Dear InterMed patients,

Thank you for your patience as we contend with heavy call volumes stemming from high levels of respiratory illnesses in the community. Our teams are working hard to reduce wait times by assigning additional staff to our phones, streamlining processes and implementing technology improvements.

We understand that patients are experiencing long wait times. For non-urgent issues, here are some options for reaching us that may be more convenient. Our phone lines are often less busy between 2-4 p.m. on weekdays and 1-4 p.m. on weekends. MyInterMed, our patient portal, is another alternative you can use to message your care team directly for needs such as prescription refills and to complete questionnaires before annual physical exams and wellness visits.

If you are coming to our offices, please be aware that patients with COVID symptoms will need to be tested within 48 hours of their appointment. If you are not able to take an at-home COVID test, you will need to be tested by us beforehand. We appreciate your cooperation in our efforts to keep our patients and staff safe.

We invite you to use our Health and Wellness Library. It includes information about how to manage COVID, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and colds and when to seek additional medical care. These are the same materials that we share during office visits and over the phone.

Do contact us if you are not, or your child is not, getting better as expected. Always call 911 if you are having a medical emergency.

Before I sign off, here are some good old-fashioned tips to increase your ability to stay healthy while these respiratory illnesses are circulating.

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Keep them away from your face.
• Stay up to date with your vaccinations.
• Eat healthy foods and get plenty of sleep and exercise.

These measures have stood the test of time because they are effective.

Please be safe and well as we head into the holiday season. For your convenience, here is the link to our holiday operating schedule.

All of us here at InterMed wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are grateful that you entrust us with your care.

Dan Loiselle, MD, Chief Medical Officer, and the entire InterMed care team