606 N. 3rd Ave, Ste 101 Sandpoint, ID 83864
Ph: 1-208-263-1435 Fax: 1-208-263-4580
Welcome to Family Health Center
COVID-19 iNFORMATION
EMILIE is now seening patients with MOST Insurances and self pay.
EMILIE is now seening patients with MOST Insurances and self pay.
EMILIE is now seening patients with MOST Insurances and self pay.
EMILIE is now seening patients with MOST Insurances and self pay.
EMILIE is now seening patients with MOST Insurances and self pay.
Help us Welcome our new Nurse Practitioner!
Emilie Kuster, NP
Emilie Kuster was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho. She worked as a nurse in Seattle before completing her doctorate in nursing practice at the University of Washington. She worked in family medicine on the Olympic Peninsula before returning to Sandpoint. Emilie enjoys women
Help us Welcome our new Nurse Practitioner!
Emilie Kuster, NP
Emilie Kuster was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho. She worked as a nurse in Seattle before completing her doctorate in nursing practice at the University of Washington. She worked in family medicine on the Olympic Peninsula before returning to Sandpoint. Emilie enjoys women's/adolescent health and helping guide lifestyle changes to maintain or regain wellness. She enjoys skiing, trail running, and playing in the lake.
covid 19 tESTING/Vaccine
EMILIE is now seening patients with MOST Insurances and self pay.
covid 19 tESTING/Vaccine
Testing
You WILL need an order from your doctor to be tested, please call our office to schedule a video visit first.
Vaccine
No planned Covid Vaccine Clinic at this time, Please check back or contact our local pharmacies !
Omicron Variant
Updated 12/20/2021
New CDC Guidelines for Isolation as of 01/04/2022
1. High risk exposure – Fully vaccinated + Boosted Or Completed the Primary series of Pfizer or Moderna Vaccine within the last 6 months
No quarantine if asymptomatic, receive testing around day 5, Mask for 10 days Indoors.
If symptoms occur, quarantine until Neg test If positive then see #4
2. High risk Exposure – NOT fully vaccinated + booster. 5 day quarantine if asymptomatic recommend testing around day 5, mask for additional 5 days indoors. If symptoms occur, quarantine until Neg test If positive then see #4
3. Test Positive and asymptomatic regardless of vaccination, 5 day isolation from date of + test, no further testing, Mask for additional 5 days indoors without isolation if remain asymptomatic.
4. Test Positive and symptomatic regardless of vaccination, 5 day minimum isolation, no further testing. Continue Isolation until afebrile X 24 hrs, and other symptoms substantially resolve then mask for additional 5 days.
Omicron COVID variant spreading faster than ever.
Omicron variant may be up to 70 times as infectious as delta variant and is doubling every 2 days (compared to delta which doubled every 2 weeks). The national experts recommend the following;
Get vaccinated. And if you are vaccinated, get your booster.
Get your family vaccinated and boosted. All persons age 5 and older are eligible.
If you, or anyone in your family, has ANY respiratory or flu like symptoms they should stay home regardless of vaccination status or testing results.
Gather only with vaccinated family and friends indoors.
If any member of the gathering is unvaccinated, meet outdoors or if indoors wear masks except when actively eating and then space 6 feet apart.
Consider testing for all unvaccinated family members, or for anyone who has possibly been exposed to COVID. The last day for testing before Christmas is Dec 22.
Make sure you meet in well ventilated areas.
Wash and sanitize hands regularly.
Ivermectin information
Ivermectin not recommended for COVID-19, NO CLEAR BENEFIT
Ivermectin is good at killing intestinal parasites, like hookworms and river blindness, but it is still not clear it can treat COVID-19 despite the internet buzz. Some of the most popular studies people use to tout ivermectin benefits are deeply flawed or have been withdrawn. Better randomized trials are underway and should help to provide the answers.
One of the early signs that ivermectin could be useful against COVID-19 came from a study of monkey kidney cells at Monash University in Australia. But the dosage given was far higher than anything that could be safely given to humans. Then 2 studies from Egypt came out in the fall of 2020 that were not correctly randomized and have been since withdrawn. Another study in Argentina healthcare workers contained information that had been fabricated. In February 2021, a commonly referenced study from India showed ivermectin reduced the odds of developing coronavirus by 73%, but the study was observational and did not control for important risk factors making it difficult to know the true impact of the drug on patient outcomes. Large, well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the gold standard for all drug research, are needed to know the true role of ivermectin. None so far have been completed that stand up to scrutiny.
There are a few large, well-controlled RCTs of ivermectin going on now, which aim to better answer whether ivermectin might help with COVID-19. Early indications don’t look promising. So far in the Brazilian Together Trial, ivermectin didn’t perform better than placebo. Similar results were found in a RCT from Colombia published in Journal of the American Medical Association. Additional definitive answers may come soon from Oxford’s Principle RCT trial, the world’s largest study of at-home treatment for COVID-19.
Ivermectin has significant potential side effects including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, seizures, and coma especially if taken in high dose likely to be found in animal formulations of the drug. Recently there have been 2 patients admitted to Kootenai Health with liver failure induced by ivermectin. The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for prevention or treatment of COVID-19. In fact the FDA has warned that using ivermectin to treat COVID-19 can be dangerous and even lethal.
The physicians at Family Health Center do not prescribe or recommend ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection. Using ivermectin with the belief that it can effectively treat COVID only delays the use of medications that have shown benefit in controlled studies and are considered current standard of care. If you are experiencing a new fever, cough, or shortness of breath please contact us so that we can help you get the best care possible to keep you out of the hospital and recovering as quickly as possible.