Mask Mandate Update
Posted 7/14/2021
It’s been a long year, and we are so grateful to our patients for your patience and understanding as we’ve navigated the COVID-19 landscape alongside all of you.
CAAC will maintain the following regulations due to the high risk nature of our patients:
- CAAC will continue to require masking for all vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients in all of our clinics
- Other guidelines regarding social distancing in the reception area will be relinquished as long as masks are being worn
- COVID-19 screening questions will continue
- Proof of COVID-19 vaccination status may be requested
We want to thank you for your continued compliance with these efforts in order to keep our staff and patient population as safe and healthy as possible.
Be well!
Posted 1/5/2021
With the news of the COVID-19 vaccine, we understand that you may have questions.
- Will CAAC be giving the COVID-19 vaccine?
At this time, we are not able to receive inventory and therefore are not providing the vaccine to our patients. We are encouraging our patients and all essential workers to visit the state health department (https://cdphe.colorado.gov/) and your county health department websites for more detailed information. Some hospitals, pharmacies, and clinics have set up portals for workers and patients to submit information to determine if they qualify to receive vaccine in this first or second phase.
- Is it safe for me to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
- Both vaccines that are available are not recommended for patients with anaphylaxis to polysorbate or any component of the vaccine.
- If you have had anaphylaxis following other vaccines or injectable medications, you should consult with your allergist before scheduling your vaccine.
- If you have received the first dose of either COVID-19 vaccine and experienced anaphylaxis, it is not recommended for you to receive the second dose at this time. Other side effects include soreness at the injection site as well as mild COVID-19 symptoms.
- Those of you with environmental, food, or contact allergies may receive the vaccine if you so choose. The recommendations are that you are watched following the vaccine; people with a history of anaphylaxis from anything should be monitored for 30 minutes while those without a history of anaphylaxis should be monitored for 15 minutes. We would recommend asking about observation times at the site that you are offered a vaccine. While anaphylaxis can occur up to 4 hours following the vaccine, most people will have a reaction within the first 30 minutes if they are going to have a reaction.
We hope that this information helps answer some questions that you may have about the COVID-19 vaccine. We are always available to help answer any additional questions that you may have. Should we be granted the ability to vaccinate patients, we will let you know.
Posted 11/13/2020
With the ever changing COVID-19 best practices, we have adjusted some of our policies to reflect the infection control changes from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) as well as the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Your safety is of utmost importance to us. Some changes you may note when in the office include:
- Many chairs have been removed to limit numbers in offices. You may be asked to wait outside if the waiting room is too full when you arrive. This is mainly relevant to patients receiving allergy shots as patients with appointments will be placed in an exam room.
- All patients over the age of 2 will need to arrive to the clinic wearing a mask. Cloth masks are approved, but vented masks are prohibited.
- If you have a pending COVID-19 test, we ask that you reschedule your appointment until after your results have been finalized. If you have a pending test and arrive to your appointment, you may be asked to leave.
- Allergy shot patients who are ordered to be under quarantine must wait until quarantine is over to return for shots.
- Previous questions regarding travel are no longer relevant, unless you had a known exposure to someone with COVID-19 while traveling, since COVID is now wide-spread.
- If you have a profession, such as in healthcare, where you have regular contact with patients with COVID-19, please do not come to the office if you are quarantining due to an exposure. Otherwise, please wear an N-95 or KN-95 to your appointments.
- If you are not feeling well and feel like you need to see one of our providers, we offer telemedicine visits to help you through your illness.
If you have developed any NEW symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 2 weeks, you may be asked to reschedule. Considering the nature of our clinics, patients with chronic symptoms that mimic COVID-19 may be allowed to have an in person visit. If you have questions about your symptoms, please call your clinic location.
Posted 9/15/2020
We have some recent updates to our COVID-19 protocols:
- Injections hours are open to all ages throughout the day in all clinics. (no more Senior Hour)
- Face coverings, worn over the nose and mouth are required in all public spaces in Colorado. Masks with an exhalation valve or vent may increase the spread of infection, and are prohibited in our clinics.
Posted 8/21/2020
We’ve had some updates to our protocols, so we thought we’d highlight our current policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Face coverings, worn over the nose and mouth are required in all public spaces. Masks with an exhalation valve or vent may increase the spread of infection, and are prohibited.
To maintain social distancing, please come to the office alone or, if necessary, with only 1 extra family member with you. Keep yourself 6 feet away from other patients and staff.
For Immunotherapy, 9am – 10am is reserved for patients who are 65 years of age and older.
If you travel outside of the state, plan to avoid allergy shots and visits for 7 days after returning to Colorado.
If you have been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19, plan to avoid allergy shots and visits for 7 days. Call in advance if you have any symptoms.
If you have been ill with any COVID-19 symptoms*or had a positive COVID-19 test, please DO NOT come into our office until:
- at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and
- at least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
- symptoms have improved
*Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. They include: Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea or vomiting, Diarrhea
Posted 5/26/2020
We are open to our regular schedule including Saturdays. Our full schedule can be found here.
Please note all clinics are closed for shots at 4:30pm on weekdays.
While we are continuing telemedicine visits, we have opened up our in-person clinic appointments as well. If you require a visit or need to reschedule a canceled visit, please call your clinic and they will advise you on your best options.
Telemedicine visits are a great option for those of you needing to complete school forms.
In order to provide the safest environment possible for both our patients and staff, and in compliance with CDC guidelines, we ask all patients to adhere to the following guidelines when visiting our clinics:
- Please wear your face covering at all times while you are in the office and reception area
- Please come to the office alone or, if necessary, to have only 1 extra family member with you
- Please attempt to keep yourself 6 feet away from each other (other patients and our staff) as best you can
We thank you for your cooperation and patience during this time. Our goal is providing quality care in a safe and caring environment. We can’t wait to see you soon!
Posted 4/26/2020
With Colorado’s Stay at Home Order expiring on April 26, 2020, we will be opening up our clinic schedules again in a manner to ensure safety for everyone. Please find the schedule effective Monday, April 27th, 2020 here.
While we are continuing telemedicine visits, we are opening our in-person clinic appointments on a limited basis as well. If you require a visit or need to reschedule a canceled visit, please call your clinic and they will advise you on your best options.
In order to provide the safest environment possible for both our patients and staff, and in compliance with CDC guidelines, we ask all patients to adhere to the following guidelines when visiting our clinics:
- Please wear your face covering at all times while you are in the office and reception area
- To maintain social distancing:
- Please come to the office alone or, if necessary, to have only 1 extra family member with you
- Please attempt to keep yourself 6 feet away from each other (other patients and our staff) as best you can
We look forward to seeing you all soon and we thank you for your cooperation and patience during this time. Our goal is provide quality care in the safe and caring environment.
Your Colorado Allergy & Asthma Team
Posted 4/10/2020
Posted 4/3/2020
We have additional clinic closures that we wanted to communicate to you.
Again, we thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we adjust during this COVID-19 Pandemic.
Posted 4/1/2020
1. We continue to honor appointments already in our schedule through telemedicine visits or phone consults. Our telemedicine visits have been very successful. We do recommend you use us, and not an online or insurance company telemedicine service, as they do not have access to your medical history, and therefore may not be aware of any unique situations that may apply to your individual care. Our clinic staff will be in touch with you regarding appointment details.
2. We also continue to see Immunotherapy Patients for their allergy injections. Fasenra, Xolair, or Nucala Injections being given in our offices also continue.
3. We will no longer remain open on Saturdays at our Centennial, Denver & Highlands Ranch locations. Please make arrangements to obtain your allergy injections at alternate times.
Thank you for your continued patronage of Colorado Allergy & Asthma Centers, we hope to “see” you soon!
Posted 3/26/2020
We have received many questions since Colorado’s Stay-At-Home order was announced.
Colorado Allergy & Asthma Center locations are still open during normal hours for Allergy Injections as we are deemed an essential business. You can find our hours here. Thank you.
Posted 3/23/2020
Due to the severity of the threat posed by COVID-19, and for the protection of our staff and patients, we have made the very difficult decision to modify the scope of our services until further notice. Our hope is that by making these changes, we will help support public health initiatives and slow the spread of infection in order to prevent our hospital system from becoming overloaded.
We will be honoring certain patient appointments via telemedicine and phone consultation at this time. If you have an appointment between now and April 30th, you will be called to either reschedule your appointment, or you will be provided phone or telehealth details.
As of Monday, 3/23/2020 we will be seeing only the following patients in our offices:
Patients who receive Immunotherapy (Allergy Injections)
- Please note our Allergy Injection hours remain as posted for now, but may be subject to change.
- We are attempting to hold the 9-10am hour for our patients over 65 years of age. We ask that you kindly do your best to honor this change.
- In addition, we are following Social Distancing guidelines in all of our Allergy Injection / Reception Areas. Please maintain a distance of more than 6 feet from all other patients and staff.
- As well, we ask that you please come alone for your shots, if you need to bring a family member, please cap this at 1 member (child with parent/guardian).
Fasenra, Xolair, or Nucala Injections being given in our offices, will continue.
Any high-risk patient who are identified after talking to a CAAC provider or staff member on the phone.
We will be operating with limited staff members, so please be patient when calling into our clinics or visiting us in person. If you have a question for us, please leave a clear message and we will call you back, in a timely manner. We ask that you not leave multiple messages for us. Multiple messages only slow down the process of answering your questions.
Our focus is always on the safety of our patients, families, and our staff. CAAC’s goal is to continue to serve you and our staff during these very challenging times. Through the change we have recently adopted, and your understanding, we can work together to overcome this difficult time. We thank you for your continued patience and flexibility.
Posted 3/19/2020
Please note, we are holding the 9-10am hour for patients over 65 years of age to receive their allergy injections.
We ask that all patients respect this guideline and if you are under 65 years of age to obtain your injection at another time. Injection hours have not changed at this time and can be found here for all of our 12 clinics.
As a reminder, we are following Social Distancing guidelines in all of our Allergy Injection / Reception Areas. Please maintain a distance of more than 6 feet from all other patients and staff. As well, we ask that you please come alone for your shots, if you need to bring a family member, please cap this at 1 member (child with parent/guardian).
Posted 3/17/2020
During this difficult time, we pledge to share updates with you as quickly as possible, with full transparency and, as always, with your safety foremost in mind. Nothing is more important to us than your safety, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the well-being of our patients and employees when you are treated in our office. CAAC is following State and Federal guidelines to control spread of COVID-19. We want to meet and exceed guidelines as we work with our patients. We have therefore instituted the following policies in addition to our post from 3/11/2020.
(NOTE: As you know, this is a rapidly changing environment. We will continue to update our website blog as frequently as possible.)
WHAT WE ARE DOING
CAAC will be adhering to Social Distancing guidelines.
In an attempt to decease the large volume in our Immunotherapy (Allergy Injection) Reception areas you may experience a wait time for entry.
We ask that you please come alone for your shots, if you need to bring a family member, please cap this at 1 member (child with parent/guardian).
While gaining assistance from the front desk or other areas outside of the exam room and shot area, we ask that you also adhere to social distancing guidelines and maintain a distance of 6 feet or more between yourself, other patients and our staff.
Your care team may be wearing masks to help prevent transmission (not because they are sick) and we are also disinfecting surfaces multiple times per day as well as performing good hand hygiene. We have also removed chairs and reading materials from our reception areas and exam rooms in an effort to follow transmission guidelines.
FAQS
Due to a high call volume, we are posting the following FAQs to further address our patient’s questions and needs:
I have to come in for my shot/appointment but I’m not feeling well, can I still come in?
In an effort to keep everyone safe, if you suspect you have been exposed to Coronavirus / COVID-19 or if you are experiencing similar symptoms (fever over 100.4, cough, shortness of breath), we ask that you stay home. Please contact your clinic to discuss your shot schedule or rescheduling your appointment. We are asking those over 65 years of age or with diabetes, cardiac problems, or immune diseases to call about your appointment prior to coming in.
In addition, the Colorado Dept. of Public Health strongly advises all recent visitors and residents of Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, and Gunnison counties to minimize social contact. This would mean you would need to postpone shots and/or visits 14 days. Please refer to the CDPHE website for exact guidelines and restrictions.
I would like extra refills of my prescription; can you call some in for me?
If you would like extra prescription refills on-hand at this time we ask you to call your pharmacy directly, but please understand the pharmacy may have limited supply. CAAC is approving one extra refill at this time. If your insurance doesn’t allow for additional refills, you may incur extra cost to you as the patient.
Is CAAC conducting testing for the Coronavirus?
We are not testing for Coronavirus / COVID-19 in our facilities. If you have questions about testing sites and availability, please consult the Colorado Department of Public Health site.
When can I come in for my shot?
We are proceeding with our regular shot hours at this time which can be found here.
Is it safe for me to travel?
If you have plans for travel, please refer to the CDC or CDHPE sites for latest travel advice.
PREVIOUS UPDATES:
Posted: 3/11/2020
The health and wellness of Colorado Asthma & Allergy Center patients and staff is always our highest priority. Authorities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that the general population is at low risk for serious complications from Coronavirus exposure. Many of our patients may be at a higher risk for complications from Coronavirus because of their respiratory or immunologic disease state. We are providing the following updates:
IMPORTANT—If you have a fever:
- Remember, that a fever at this time is defined as a temperature of 100.4 or greater.
- Use an accurate thermometer if you feel feverish or sick and write your temperature down.
- If you have an ACTIVE FEVER, contact our office by phone before coming into the clinic for an allergy shot or visit.
What we are doing in all of our offices:
- Daily review and updates (if necessary) of current standard of care protocols from the CDC and Colorado Department of Public Health.
- Daily review of concerns and questions received from patient phone calls.
- Frequent sanitation of common areas with approved disinfectants.
- Treating those that are ill and identifying appropriate care needed. Reviewing with questions of fever, cough, shortness of breath or recent travel. (Please note we are not currently testing for COVID-19)
How to best protect yourself:
- Take your prescribed medications daily. Do not miss a dose, this is a time for strict compliance.
- Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for 30 seconds.
- Cover your nose and mouth with your elbow fold when you cough or sneeze.
- Do not shake hands.
- If you are over the age of 50, avoid elective large gatherings such as sporting events, concerts, and movies.
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