Essentia Health offers ways to keep family and friends healthy during the holidays

With the holidays in full swing, Essentia Health is reminding patients of simple steps they can take to prevent seasonal illnesses, along with the care options available if they do get sick. 

RSV, influenza and COVID-19 are creating a perfect storm of sickness this year, and holiday gatherings increase the potential for those illnesses to spread. The key to staying healthy this season is to wash your hands, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or shirt sleeve, clean frequently touched surfaces, wear a face mask when appropriate and stay home if you are sick. It’s also a good idea to get your flu shot and COVID-19 booster and establish a relationship with a primary care provider to stay up to date on other preventive care.

At Essentia, we know that even the best-laid plans won’t prevent illness every time. If you do get sick, and your symptoms are not severe, consider using our easy-to-navigate and convenient immediate care tool. This allows patients to input information about their symptoms and learn what level of care is most appropriate.

Essentia has many virtual care options, which offer convenient, high-quality care without patients having to leave the comfort of their homes.

• E-Visits: Get fast medical care from an Essentia provider online for 20 common conditions. In many cases, providers make a diagnosis and create a personalized care plan in less than 60 minutes. Best of all, an E-Visit only costs $30.
• 24/7 Video Visits On Demand: Patients who use Essentia’s MyChart patient portal can connect with an urgent care provider online via a secure video chat.
• Nurse Care Line: Not sure which of our patient care options is right for you? Essentia patients can get medical advice from one of our registered nurses around the clock. You can either call your primary care clinic and ask to speak with a registered nurse from the Nurse Care Line or call (800) 714-4646.

We also offer several in-person, same-day care options to help you when your illness takes a turn for the worse, including walk-in care, urgent care, emergency medicine services and more.

Patients who have severe or life-threatening symptoms should call 911 or seek emergency care.

We hope everyone can have a safe, healthy and happy holiday season while also limiting the spread of illness.