Last update: 2021-04-13

Read our frequently asked questions below to learn more about patient and employee safety at Sharp HealthCare.

• How is Sharp keeping patients and employees safe?
• How is Sharp keeping areas clean and preventing the spread of infection?
• Will a mask be provided if I come to a Sharp facility or do I need to bring my own face covering?
• I'm due to give birth at a Sharp hospital and think I might have COVID-19. What should I do?
• Does Sharp have the staff and equipment to care for an additional surge of COVID-19 patients?
• Are you limiting in-person workers?
• Are employees being screened for COVID-19?
• How can I help slow the spread?

Latest update on Sharp's COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

The County of San Diego is currently vaccinating individuals in all tiers of Phases 1A, 1B and 1C, and anyone 50 and older. No additional documentation regarding your health conditions will be required at your vaccination appointment. You do not need to contact your doctor before your appointment unless you have a specific medical question.

Sharp is staffing five vaccination sites for the county. Appointments are required. These sites use the county's online scheduling system. Make your vaccination appointment. Walk-ins are not being accepted. Please keep our phone lines free for other medical needs.

We're ready to care for you.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, seek care right away. At Sharp hospitals and clinics, patients with COVID-19 symptoms are treated separately from patients with other medical concerns. Your health is important to us, and we will safely get you the care you need.

How is Sharp keeping patients and employees safe?

We have extra precautions in place to keep you and our care team safe, including:

• Patients with fever and respiratory symptoms, or other potential signs of COVID-19, are treated separately from other patients.
• Special check-in procedures at our clinics to reduce face-to-face interactions.
• Health screenings for all patients, doctors and staff prior to entering our facilities.
• Free delivery and curbside pickup of medications and other medically necessary items at Sharp Rees-Stealy pharmacies.
• Regular cleaning of our facilities and equipment. Sharp even has high-tech disinfecting robots to help ensure patient rooms are thoroughly clean at our hospitals.

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How is Sharp keeping areas clean and preventing the spread of infection?

All patients and visitors are encouraged to wear their own face coverings upon arrival to a Sharp facility. Patients with influenza-like illness or those wearing gaiters, bandanas, single-layer cloth masks or masks with exhalation valves will be given a standard mask. If visitors wish to wear their own cloth face covering, they may wear a Sharp-issued mask under their cloth face covering.

Signs are placed outside the entryway of each facility asking patients to wear a mask.

Sharp Rees-Stealy patients: At Sharp Rees-Stealy clinics and urgent care centers, patients must complete a self-screening questionnaire before arriving for their appointments or entering the clinics for any reason.

SharpCare and Sharp Community medical group patients: At SharpCare and Sharp Community offices, signs alert patients to call the office before entering if they have certain symptoms.

Waiting areas and lobbies are frequently disinfected to minimize exposure of germs to patients and visitors. This includes disinfectant wipes on high-touch surface areas, such as furniture, seating areas, counters, and other areas patients and staff may touch.

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Will a mask be provided if I come to a Sharp facility or do I need to bring my own face covering?

All patients and visitors are encouraged to wear their own face covering upon arrival to a Sharp facility. Patients with influenza-like illness or those wearing gaiters, bandanas, single-layer cloth masks or masks with exhalation valves will be given a standard mask. If visitors wish to wear their own cloth face covering, they may wear a Sharp-issued mask under their cloth face covering.

Signs are placed outside the entryway of each facility asking patients to wear a mask.

Sharp Rees-Stealy patients: You must complete a self-screening questionnaire before coming to a clinic and you should wear a personal face covering at all times you are at a clinic.

SharpCare and Sharp Community medical group patients: You should wear a personal face covering when coming to in-person appointments.

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I'm due to give birth at a Sharp hospital and think I might have COVID-19. What should I do?

Pregnant women should contact their doctor immediately if they believe they have symptoms of COVID-19. Additionally, all patients and their support person are screened for symptoms upon arrival to a Sharp hospital.

If a patient has COVID-19, or is suspected of having the disease, our Labor and Delivery team will work closely with the patient's doctor on a care plan for both mother and baby during and following delivery. The patient's support person may remain in the patient's room but should wear a mask at all times. No in and out privileges will be allowed.

All patients and visitors are encouraged to wear their own face covering upon arrival to a Sharp facility. Patients with influenza-like illness or those wearing gaiters, bandanas, single-layer cloth masks or masks with exhalation valves will be given a standard mask.

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Does Sharp have the staff and equipment to care for an additional surge of COVID-19 patients?

Sharp is committed to providing the highest quality, safest care to our patients. As the extensive spread of COVID-19 is straining health care resources throughout the state, Sharp continues to work closely with the San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency and all local health care systems to prepare for even higher volumes of COVID-19 patients.

We have created and implemented surge plans to maximize resources, including transferring patients, staff, equipment and supplies to other hospitals in the region. In the unfortunate event that the need for life-sustaining resources exceeds available supply despite our maximum surge plans, Sharp HealthCare will follow the California Department of Public Health's Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines. These guidelines are designed to help hospitals determine the optimal use of limited resources to provide the best possible outcomes for the largest number of patients. Learn more about the State guidelines.

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Are you limiting in-person workers?

Employees of health care providers are considered essential workers by all levels of government. Since health care is an in-person industry, Sharp and other health care providers are not readily equipped for high numbers of employees working remotely.

Sharp is working to equip staff to work from home, where feasible, as quickly as possible. We are prioritizing clinical staff who can provide telephone support and triage to patients while at home, protecting these health care workers from infection so we can continue to treat our patients and the community.

We ask patience from all of our staff, and invite individuals to discuss telework options with their direct managers.

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Are employees being screened for COVID-19?

All employees, doctors and staff are screened once per day as they enter Sharp HealthCare facilities.

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How can I help slow the spread?

Wear a mask and practice social distancing. Follow the local and state stay-at-home orders or other protective restrictions.

And now, you can also use a new app created by the State of California to help slow the spread of COVID-19. By opting in to CA Notify, you can receive notifications on your phone if exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus. The tool uses Bluetooth technology to exchange random codes between phones without revealing the user's identity or location. No location data or personally identifiable information is ever collected, stored or transmitted. For more information, visit www.CAnotify.CA.gov.

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We're here to help.

Sharp is ready to answer your questions about COVID-19. Call us at 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 7 am to 7 pm.