Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics on COVID-19

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics has been working closely with community partners that include Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Sansum, and Cottage Health on structuring a protocol for the risk screening and possible testing for COVID-19.

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics have adopted this screening protocol and has implemented safety precautions to provide care to those that may or may not be infected. Patients who are symptomatic are encouraged to call 844-594-0343 where phone screening will take place. 

It is important for patients that are coming to our clinics’ for routine care to know that we consider COVID-19 serious. We are taking measures regarding the safety of our patients and care teams. This triage protocol will be used in all Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, as well as other community healthcare facilities. We have adjusted scheduling to separate well patients from those that are sick, including those with symptoms consistent with CoVid-19. Our dental services are available for emergency procedures only. Dental patients are to call either our Eastside Family Dental Clinic at: 805-884-1998 or our Goleta Neighborhood Dental Clinic at: 805-617-7900.

 Dr. Charles Fenzi, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics CEO/CMO states, “This is a new virus to which we have not been exposed before and it is disrupting life as we know it. I take great comfort in knowing that we have very smart people at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the California Department of Public Health and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department who are working long hours under enormous pressure to control the spread of this disease.”

 Remember to follow the Center for Disease Control guidelines: 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose. (If soap is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.) 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning stray or wipe. 

“Testing capacity is limited not only in Santa Barbara County but across the nation. This is the reason healthcare providers in our community have adopted a community protocol for testing symptomatic folks in a way that allows the most vulnerable and sickest to get the COVID-19 test in order that effective care is not delayed.”

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics is open and available during this unprecedented time in history. 

For more information or to donate to support our ongoing services please visit www.sbclinics.org.