Published: March 19, 2020
| Dear Patients and Partners of Mountain Family Health Centers, We are dedicated to providing the best and most effective treatment to our 21,000 patients across Garfield, Eagle, and Pitkin Counties. Following our mission, we provide high-quality integrated primary, behavioral, and dental health care in the communities we serve, with special consideration for the medically underserved and uninsured regardless of ability to pay. In light of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, we want you to know we are here for you. Effective Thursday, March 19, you can access your Mountain Family medical or mental health provider via video chat and/or phone consultations. This new mode of care is called “telehealth” and allows you to see and speak with your provider from the comfort of your own home. To make a telehealth appointment with your medical, behavioral health, or dental provider, call Mountain Family at 970-945-2840. If telehealth is not an option for you/your needs, please contact us at MFHC to speak to our nurses to schedule a phone consultation as needed. According to Dr. Chris Tonozzi,“telehealth and phone consultations are ideal for patients. The system is patient-centered and conducive to keeping patients at home. It’s convenient and efficient. It protects patients, health care workers and the community from exposure to COVID-19.” The telehealth process is started by calling MFHC at 970-945-2840 and requesting a visit. You, as a patient, will need access to email and a phone or computer (enabled with a video camera, microphone and speaker). Upon making the appointment, you will receive an email from Mountain Family confirming the appointment and explaining how to connect. At the appointment time, you will connect on your computer or phone and will be face-to-face with your medical or mental health provider. As Dr. Tonozzi said, “Our patients will be able to stay in the comfort of their homes, and those who are well will be spared being exposed to COVID-19 by those who are sick. We are excited to be jumping into this new phase of health care to best treat our community. We are also able to evaluate other conditions via telemedicine visits, including chronic conditions such as hypertension, depression, anxiety. We are able to refill your medications. We are able to address other concerns such as rashes, urinary infections, and family planning To set up a virtual telemedicine or tele-behavioral health visit with your MFHC provider, please call us at 970-945.2840. If telehealth is not an option for you/your needs, please contact us at MFHC to speak to our nurses to schedule a phone consultation as needed. Mountain Family’s focus is to slow the spread of the virus, protect the local healthcare infrastructure, and care for the most vulnerable members of our community. Please take personal responsibility to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by practicing personal hygiene actions to protect others. We strongly encourage you to practice social distancing and to minimize unnecessary social interactions in Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield Counties. For resources on COVID-19 from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), visit: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/2019-novel-coronavirus. For resources from our local County public health partners, visit: Pitkin County Public Health Eagle County Public Health Garfield County Public Health One of the best ways to help us now is to make a gift to help us address the COVID-19 pandemic. Please donate here. We are thankful for our patients and wished to share the words of one recent patients who said “I am appreciative of everyone in this organization and everything that Mountain Family does because we are all in this together, and we are all going to get through this together.” We are here to take care of you and your family as we have for the past forty years. Together, we look forward to supporting healthy, vibrant communities and those in need. Thank you for your partnership with us. Sincerely, Ross Brooks, Chief Executive Officer |