Northwestern Medical Center (NMC) is beginning to restart elective surgeries and procedures and expand in-person medical appointments in alignment with the Governor’s orders. As we do, there are three points of emphasis we need to share with our entire community.

Cloth Face Coverings: Please wear a cloth face covering when coming to NMC for any purpose. The Governor has authorized organizations such as hospitals to require the use of cloth face coverings. As such, once here at NMC or at an NMC physician practice, you will be required to wear a cloth face covering.

General Visitation Still Restricted: As we begin to restart services, be aware that general visitation is still restricted in order to reduce the number of people in the facility and decrease the chance of possible transmission.

Outpatient Lab Moving Back to Medical Office Building (MOB): The NMC Outpatient Laboratory will return to seeing patients in the MOB at the front of NMC’s campus on Monday, May 11. Their hours will be M-F, 8am-4:30pm. All patients will be screened upon arrival and then will register at the booth directly outside the Lab’s space. If the waiting area to its social distancing limit, patients may be asked to wait in their cars and will be called/texted to come in.

Scheduling of X-Rays: If your provider orders an X-Ray for you, and you are not already within the NMC facility, please call Diagnostic Imaging at 802 524-1058 to schedule an appointment for your X-Ray.

Expanded Pre-Registration: We are pre-registering patients for as many of their scheduled appointments as we can. This makes the patient encounter smoother and helps prevent clustering at the registration areas. If you have a schedule appointment and have not yet been pre-registered, you are welcomed to call us NMC at 802-524-1024 for pre-registration.

Arriving for Appointments: We ask that patients arrive at the building at the arranged time and encourage you to wait in the car if you arrive early. This helps preserves proper spacing between people within the building, keeps appointments moving efficiently, and facilitates thorough cleaning of spaces between patients without creating a crowded waiting area.

Continued Good Judgement with Social Distancing and Infection Prevention:  Our community, our hospital, and our hospital team have been well served by everyone’s respect for social distancing and infection prevention. Even with the easing of restrictions, please continue to use good judgement. Maintain proper social distancing. Wear your cloth face covering when appropriate. Wash your hands. Cover your cough with your elbow. Stay home if you are sick and call your provider. The COVID-19 curve has been flattened within our region and we are thankful for that. Let’s not lose that now that the weather is turning nice.

To learn more about the restarting of elective surgeries, the expansion of in-person medical office visits, and the continuation of the convenient telemedicine options, please visit the NMC website at www.NorthwesternMedicalCenter.org