Updated as of March 19, 2020 

Calgary Seniors’ Resource Society: Guide to Medical Facilities Regarding COVID-19 

Alberta Health Services provides daily updates and information for Albertans concerning COVID-19 Coronavirus through the following link. 

Alberta Health Services COVID-19 Link 

Instructions for Medical Appointments (March 17): 

• All non-urgent scheduled and/or elective surgeries will be postponed. The AHS will contact all Albertans scheduled for procedures and will work to reschedule as soon as possible, but there is no projected timeline. Please be patient and await a call from AHS on your surgery, please do not call 811 or the clinic for information. 

• Any urgent or emergency surgery, including oncology and scheduled caesarean procedures will continue.  

• All non-emergency dental treatment and services have been suspended. Emergency dental treatments that may continue include oral-facial trauma, significant infection, prolonged bleeding or pain that cannot be controlled by over-the-counter medications. There will be a process of pre-screening patients.  

Specific Instructions for Seniors (March 15): 

In order to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses (including that of COVID-19) among seniors the following have been instructed: 

• From now on, only essential visits to continuing care or long-term care facilities are recommended. 

• Families and friends should contemplate alternative ways of support and communication with loved ones residing in facilities rather than through visiting (this may include phone calls, video calling, or FaceTime).  

Individuals over 60 and those with pre-existing health conditions are most at risk of severe symptoms from COVID-19. 

Instructions for the General Public (March 16): 

In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19: 

• If you have recently returned from travel outside of Canada or have symptoms (dry cough, fever, fatigue, or difficulty breathing) stay home(DO NOT go to the ER or clinic). 

• Complete the COVID-19 Self-Assessment and then if instructed through the self-assessment, call Health Link 811 for testing and instructions.If you have been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting the results, this could take up to 4 days, so please do not call Health Link, they will contact you directly with the results when they are ready.

• Stay home and away from others if sick or in isolation. 

Instructions for Visitors in Medical/Long-term Care/Continuing Care Facilities (March 18): 

• Any symptomatic individuals should postpone visits until symptoms resolve. 

• All visitors should practice hand hygiene and cough protocol, and if requested, wear masks and eye protection. 

Hand hygiene: Alcohol based hand sanitizer (60-90% alcohol). 

• All visitors should have been logged and received medical clearance before visiting.  

• All visitors should report any signs and symptoms of acute illness to Health Link. 

Visitors in Medical Facilities/Hospitals (March 18): 

• Visitors in AHS Acute Care (hospital) facilities are restricted to 1 visitor at a time. The visitor must be an immediate family member or a designated person of the patient. Any exceptions will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis with the review and approval of the unit manager or nursing staff.

• Children are NOT allowed to visit at this time, as they often do not show symptoms of COVID-19. If an exception does occur, there will be a need for approval from the unit manager or nursing staff.

• If you are bringing someone to Emergency, only 1 person (immediate family member or designated person) will be allowed to bring the patient into the hospital, and the designated person must not be ill.

• You cannot visit immediate family in the hospital, in the following circumstances: 

•  If you have an illness that can be transmitted (symptoms of this include fever, cough, loose stools, rash, or feeling ill). 

• If you are immunocompromised. 

• If you are in self-isolation for COVID-19 or currently awaiting test results for COVID-19. 

• If you have tested positive for COVID-19. 

• In end of life circumstances, if a critical visit is needed, visitors with symptoms will be supplied Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and escorted to and from the room. 

• No pets allowed.

• Visiting is not advised if the patient has suspected or confirmed COVID-19. 

• Exceptions:  

• In end of life circumstances, if a critical visit is needed, visitors with symptoms will be supplied Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and escorted to and from the room. 

• Or in the case of essential family care providers (e.g. pediatrics). 

• If approved to visit: 

• Visitors will be limited to 1 person at a time. 

• All visits need to be pre-arranged with nursing staff. When you have arrived, you must sign-in and then follow instructions regarding hand hygiene, cough protocol, and the use of masks, gowns, and other protective equipment. 

• No other patients can be visited after visiting with a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. 

• There is to be no visits to shared patient areas or common areas of the hospital (e.g. cafeteria, gift shop) before or after visiting the patient in question.  

Visitors in Long-term Care or Continuing Care Facilities (March 18): 

• Visitors in long-term care and continuing care facilities arerestricted to 1 essential person at a time. An essential person refers to someone who is providing necessary care or a visitor attending to a dying resident. All essential persons must be either immediate family or a designated person.

• Children are NOT allowed to visit at this time, as they often do not show symptoms of COVID-19. If an exception does occur, there will be a need for approval from the unit manager or nursing staff.

• A screening questionnaire will be distributed prior to a facility visit to ensure safety concerning respiratory viruses (COVID-19).  

• You cannot visit immediate family, if the following occurs: 

•  If you have an illness that can be transmitted (symptoms of this include fever, cough, loose stools, rash, or feeling ill). 

• If you are immunocompromised. 

• If you are in self-isolation for COVID-19 or currently awaiting test results for COVID-19. 

• If you have tested positive for COVID-19. 

• In end of life circumstances, if a critical visit is needed, visitors with symptoms will be supplied Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and escorted to and from the room. 

• No pets allowed.

Specific Medical Facilities Protocol Regarding COVID-19 

The following medical facilities are following all instructions provided by the AHS (as provided above in this document) (March 18):

Foothills Medical Centre

403-944-1110

Mitchell Eye Centre

403-258-1773

Peter Lougheed Centre

403-943-4555

Rockyview General Hospital

403-943-3000

Rockyview Professional Centre

Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre

403-955-6200 

Southern Alberta Eye Centre

403-286-6802

South Health Campus

403-956-1111

 

The following medical facilities are following all instructions provided by AHS (as provided above in this document), as well as listing some of their own protocols, stated directly on their own websites (March 19):

Calgary Retina Centre

403-286-6802

Precautions for COVID-19: 

If you have any of the following symptoms, cough or fever, or you have traveled outside of Canada within the last 14 days, please re-book your appointment and then complete the  COVID-19 Self-Assessment or contact Health Link 811 for advice (if you don’t have access to the internet). 

EFW Radiology

403-541-1200

Precautions for COVID-19: 

If you have flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, trouble breathing, any other respiratory symptoms, myalgia, fatigue, or diarrhea) or you have travelled outside of Canada returning on or after March 12, do not book any appointments, and please reschedule any upcoming appointments. Follow all guidelines provided by AHS. To ensure patient and staff safety, it is advised that only the patient attend appointments, and that only the patient will be allowed in the exam room, to practice social distancing. The only exceptions to this are if the patient is a minor (they may be accompanied by a legal guardian) or if the patient has mobility issues (in which their attendant may accompany them). If a driver is required to escort you to and from an exam, that person must stay outside of the clinic to wait for you.

Mayfair Diagnostics

The following locations will be closed: Mayfair Diagnostics Coventry Hills and The CORE.

The following locations have temporarily stopped offering extended hours: Castleridge, Market Mall, and Mayfair Place. 

The booking team at the contact centre is available Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m (no longer available on Saturdays). 

Toll Free: 1-866-611-2665 

Calgary and Area: 403-777-3000

Precautions for COVID-19: 

• Currently the majority of Mayfair locations are remaining open and will continue to book most services.  

• If you are sick or ill prior to your appointment, email generalbooking@radiology.ca with details of your booking to cancel, and a confirmation email will be sent from Mayfair.  

• Alternatively, you can call 1-866-611-2665 to speak with a member of the booking team. 

• Appointments can be rebooked for when you recover (a minimum of 24 hours after your symptoms disappear or 14 days after self-isolation begins, whichever occurs first).  

• Following the Canadian Association of Radiologists guidelines: appointments for automatic breast ultrasound, bone mineral densitometry, and screening mammography exams will be rebooked,  as will pain therapy appointments. This is due to these exams screening potential health concerns, rather than diagnostic exams identifying current health concerns.  

A screening process is now in place for when you arrive to the appointment, the following questions will be asked when checking-in to screen for influenza-like symptoms (potential COVID-19 exposure): 

• Do you have a fever and /or new onset of cough? 

• Do you have new difficulty breathing? 

• Have you travelled anywhere outside of Canada in the last 14 days before you first started to experience your symptoms, including via cruise ship? 

• Have you travelled to any of the following areas: mainland China (including Hubei province), Hong Kong, Singapore, Iran, South Korea, Japan, or Italy in the 14 days before you first started to experience your symptoms? 

• Have you had *close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 within 14 days before you first started to experience your symptoms? 

• Have you had *close contact with a person with acute respiratory illness who was in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iran, South Korea, japan, or Italy within 14 days before you first started to experience your symptoms? 

*Close contact is delineated as:  

• Providing care or close physical contact without the use of appropriate or consistent personal protective equipment. 

• Living with or having close prolonged contact (within 2 metres) with an infectious individual. 

• Having direct contact with infectious bodily fluids (e.g. coughing).