San Juan Regional Health

San Juan Regional Medical Center is screening patients for respiratory symptoms and recent travel to China as a precaution as the coronavirus continues to rapidly spread around the world, including six confirmed positive cases in the United States. As a precautionary measure, patients visiting the Emergency Department and San Juan Health Partners Urgent Care will be asked travel-related questions to assess their risk. People who may have been exposed to the virus include those who have traveled to China within the last 14 days and those who have been in contact with someone who has recently been in China. Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever and lower respiratory symptoms such as a cough, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath.

If you come to the Emergency Department or San Juan Health Partners Urgent Care with any of these symptoms, we ask that you put on a mask right away to minimize exposure to other patients, visitors and staff members. Also, because this virus is known to spread from person to person, it’s very important that you don’t come to the Emergency Department if you are well. We ask that only patients and immediate caregivers come to the Emergency Department in order to reduce potential exposures, as well as to protect themselves and others.

Emergency preparedness teams at San Juan Regional Medical Center are closely monitoring the coronavirus and staying in contact with the New Mexico Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We are taking precautions such as evaluating our supplies, processes and resources as well as educating and training staff and implementing CDC guidelines. We will continue to assess the situation and keep our community informed as more information about the virus becomes available. Meanwhile, since it is flu and respiratory disease season, the CDC recommends getting vaccinated and taking everyday precautions to stop the spread of germs, such as washing your hands and covering your cough.