April 2020
Best Start is offering Pregnancy Support During COVID-19 in the following ways:
We are offering Zoom interactive Tours instead of In-person tours to limit spread of virus. Click here to view virtual tour. To request a Zoom tour, click here.
We are committed to caring for you and are implementing these practices to keep your families healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak:
- Please call the midwife on-call line, and do not come into the birth center if you have a:
- fever >100.4˚F (38˚C)
- cough/shortness of breath,
- runny nose, diarrhea or any other symptoms of illness
- Clinic visits and appointments: starting Monday March 30, 2020, we will be limiting in-person clinic visits to: Initial visits for new clients, clients needing lab work, clients who are 36 weeks or further in their pregnancy, and all postpartum appointments. Additional clients who are having acute problems may also be seen if the midwife feels it is necessary.
We are offering Telehealth to give you support from the comfort of your home!
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- If you are less than 36 weeks and do not need lab work you can have an appointment with a midwife via video. Details coming soon!
- We are requesting that you come to appointments alone, or with one guest max. Guests must not be sick, or have been sick or traveled in the last 14 days.
- All clients and guests will have their temperature taken prior to entering their appointment. We ask that everyone washes their hands as soon as they enter the birth center.
- Please note routine gynecological appointments will be postponed and acute problems will be triaged via Telehealth
- Birth: The center is open as normal for clients in labor. You may have 1 support person/partner at your birth AND a doula. These support people must be healthy (no symptoms for 2 weeks) and cannot have traveled in the last 2 weeks. You should still call the midwife on call for labor triage.
- Classes: Instructors are working to create video classes that will be live on the Zoom platform. If you have not received instructions on how to attend a class, please email your instructor.
- Support Groups: San Diego lactation consultants are offering a virtual group please see: www.sdbfc.com/calendar. Call the on-call line with immediate concerns.
- Staff: Employees who are working at the center, including clinical and administrative personnel, will be screened for fever each day. No one is allowed to come to work sick. We will also be minimizing client contact.
- Cleaning: we have increased our sanitation between clients and throughout the day to decrease risk of contracting the virus from surfaces.
- Children: to decrease transmission of COVID-19, we are asking that you leave your children at home for any in-person appointments or during birth.
- New client tours and orientation: In person group tours are postponed until further notice. Please watch our virtual tour prior to your first appointment.
Our goal is always to be proactive instead of reactive, and our hope is to keep our birth center free of COVID-19 and operating as close to usual as possible so that we can continue to offer safe out-of-hospital birth. Best Start Birth Center staff are healthy, organized, and optimistic. Please continue to check our website and social media (Facebook and Instagram) for updates and helpful tips.
If you have further questions or concerns please call us. We are here for you!
Shari Stone Ulrich, CNM
Clinical Director
