Virginia Garcia is currently only offering COVID-19 screening to established patients and those who work as migrant or seasonal farmworkers.

If you want to be screened for COVID-19 you must first schedule an appointment. If you are a patient or migrant and seasonal farmworker and would like to schedule an appointment at one of our clinics, please contact the clinic nearest you. Please do not come to a clinic without an appointment.

If you are not a Virginia Garcia patient, but would like to become one, please contact Member Services at 503-359-5564, option 3 to establish care. A telehealth visit with a Care Team is required prior to a COVID-19 test.

There is a lot of conflicting information around how long to quarantine if you are exposed to someone with Covid-19.

Virginia Garcia recommends following the maximum wait time of 14 days as per the guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority and Washington County.

Here is a flier to help illustrate your choices.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.

The best thing to do if you have symptoms of Covid-19 is to STAY HOME and quarantine away from others.

If your symptoms become worse, please contact your primary care provider immediately or dial 9-1-1.

What to do if you are sick 

What to do if you are exposed to Covid-19

Contact tracing has been used for decades by state and local health departments to slow or stop the spread of infectious diseases.

Contact tracing slows the spread of COVID-19 by

• Letting people know they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and should monitor their health for signs and symptoms of COVID-19
• Helping people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 get tested
• Asking people to self-isolate if they have COVID-19 or self-quarantine if they are a close contact of someone with COVID-19

During contact tracing, the health department staff will not ask you for:

• your immigration status
• payment or money
• your Social Security number
• your bank account information
• any salary information
• your credit card number

A contact tracer can also help connect you with support resources such as housing, food resources and even financial support.

For complete information on what contact tracing is, visit the CDC website.

During this declared public health emergency, Virginia Garcia will not charge patients any out of pocket costs for Covid-19 testing or related evaluation or treatment deemed necessary by a licensed, independent provider.  If you are a patient who has received a bill for Covid-19 related testing or evaluation, please contact our billing office so we may address the issue. 

Section 3202(b) of the CARES Act requires providers to make public the cash price of these services on the provider’s public internet website. 

In accordance with this requirement, the cash price for these services is listed as:

• Covid-19 test:  $51.31. 
• Evaluation and treatment visits in person or by telehealth range from $107.01 to $265.35 depending on level of service.

Telemedicine, Telehealth or Telemed are words used to describe the use of technology, such as a phone or computer, to meet with a provider about your symptoms or care.

Telehealth is being used right now to help reduce the amount of contact individuals need to have with each other - particularly if they are displaying symptoms of the virus, are immune-compromised, or fall into a high risk category such as being over the age of 70. 

It also ensure that healthy individuals do not come into contact unnecessarily with others.

Virginia Garcia is currently using Telehealth for most medical visits. If you need to see your care team, please contact them by phone to set an appointment. They will advise you if an office visit is necessary.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
• These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
• Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

Steps you can take to prevent spread of flu and the common cold will also help prevent coronavirus:

• wash hands often with soap and water. If not available, use hand sanitizer
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
• avoid contact with people who are sick
• stay home while you are sick and avoid close contact with others
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing