Saint Alphonsus opens dedicated clinic for COVID-19

In what appears to be a first for Idaho, Saint Alphonsus in Boise has opened a new clinic dedicated to outpatient COVID-19 care.

The clinic provides care for patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are persons under investigation of having the virus. Patients will be seen by a provider for their acute — and should they develop — chronic complications from their infections in a clean and safe setting.

“Patients who have received positive COVID-19 test results, are waiting for results of their tests or have recently been discharged from the hospital for COVID-19 can get non-emergent care at this clinic,” said Louis Roser M.D., who is the medical director for the clinic. “We will be treating their COVID symptoms as well as any chronic conditions until their illness has resolved and they can continue getting care from their primary care provider.”

Patients receiving care at the COVID-19 clinic are referred by from their primary care provider or by an emergency room and are seen during scheduled appointments.

Saint Alphonsus maintains rigorous health and safety standards at the new clinic. Patients check-in by phone upon arrival and enter through a separate door. Once inside, they are taken directly to their exam rooms. There is no waiting room in the facility. The clinic also uses telehealth technology to provide home care for COVID-19 patients.

Roser said most people who have the virus recover at home. A few will become very ill and require hospitalization.  This clinic was started to care for those people who have been discharged from the hospital or are having symptoms but are not sick enough to be admitted to the hospital. The clinic is staffed by primary care providers and physician assistants, with support from pulmonologists, infectious disease experts and cardiologists.

“The clinic will provide comprehensive COVID-related care, as well as manage patients’ symptoms and complications from the virus,” Roser added. He said the clinic is also a place where patients with long-term chronic symptoms can continue their care.

The new clinic does not provide COVID-19 tests. Tests are available at Saint Alphonsus drive-up sites at the Meridian Health Plaza and Garrity Clinic in Nampa.

The new clinic is located on the Boise Bench just off Federal Way on W. Judith Lane. It is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday-Friday.

The Saint Alphonsus Health System is a Catholic ministry and not-for-profit health care provider. It operates two hospitals in Idaho, two in Oregon and over 70 clinics in southwest Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada. It is part of Trinity Health, a multi-institutional Catholic health care organization that is the fifth-largest health system in the nation.