COVID-19 Update
March 20, 2020
At Coastal Plains Animal Clinic, safety for our Patients, Clients, and Staff is our top priority. We are taking extra precautions in addition to our already stringent disinfection standards. We are adhering to the latest protocols recommended by the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and are disinfecting hourly all high traffic areas on the hospital with CDC recommended disinfectants.
As always, these benefits are available to our current patients:
*Curbside service – Just call us from the parking lot and our staff will come get your pet from your car and bring them into the exam room for examination. We can call you during the appointment if needed. We will not administer exams or give vaccinations inside the car as this puts us, the client and pet at risk of injury and exposure to disease.
*Telemedicine – Current patients receive telemedicine, or virtual visits over the phone, free of charge during this time.
As this Outbreak continues to evolve, so will our response. We appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation during this challenging time.
March 12, 2020
Dear valued client,
In anticipation of possible spread of the Coronavirus within the community, Coastal Plains Animal Clinic has developed
a strategic plan to operate efficiently in the face of an outbreak. Our primary goal is to ensure that our patients are able to
access the veterinary care they need while also doing our very best to protect our staff, our clients, and the community as
a whole.
As of March 12th, our day-to-day operations have not changed. We will continue to schedule and see appointments in
the hospital as usual. However, the team at Coastal Plains Animal Clinic will begin offering car-side check-in
appointments for any of our clients, especially those that are immunocompromised and/or experiencing respiratory
symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath. When scheduling your appointment over the phone with our front
desk staff, please indicate if you would like to schedule a car-side check-in appointment. Ideally, it is best to have
someone else bring in your pet for the car-side check-in appointment if you are ill. Current recommendations from both
the state and federal government indicate that anyone known to have been exposed to the Coronavirus should place
themselves on a 14-day self-quarantine. This includes household pets as it is not yet known if they can act as a fomite
(object which can carry infection like cloths, utensils, furniture). Car side check-in is not recommended for these
individuals.
Our car-side check-in appointments will allow one of our staff members to meet you in our parking lot. When you arrive
to the hospital for your appointment, simply call the front desk to let them know that you have arrived – you will not
need to leave your vehicle. A member of our staff will meet you at your vehicle and will transfer your pet into the
hospital to be seen by the doctor. After the doctor examines your pet, they will call you to discuss exam findings and
recommendations. When your pet’s appointment is finished, they will be delivered back to your vehicle and you will be
able to pay for your visit using a credit card over the phone. It is extremely important that cats and exotic animals arrive
for their appointment in a secure pet carrier and that dogs be on a secure leash or harness.
We will continue to offer drop-off appointments as we have in the past. For drop-off appointments your pet is checked in
with us at a specified time and remains in the hospital until their appointment has been completed. They can be picked
up later in the day after you have discussed exam findings and recommendations with the doctor over the phone. Should
you have any questions about the other practices that we have in place to promote the safety and security of our staff,
patients and clients, please feel free to call the hospital at 979-543-1650.
