Navigating YRMC during COVID-19

Testing for Patients with Symptoms
Yuma Regional Medical Center offers COVID-19 testing at our offsite drive-through Lab Annex on Avenue A. Hours are Monday-Friday from 7:00am to 3:00pm. We also offer weekend testing at our Foothills Walk-in Clinic. Weekend hours are Saturday from 8:00am to 1:00pm and Sunday from 8:00 to 11:00 am.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please call your primary care provider to start the process. Your doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant will issue a lab order and give you instructions for making an appointment and carrying out that order.

Please note:

• Testing requires a provider order.
• Testing is by appointment only, once a lab order is placed.
• YRMC is required to complete the testing consistent with the patient’s insurance coverage.
• YRMC does not test asymptomatic patients or patients who require clearance testing to return to work.
• Tests results will be available within 24 hours. Patients will be notified instantly upon results if they have a MyCare account. Otherwise, the ordering provider will reach out to the patient with the test results.

YRMC is one of many healthcare providers in the community providing COVID-19 testing. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, contact your primary care provider or an urgent care clinic. They will direct you to a COVID-19 testing site.

 

COVID-19 Antibody Testing
Antibody testing does not tell you if you have COVID-19 now. Instead, this blood test detects if a person had COVID-19 in the past.

Yuma Regional Medical Center provides antibody testing through our outpatient laboratory services. You must have a provider's order, and the test requires a blood draw.

If you would like an antibody test, reach out to your primary care provider. They can further explain the test and provide you with the next steps to complete it.

When patients with COVID-19 symptoms present at the Emergency Department or other YRMC locations, we follow a robust treatment protocol to further evaluate, test and care for them. If a staff member develops symptoms, we use the same process to assess and treat them. We have administered more than 30,000 COVID-19 tests to community members. Testing is an essential tool, and YRMC will keep testing.

Now that vaccinations are available, we have vaccinated all YRMC employees who wish to be vaccinated. We’re also vaccinating Yuma County residents as quickly as we receive vaccine from the state. We are ready and eager to receive more vaccine and dramatically accelerate community vaccination.

YRMC is a part of our great community. Therefore, we continue to coordinate care with private practice physicians, urgent care centers, nursing homes and other healthcare providers. We have ongoing communications with local mayors, elected officials and top public health leaders throughout our community, as we work collectively to minimize risk and keep our community well informed.

Employees, physicians and patients at Yuma Regional Medical Center all use masking, handwashing, social distancing, isolation and other infection control practices. Most have been vaccinated. Together, we are minimizing the risk of spreading the virus. As a means of promoting social distancing, we implemented a selective visitor policy.

YRMC implemented a capacity plan in March 2020, to accommodate more than 200 COVID-19 patients, if needed. We prepared new floors dedicated to serving the needs of this rapidly developing pandemic. Our plans and capabilities were put to the test during June and July of 2020. A second surge arrived between November 2020 and February 2021.

Dozens of patients arrived each day. Our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, nursing assistants and other staff members cared heroically. Thanks to the right people and the right attitudes coupled with enough beds, medications and supplies, we provided excellent care to our patients.

Our focus remains on daily management of COVID-19 and looking ahead to ensure we are prepared to handle any additional COVID-19 surges that may arise. We are ready to care for patients and keep them safe. We have secured more than a sufficient supply of masks, face shields, gowns, gloves and goggles.

Due to the nature of COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to limit visitation. Our visitation policies vary according to our volume of COVID-19 cases. Visit our Visitor Policy and Hours page to learn about our current visiting rules and processes. Creating a safe and secure environment for our patients and our healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic must remain a top priority.

We understand that restricting visitors will be challenging for patients and their loved ones. Thank you for your support and for respecting these guidelines during COVID-19. If you have any questions regarding our visiting policies, please ask any of the medical professionals caring for your loved one.

To help ease the impact of our restricted visiting policies, our providers and nurses have increased communication to families over the phone to ensure that care plans are clear. Knowing how important it is for families to stay connected, we are now offering Cheer Cards as a way to let your hospitalized loved one know that you are thinking of them. Cheer Cards are easy, they’re free, and we will deliver the card for you.

When COVID-19 cases surge, YRMC will postpone some or all elective surgeries and procedures. We will always be ready to perform life-saving urgent and emergent cases. Patient safety remains our number-one priority. We are grateful for the community’s patience and understanding as we work to diligently preserve our resources – ranging from supplies to personnel – during the unprecedented demands of this global pandemic.

Part of our new elective surgery process includes administering a COVID-19 test before the scheduled elective procedure. The patients then must self-quarantine until the day of the surgery to reduce the risk of exposure to themselves, other patients or our staff.

To ensure our hospital is safe for patients, our current procedures include many safety practices. All employees, contracted staff, doctors and vendors wear a mask or cloth face covering while working at any Yuma Regional Medical Center facility. Most have also been vaccinated against COVID-19. We are masking most patients, as well. We continue to test all patients who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms.

YRMC’s Health Records department is available and located within Yuma Regional Corporate Center at 399 W 32nd Street. You can visit the Patient Financial Services department at the YRMC Support Center at 720 Rio Vista Drive. However, to support the community with social distancing, we have improved access to these services online or by telephone. If you need to send your medical records to a non-YRMC provider, we now offer three convenient remote options:

• Use the MyCare Portal to view or print your record via mycare.yumaregional.org or the Yuma Regional MyCare App on your smartphone.
• Print, fill out and submit the authorization form found at yumaregional.org/healthrecords.
• Have your provider call YRMC Health Records at 928-336-7017.

To receive your medical records for personal use, we offer two convenient options:

• Use the MyCare Portal to send your record yourself via mycare.yumaregional.org or the Yuma Regional MyCare App on your smartphone.
• Print fill out and submit the authorization form found at yumaregional.org/healthrecords.

There are four easy remote options to make payments:

• Online via MyCare Portal at mycare.yumaregional.org.
• Using the Yuma Regional MyCare app on your smartphone. Download it today in the Apple App Store or Google Play store.
• By phone at 928-336-7030
• By check or money order mailed to:

 Yuma Regional Medical Center
 P.O. Box 650534
 Dallas, TX 75397-0534
 

During these months of COVID-19 isolation, many patients are staying in touch with their doctors’ offices using the patient portal MyCare. Using MyCare, you can send a secure message to your doctor’s office to ask a question or request a medication refill. You can also use MyCare to request an appointment with your doctor. Patients are also using the app to pay their bills and keep track of health histories including lab results, allergies, medications, health summaries, provider visit notes and immunizations. It’s easy to sign up. Visit mycare.yumaregional.org or download the Yuma Regional MyCare app in the Apple App Store or Google Play.