With summer kicking off and outdoor activities on the rise, a concern for health officials holds steady: The pandemic will cause patients to be hesitant to seek the medical care they need.

Lehigh Valley Health Network officials addressed the public Thursday, assuring patients to seek care as needed for all emergency concerns, and discussed the ways their urgent care centers in the area are COVID-19 safe.

Elizabeth Wise, president of Lehigh Valley-Pocono and Gary Kogut, vice president of Lehigh Valley Physician Group-Pocono spoke about the measures being taken:

“Our COVID safe measures include having our team take their temperatures at the beginning of every shift, all patients and staff wearing face masks, screening patients and guests for COVID-19 when entering, and waiting rooms used sparingly and configured for social distancing,” said Kogut.

Officials wanted to remind the public that sites which were previously being used as COVID testing centers, such as some area ExpressCARES, are now fully functioning and ready to treat emergency medical needs.

Summer activities throughout the Poconos pose unique outdoor hazards that call for immediate medical attention, and with recreational activities beginning to open throughout the area, the chance for injuries continues to rise.

LVHN officials held this informational meeting at the LVHN Bartonsville ExpressCARE site to address the shift back to normalcy for their urgent care sites; during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, these sites were used exclusively as COVID-19 testing areas. With Monroe County entering the green phase, they are reverting back to their normal “pre-COVID” purposes.

Special steps are being taken at all LVHN ExpressCARE sites to ensure safety in sanitization against COVID-19.

Thoroughly disinfecting things like door handles, chairs, tools, patient seats and more are strictly enforced by all members of staff - visual guidelines can be seen throughout the office that point out what needs to be disinfected after every patient, and confirmation of sanitized rooms are displayed on each door after patient visits.

Temperatures are checked for every person visiting an urgent care site to ensure COVID-19 mitigation.

Common outdoor injuries that LVHN officials urge the public to seek medical attention for at their urgent cares include heat stroke, animal bites, rashes, sprains, strains and more.