Newton Clinic seeing fewer visits

Regardless of the heightened importance and awareness surrounding public health, there seems to be fewer people going to the doctor’s office, a trend which has also affected Newton Clinic.

Mark Thayer, the clinic administrator, said health care providers across the country and state have probably noticed a significant reduction in patient visits. The root causes are plentiful, many of which likely stemming from government officials’ recommendations to citizens to stay home.

“Which we certainly support, but the reality is most clinics and hospital parking lots are quite empty right now,” Thayer told Newton News during a phone interview Sunday afternoon. “And that is concerning.”

Less patients means more strains on the clinic’s financial resources. Thayer said Newton Clinic typically has enough staff to meet the demands of patients, but a reduction of people walking through the doors — like any other business in town — does have a negative financial consequence.

People, he added, are paying close attention to the COVID-19 pandemic updates and the advice mandated or recommended by the governor. At the same time, Thayer wants patients to know Newton Clinic is a safe place to visit. Every person who visits the clinic is vetted briefly by staff wearing face masks.

Visitors are asked a few questions and get their temperature taken. Those who have flu-like or COVID-like symptoms will be directed to the off-site tent, a temporary flu and respiratory clinic. Cleanliness practices throughout the clinic have increased drastically, too.

Patient reductions also affects the community. Thayer said staff fully hope and expect social distancing restrictions will be lifted soon. While it may seem like the ideal time to schedule preventative procedures — like colonoscopy screenings — during stay-at-home restrictions, staff are not yet permitted to do so.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has asked the health care community to reduce usage of personal protective equipment, such as face masks, as much as possible, Thayer said.

Clinics and hospitals have responded to this by putting a stop to certain pre preventative screening measures. Staff can still perform medically necessary surgeries and procedures for those with active symptoms.

“We can certainly do those,” Thayer said. “But if it’s purely preventative, we can’t until these restrictions lifted.”

Newton Clinic’s flu and respiratory clinic is working “extremely well” so far. Thayer said the health care providers working that area are regularly scheduling patients. Businesses, he added, are using it to screen employees. Administrators are even planning to scale up the tent to include a second stall.

Those without flu-like or respiratory symptoms are still encouraged to make an appointment with their doctor’s office. People with chronic health conditions that need to be monitored or are in need of prenatal care should consider a face-to-face or virtual visit, which most Newton Clinic providers are now offering.

“If these patients are having problems, (they) really need to call us and, in many cases, need to be seen either virtual or in the office,” Thayer said, noting staff inside the clinic are taking the same increased precautions as the health care providers in the off-site tent.

The bottom line is, if a person is feeling sick, he or she still should see a doctor.

“Everyone is concerned,” Thayer said. “This is a very scary time … Newton Clinic has been around since 1925, and I guarantee that the Newton Clinic will be here in 2025, and my job is to keep us here until 2125 even though I’ll be long gone.

"As long as we're taking care of our patients, as long as we are there for them, we are going to be just fine. We're going to get through this together … But please, please take your health care extremely serious. And if you do have those chronic conditions or you're pregnant, these visits are extremely important."

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com