COVID-19 Information and Resources

We are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and increasing our efforts to keep our patients, team members, and communities safe. In an effort to best protect against COVID-19, we’ve made the following changes:

• We’ve adopted additional screening measures for all employees and patients to identify potential exposure to COVID-19. All AbilisHealth team members go through a daily screening for COVID-19 before interacting with patients.
• We’ve changed our in-person weekly case conferences to virtual meetings to limit face-to-face interaction among our clinicians.
• We’ve developed a cross-functional (SWAT) COVID-19 team to monitor the needs of employees and patients and make changes as needed.
• We’ve enacted precautionary measures to treat those with suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19.

For more information read our full COVID-19 preparedness update.

Home-based health services have been deemed essential in Tennessee. As such, we will continue to serve our patients during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Because of the elevated risk of face-to-face interaction, there’s been a change to the in-person requirement to qualify for home care. You may now qualify for home care via a telehealth visit with your primary care provider. Previously, this was not an option for most patients.

If needed, we are able to help you facilitate telehealth meetings with your primary care provider. If you need help setting up telehealth, please contact the AbilisHealth location closest to you.

We will be updating this page regularly as the COVID-19 outbreak develops. You can also follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for daily updates. For additional resources on COVID-19, visit the websites listed at the bottom of this page.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the AbilisHealth location closest to you.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness passed person-to-person with symptoms ranging mild to severe. It is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause diseases in animals and humans. Below is a COVID-19 fact sheet released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that explains more about the disease, its symptoms, how it spreads, how to protect yourself, and other frequently asked questions. You can learn more at CDC’s COVID-19 resource center.

You’ve probably heard the terms “social distancing” and “flattening the curve” used quite a bit as the discussion about the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues. According to Johns Hopkins University, social distancing is “a public health practice that aims to prevent sick people from coming in close contact with healthy people in order to reduce opportunities for disease transmission.” The goal of social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak is to slow the spread of the illness. Without slowing the spread, more people will get sick at the same time and the burden on our healthcare system may be too great to handle. To “flatten the curve” is to reduce the immediate spike in cases by slowing the spread of the disease, thereby reducing the overwhelming demand on the healthcare system. This process is demonstrated in the graphic below. To learn more, check out Johns Hopkins University’s detailed article explaining social distancing and flattening the curve.

If you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 immediately. For non-emergent medical questions, please, first and foremost, follow the advice provided by your doctor or medical provider. For general information, see details below.

While symptoms for COVID-19 range from mild to severe, most people who contract COVID-19 will experience mild symptoms and be able to recover at home. Older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are more vulnerable to experiencing severe illness due to COVID-19. Your medical provider will let you know the best plan of action for your unique case. To learn more, we recommend reviewing the CDC’s “If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone” information.

If you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 immediately. For non-emergent medical questions, please, first and foremost, follow the advice provided by your doctor or medical provider. For general testing information, see details below.

For COVID-19 testing information, the CDC has compiled a resource page which lists symptoms as well as guidelines for when to seek testing. You can also use their “Coronavirus Self-Checker” – a resource to help you make decisions regarding COVID-19 and seek appropriate care if needed. If testing is recommended, you can view the TN Department of Health’s list of current testing sites. Please follow the CDC and TN Department of Health guidelines on when to seek testing.

Not yet. While vaccine development is in progress, proving efficacy and safety of a vaccine will take time.