Dr Kara Kassay Family Medicine

Friday January 19, 2024
The first time since 2007 we weren't able to operate the clinic Monday-Tuesday. We were unable to call, access schedule, internet and without heat had to drain all the water from all the buildings.

With last night ice storm and apparently another 55,000 power outages due to trees and Dr. Kassay's path to the clinic is completely blocked by downed trees. So another day of triage acute medicine.

When we briefly had power on Wednesday, Sam worked the entire day to authorize more than 300 refill requests.

Apologies to anyone that drove to an empty clinic. Earlier this week. There seriously was no way to contact you.

Next week we are bringing in some additional help to process and reschedule nearly a weeks' worth of appointments and background work.

Watch your email for several newsletters in the next few weeks.

* Welcoming our new PA's
* New pre-check-in system
* Discussion of how we are able to schedule appointments in days to 1 week vs most clinics' 4-10 weeks and 6-8 months for new patients AND how we all need to work together to ensure this level of availability.
* Creating a community place for our patients to share tips of how to prepare for these events that are now the new norm. ie: A group of neighbors need to meet and designate one garage to house a "Water Main Shutoff Key". If one house needs it, likely every house on the block will too. $25 on Amazon and it could save $10s to $100s in water damage.

Got a minute?
We are asking for testimonials or kind words to share with all the volunteers and staff who worked extra hours this year to deliver over 2,000 vaccines in 2021.
We were achieving almost 200 vaccines an hour with only 5 people and kept waiting times under 10 minutes. We delivered 150 boosters within 18 hours of receiving them!

At our holiday clinic gathering, I would like to have a collection of your comments to share with the team. It would be a nice way to end 2021 sharing your appreciation and words and let them know what we do here extends beyond the front door.

You can follow this link and leave a comment that will only be shared with the clinic or leave a public review on Google.
https://s.pdx.clinic/testimonial

Clinic and Drive Through Feedback We delivered over 2000 vaccines in 2021 through a huge effort of volunteers and staff working overtime to care for our community. It was certainly a labor of love. Here we are at the end of the year and we are asking you to make a moment in your day and leave a comment on your experience. Our hope i...

Due to the continued telephone issues, we now have three simultaneous methods of communicating with patients. Phone, Link to Text @ https://blog.karakassay.com/communication/ and online bookings (not for Physical scheduling)

If you need to reach us Wednesday Nov 17th: Phones are down at the provider level. We have set up a system to bypass so patients can reach us. Follow the link to see updated information on our blog: https://blog.karakassay.com

Here we go: temporary communication. If you need to contact scheduling or staff, go to the blog where we have temporary messaging set up:

https://blog.karakassay.com/communication/

If you need to reach us Wednesday Nov 17th: Phones are down at the provider level. We have set up a system to bypass so patients can reach us. Follow the link to see updated information on our blog: https://blog.karakassay.com

Phones continue to be interrupted at the service provider. We will have backup service activated around noon.
In the meantime we are setting up a text based communication from our website.

Our phone and fax service is a little jumpy this week. Worldwide phone services are swamped with DDOS activity. Call quality and call drops are the largest effect and an annoyance.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/cloudflare-report-highlights-devastating-ddos-attacks-on-voip-services-and-several-record-setting-http-attacks/

Cloudflare report highlights devastating DDoS attacks on VoIP services and several 'record-setting HTTP attacks' | ZDNet In Q3, Cloudflare researchers said they stopped "one of the largest recorded HTTP attacks​."

Neutrogena sunscreen has been recalled. Apparently they were able to detect minute levels of Benzene.
Dr Kassay has suggested https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/ as a clear resource to safe and effective sun protection.

Looking for any group still searching for Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccines. We have saturated our neighborhood and patient population. We currently have 400 J and J vaccines and 400 Moderna vaccines. If we can't find a group, we will be returning them to the County.
Reach out if you know any unserved group - migrant workers, tree planting groups, etc. Willing to bring a group of volunteers to the location and vaccinate on-site.

Due for your annual Physical?
Covid has delayed many people from preventative care. If you are due for your Annual Physical, we are scheduling with Kristine for next week!
Normally, this time of year we are scheduling out until the end of summer - if you call today, we have quite a few opening with Kristine for next week.

We received a large supply of MODERNA.
If you need a vaccine, we are having a drive through clinic this Tuesday 10am to 1pm.
https://calendly.com/kassayfamilymedicine/saturdaytotuesday

COVID vaccine and Request for Contributions The COVID-19 vaccines are provided at not cost. We will request insurance information. If you do not have insurance please come! No cost to you. This is a public service and many people are donating their time and expertise for the greater good!

Here is the newsletter being mailed right now:
https://mailchi.mp/karakassay/covid-19-vaccines-are-arriving

We are in the waiting list to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Estimate receiving later next week (April 12th).
Sending out an email newsletter tonight so we can prepare and not over/under commit with the county. Please watch for the email and fill out the brief form.

Everyone that signed up for the Drive Through Flu clinic should have received a notice last week.
We are doing another clinic this Wednesday 10/14 4pm to 6pm.
Hailey and Cheyenne have been enjoying seeing patients 'in the wild' and we have been very surprised by the efficiency.
Go here for a little info and links to sign up and reserve a flu shot - we have 75 remaining doses for patients that don't have an appointment in October.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18MRTXy7eWEWcOBN2sV0rYV7xEFBgXRc0I78dfpOhWVc/edit?usp=sharing

*If you are over 50, have had chicken pox as a kid (all of us >50), we are considering a drive through Shingles Vaccine.

FIRST Ever Drive-Through Flu Clinic FIRST Ever Drive-Through Flu Clinic THIS WEDNESDAY 10/14/2020 4:00pm to 6:00pm This WEDNESDAY! Because of COVID19, we are not doing ‘Walk-In’ Flu Shots. Social distancing in the clinic has already caused us to minimize in-patient appointments. In-clinic vaccines would only increase the burden......

update 9/19/2020 - those that signed up will be receiving a text notice with details. Thank you for being proactive!

Flu Shots - we are expecting them to arrive any day this week or next week.
With COVID, naturally, it will be nearly impossible to accommodate walk ins. This year, we will be scheduling drive-through flu clinics and vary the day/time to be convenient.
If you would like a text when they arrive so you can get on the schedule, go here and fill out the brief form: *COMPLETED*

Flu Shot Notification Request 2020 Flu shots are going to be a premium this year. The demand will be higher than normal and with work from home broadly activated, all the vaccines historically administered by employers won't be available. That will push patients to medical clinics and less-than-ideal grocery store pharmacies. We expe...

Quick note: Thursday September 9th, the clinic is open and we are seeing scheduled patients. However, the majority of the support staff will not be in the clinic today. The wildfires are threatening their homes and those of their relatives.

We know our patients understand. There will be some potential delays you are not accustomed to: Refills will not be the customary 4 hour turn time and phone calls will be delayed.
If necessary, we will be operating over the weekend to catch up.

We have the best patients in town and typically great people know other great people:

The clinic is currently looking for someone to run the front office. Scheduling appointments, greeting patients, maintaining area, many other subsequent tasks.

The position is deceptively complicated and requires ability to adapt, think two steps ahead, gain understanding of the entire flow, be organized and naturally pleasant.
Previous knowledge of insurance a bonus. Need to be FULLY versed in insurance terminology or learn independently before starting.
This is a great opportunity for gap-year college grad continuing to medicine in the future.

This current opportunity should be physically close to the clinic. Future situation may be more remote friendly.

James

Planning for this Fall and Winter and COVID. We have little additional information than anyone else. We are trying to think ahead, are asking what can we do as a clinic or a group that if completed today will avoid a difficult situation in the future?
We deliver approx 2,000 vaccines a year.
The demand to avoid at least one 'avoidable' virus may skyrocket this season - leading to shortages. Workplaces that normally offer a flu clinic might still be 'work from home.'
It would be a shame to under-order when we have the opportunity today to increase our historical supply.
We are pre-ordering now for this season's Flu vaccines - September/October. If you work for or own a company that would like to pre-order, have H.R. call James at the clinic. (ext-4)
We are developing some ideas for this fall including a Saturday drive though, using parking lot across the street, using space downstairs for a safe flu-vacc only area and allowing patients to reserve if our order is rationed.

We are now able to order COVID antibody testing. The labs we are using are Legacy and LabCorp. To order a lab, a virtual visit is required (there is quite a bit to discuss). More information on Tomorrow's Newsletter

With the help of patients donating masks and much help from the OHA, we are back to regular hours. Also, we will be having an 'COVID-19 Antibody Test' day starting next week. To receive info, subscribe to the newsletter: https://eepurl.com/gfkap9

Kara Kassay | Family Practice Doctor Kara Kassay | Family Practice Doctor Email Forms

Dr Kara Kassay Family Medicine updated their business hours.

We are now seeing patients to discuss Covid-19 antibody testing. If you think you were exposed or infected, schedule a tele-visit or office visit to order the test.

at the clinic. With everything going on, a little kindness has a huge impact. We have been so blessed by thoughtful words and selfless generosity. Every bit has helped us stay open and fully staffed while most medical are closing and furloughing 50% - 100%. So we are giving back an hoping to inspire others to do the same. Please share any creative "Butterfly Effects" you can come up with.

The conversion to Video Visits has been RAPID! While they are convenient, they are not a substitute for Annual Physicals and healthy in-clinic visits. The clinic is scrubbed clean exceeding CDC guidelines, patient count is limited and exam rooms are rotated so we can deep clean between every visit. For more information, check your inbox for a newsletter sent this week. https://mailchi.mp/a11bb0c09cab/covid-19-message-from-kassay-family-medicine

COVID-19 message from Kassay Family Medicine Dear , COVID 19 has clearly changed everything for everyone, everywhere and we have taken significant and drastic steps to keep our patients safe and healthy during this very frightening and ever changing pandemic.

When you are backed into a corner, it can provide a clear view of angels. Dr. Sepehri is the dentist down the street at PS Dental. She has donated 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 and 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 gear to keep the staff safe! We are still taking care of patients with vaccines and blood draws for monitoring and were facing some difficult decisions. Sepehri has given us at least a month of being here to support our patients! (you!)
Make this week the week you 'Play it Forward' on Dr. Sepehri's behalf.
https://www.psdentalservices.com/

Dr. Kassay recorded a message about 'facemasks' for the clinic and how you can help. We continue to be available for patients every day including televisits. Our patient Jenny R was so kind to patient facemasks but we are going to need more. These are NOT to protect the wearer, but help protect the staff from potential a-symptomatic patients.
Patterns: https://exchange.karakassay.com/index.php/s/ZkMqrEXjyE6n67Z
Recording:
https://karakassay.com/Covid19/Kassay_3_28_2020_Facemask.mp3

First Delivery of Patient Masks! Jenny Roehm made these over the weekend While most of our visits are video-visits right now, many patients still require a physical exam. By having these masks available to give to patients, it helps protect the staff and physicians. We continue to request our patients to ask friends and community to keep them coming! We uploaded a few simple patterns that anyone with any sewing machine can easily produce! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tyh5zuuar1hemz9/AACjs-iAXO2vQnLdxN2k47Bza?dl=0 This is an easy feel-good thing you can do with a HUGE upside.

COVID 19 UPDATE as of 3/22/2020
The safety and wellbeing of our patients and our staff are of the highest priority during this COVID 19 pandemic. We remain fully staffed and are still seeing patients in the clinic. Starting this week we are offering Televisits when appropriate. We strongly encourage patients 65 and older and those with high risk conditions to use our new Televisit option. Call the office to schedule.

We are following the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) guidelines and taking our own extra precautions to prevent the spread of this virus.
• A sanitation station upon entering our building
• Extreme social distancing in our lobby (one or two patients in waiting room max)
• Disinfecting exam rooms and high touch surfaces between patients
• Using masks and other PPE (personal protective equipment) when appropriate
• Thorough and frequent cleaning of all work areas and bathrooms
• Requesting patients with cold or flu like symptoms use Televisits exclusively

We are not offering testing for COVID 19 in our clinic. Please call the clinic if you think you have been exposed or have a fever, cough or difficulty breathing.

For general information on COVID 19, please visit the CDC and/or the Oregon Health Authority
Please continue excellent hygiene measures by washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or with an alcohol based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your face and sneeze and cough into your sleeve or elbow.

Calling out to parents that need an activity for kids or quilting groups: we are very low on patient masks.(These are worn by patients in clinic to protect staff. This is not to protect the wearer) If anyone/anygroup can make 10? 50? simple masks for patients to wear when they arrive it would be wonderful. There are some very simple patterns online, nothing fancy. Just need to muffle any accidental coughs and reduce exhaled velocity. T-shirt material is perfect, but anything with slight breath ability will be great. Please mail to the office.
Kassay Family Medicine
12511 SW 68th Ave Suite 200
Portland, OR 97223
If you are local, I can pick up a box from a doorstep this week.
Any extras will be distributed to the other clinics that are helping to stem the flow to hospitals.
If you have any ideas - call James x-4. https://thestitchingscientist.com/2020/03/how-to-sew-a-face-mask.html

How to sew a face mask | The Stitching Scientist Learn how to sew a face mask with this easy to follow tutorial. Make a few of these for your family and friends this season.