Covid-19 Pandemic Information
Changes at Mack Pediatrics for COVID-19 Pandemic, Last Updated on May 17, 22.
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The health and safety of your family are our top priorities. We strive to do our best to keep you safe, as well as our staff and our facility. Remember that all children <5 years of age are not eligible for COVID vaccination and most children <age 3 years cannot comply with mask usage. These young children represent about 70% of our patient visits. The following changes are in place until the COVID-19 pandemic ends:
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​1. The front door is locked. We keep the entrance locked to allow triage and reduce non-patient traffic in our facility.
2. Masks are required. For all people age 3 years old and older, face masks covering mouth and nose are required. These will not be provided to you automatically, so bring your own masks. We may be able to supply a mask to you or your child if needed. If you or your child refuse to wear a mask, your child's appointment may be rescheduled.
​3. Wait outside on arrival. All visitors to the clinic should call 919-825-3600 on arrival and will wait outside (or in their car). The front door is locked. The receptionist will ask COVID-19 screening questions and inquire about the nature of the visit. This allows Dr. Mack to determine the level of personal protective equipment (PPE) needed for your visit.
4. Only the patient and parents (or proxy adults). We are limiting unnecessary visitors per public health recommendations. Siblings and additional friends/family members need to remain at home. If siblings cannot be left at home in the care of another adult, please communicate that to the clinic prior to coming to Mack Pediatrics. Both parents may attend appointments if the siblings have childcare.
​5. No sick walk-ins. We regret that this service is no longer available, but feel that we cannot offer it safely during this pandemic.
6. Wellness/vaccine visits in the morning. We will only schedule wellness visits in the morning and will reserve the afternoon for sick and telehealth visits. This allows more distance and time between well and sick patients and allows us to reserve a block of time for well patients. If there is time after the last well patient or there are no wellness visits scheduled, we will see sick patients in the morning.
7. Wellness/vaccine visits are not for sick patients. If you or your child is sick with fever, cold symptoms, or cough (or has had any of these symptoms within 10 days of the appointment), please call ahead and reschedule their appointment for 2 weeks later. We have appointment availability to accommodate rescheduling and will gladly reschedule your child.
8. Limited in-person, in-office visits. Many medical problems can be handled over telehealth or by car-visit with Dr. Mack. We are reserving in-person, in-office visits to wellness checks or visits with ongoing management of a chronic problem, or other visits on a case by case basis. Remember, you and your child cannot be sick for a wellness visit. For a car visit here, Dr. Mack will bring the supplies she needs to assess and attend to your child’s medical needs. We offer car visits to convenience you and to add to your family’s safety.
9. Remote check-in via patient portal. Families minimize their in-office exposure and maximize their time with Dr. Mack by completing their check-in process on the patient portal prior to the wellness visit. This is a great convenience to parents.
10. Phone screening questions. All callers requesting appointment or nurse triage will be asked COVID-19 screening questions. These questions will be asked prior to entry into the building. Your honest answers to these questions allow Dr. Mack to determine the correct level of PPE that will be needed for your visit. Intentional dishonesty with the COVID triage questions may result in dismissal from Mack Pediatrics.
11. PPE will be used. Please be sure to discuss with your child that our staff and Dr. Mack will be wearing face masks and may be wearing special face masks, eye protection, blue gowns, hair covering, and gloves (PPE). This is for your child's and our safety, to keep germs from spreading.
​12. All patients and families will remain in their exam room. All patients will be escorted immediately to an exam room once they enter the building. Please attend to your child and do not allow your child to wander the premises. Be sure that you escort your child to and from the restroom. It is much more difficult for us to maintain a clean, germ-free environment for your child if we do not know what surfaces your child may have touched.
13. COVID-19 testing. We have COVID-19 testing capacity as anterior nasal or nasopharyngeal swabbing. We only will test our patients, not their parents. We are not open to the general public for COVID testing. We do perform the rapid test and have generally moved away from PCR testing May 2022. When ordered, PCR tests are sent laboratory with a typical turn-around time of 1-3 days. All adults or non-patients who inquire about COVID-19 testing will be directed to Wake County COVID testing sites.
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14. Increased telephone management and portal-based E-visits. Telehealth will be utilized to reduce in-person visits. In an effort to keep you and your child at home and out of public/medical settings during this pandemic, Dr. Mack is utilizing more telephone-based and portal-based (audio-visual live-chat or secure messaging) medical management. You may see these telehealth-type visits on EOBs (explanations of benefits) from your insurance.
​15. New exam room for isolation certain in-office patient visits that cannot be handled as a car visit. This room has a separate entrance and a bathroom. It is isolated from rest of clinic by plastic sheets.
16. Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This was available at Mack Pediatrics 5/18/21-3/24/22, but is not available at the present time. This will change for the children <5 years of age once a vaccination is approved for us in this last unvaccinated part of our population.
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Thank you for your understanding. Let's get through this together.
---Emili Mack, MD (pictured below in full PPE to go into the isolation room).
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