you should get sick, the last thing you need is to sit in a waiting room with other people who may expose you to new viruses. Therefore, we are implementing telehealth visits at Vandal Health. To access a telehealth visit:
- Call us at 208-885-6693. We will ask you some screening questions about your symptoms and confirm your phone number and email address.
- If you are calling about respiratory symptoms, the respiratory triage nurse will call you to get more information
- If you have no respiratory symptoms, or if the triage nurse determines you need to be evaluated by a doctor, the telehealth doctor will contact you via text or email to invite you to a telehealth visit.
- On your smart phone or a computer with video camera, you can click the link in the text or email we sent to be put in the doctor’s virtual waiting room. When the doctor is ready to see you, they will click your name on their screen and you will be connected in a video call.
Monday, March 23 will be the first day of this new program, so we can’t promise you a certain time for your visit, but we promise to return your call the same day. If the telehealth doctor determines that you need an in-person visit to better evaluate you, you will be asked to come to the Vandal Health clinic.
