ESCANABA — OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group will reopen services that had been temporarily closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and executive order 2020-17, which imposed temporary requirements regarding the postponement of non-essential medical and dental procedures, and was rescinded as of May 28. As OSF brings back services, they want to remind community members to continue proactive measures for their health.

OSF HealthCare primary care and specialty practices have added a number of options, including telephone and video visits, to ensure everyone can get care even if they’re not comfortable coming to a practice for an in-person visit.

Preventive and routine health needs that shouldn’t be ignored include:

– Routine physicals that can help catch serious disease in an early stage, when it’s easier to treat.

– Screening procedures such as mammograms.

– Recommended and seasonal immunizations for children and adults.

– Lab tests that monitor conditions and alert providers to changes in your health.

– Ensuring prescribed medications are refilled and updated as needed.

– Specialist visits to monitor and treat chronic health conditions.

“It’s important for individuals to continue to follow the health routine established with their physician or other care provider, especially for those with chronic health conditions,” said Dr. William Hook, director of medical services at OSF St. Francis. “Most of our physician practices are offering video visits and for those who want or need an in-person visit, we have implemented changes for everyone’s safety and peace of mind, including allowing more time between patients and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces between appointments.”

OSF HealthCare emergency departments are open and taking every precaution to separate the sick from those with other emergencies. If you are having symptoms of a heart attack or stroke – or think you might be – call 911 and get to the nearest emergency department without delay.

Some symptoms or conditions are always a potential emergency, and need to be checked out immediately:

– Symptoms of stroke, heart attack or serious injury. That includes dizziness, severe chest or abdominal pain, numbness and difficulty breathing.

– Open wounds that might require stitches.

– A feeling that your health is deteriorating, such as weakness or shortness of breath.

– Sudden worsening of chronic conditions, such as diabetes or COPD.

Physical therapy for injuries or recovery from surgery or stroke is vital to a person’s quality of life. The OSF Rehabilitation Escanaba location is open, and ready to safely serve patients.

For mental health wellness, OSF HealthCare offers SilverCloud, a free, secure, anonymous and interactive platform that helps people manage the feeling and causes of depression, anxiety or stress.

Individuals can also chat with Clare, the digital assistant on osfhealthcare.org, who can help direct you to resources to meet your needs.