Texas Oncology-Paris On COVID-19

From Chris Prakash, M.D., Texas Oncology–Paris Medical Director:

COVID-19 is a threat unlike any we have seen before. Even though it is primarily a medical catastrophe, it has affected every aspect of our lives. How we can best combat this challenge continues to be controversial and is ever-evolving. The public health concerns around COVID-19 (coronavirus) are real and continue to evolve. At Texas Oncology–Paris, our priority is to provide needed care, while protecting the safety of our patients and our staff.

I want to assure the public that our practice is open and administering all necessary treatment to patients. We have put in additional screening and other safety precautions in place. Our goal is to limit exposure risk by only allowing people inside our locations who are essential to our operations – primarily patients, one caregiver, and our clinical and support staff. In these clearly unprecedented times, changes to our operations include:

• Limiting patients to one caregiver or guest for all appointments. We ask that you leave all children at home at this time.
• Patients may be greeted at the front door by Texas Oncology staff who will conduct screening by asking patients and their visitor a brief series of questions.
• COVID-19 tests are not conducted at Texas Oncology clinics. If needed, our staff will direct you to the nearest testing site.
• Non-urgent appointments will be rescheduled. Patients will be contacted directly by Texas Oncology staff to reschedule, if necessary.
• Texas Oncology is expanding its telemedicine program to offer virtual appointments for those situations that are appropriate.

Texas Oncology’s COVID-19 Task Force is continually monitoring, evaluating, and updating our response, following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other healthcare agencies. We are taking every precaution to protect the health and well-being of our patients and staff.

Lamar County has not been as severely affected by the pandemic as other areas. However, we will continue to take all necessary precautions. We are also working with Paris Regional Medical Center and the City of Paris to monitor the situation closely and react accordingly.