The Seneca Nation Health System will reopen for patient services on Monday, March 23, following a temporary closure.
After a non-Seneca employee of the Health System tested positive for the COVID-19 virus last week, the Nation closed The Lionel R. John Health Center in Salamanca, and the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation Health Center and the Community Health and Wellness Center in Irving in order to complete a deep cleaning of each site. No other Health System employees have displayed any symptoms to date.
All three health facilities will reopen to patients at 7:30 a.m. Monday and will operate under normal hours.
“Many of our residents depend on our health centers for essential services so restoring the operations was a priority in maintaining the quality of life on our territories,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. “Our health system leadership, the members of our COVID-19 Task Force and several Nation departments mobilized quickly to thoroughly clean and inspect each facility to ensure minimal interruption of services.”
Upon re-opening and for the foreseeable future, the Seneca Nation Health System will resume heightened control measures at all three facilities. Each facility will operate from a single point of entry, and all employees and visitors will be temperature screened upon entering.
In addition, all patients are asked to call their respective facility before arrival to confirm appointments and services, as some routine appointments may be rescheduled to control capacity. All group meetings and activities, as well as exercise appointments, are cancelled until further notice.
“We are taking every reasonable precaution to protect our residents and our workers,” President Armstrong said. “The measures we have in place will ensure the safe delivery of important services while staying vigilant in our ongoing prevention and response efforts.”
“I am incredibly proud of how our Nation personnel and community continue to respond on behalf of the Seneca people during these unique circumstances,” he added.
This is an important message regarding Seneca Nation Health System operations in response to COVID-19.
The Pharmacy will be opening for normal hours of operation, 7:30AM to 6:00PM on Monday March 23rd. The easiest ways to request refills are using the Smartphone app called Refill Pro or calling the health center pharmacy to use the IVR system to enter your prescription numbers. When you are getting your order ready, be sure to check for any medications that can be refilled up to 14 days early to reduce the number of trips to the Pharmacy. The pharmacy is receiving a lot of incoming calls, so please be patient if you need to speak to someone. For your convenience the pharmacy staff can sign you up to receive text message alerts when your prescriptions are ready for pickup. Curb-side delivery of medications is available and recommended for elders, those who are sick, or high-risk individuals. More thorough instructions and additional information is located on the Pharmacy page at senecahealth.org
Medical, Dental, and Optical are re-scheduling routine appointments on a case-by- case basis taking into account the health and needs of each patient. Health System departments are accepting appointments only, walk ins will not be allowed into the buildings. Please call upon arrival for letters, referrals, or pick ups from Patient Registration or the information desk, patients will receive delivery to their car. Any department or service not previously mentioned are available via phone. For Lionel R John Health center call 945-5894, for the Cattaraugus Health Center call 532- 5582, and for the Cattaraugus Community Health and Wellness Center call 532- 8223.
Nya:wëh Health System patients and staff for your cooperation and flexibility as we navigate changes to Health System operations
