Local medical group working to help Los Banos during COVID pandemic

For the past 16 years the staff and I in the Apex Medical Group have tried to provide the best medical care possible for residents of Los Banos and the surrounding communities. This is especially true as we deal with COVID.

Last year we began providing drive-through COVID testing for our patients, and we continue to do so. Currently we are working to provide the COVID vaccine, first to our medical staff and then to our patients eligible to receive it.

We have also created a plan to vaccinate residents of Dos Palos soon, because we know how hard it is for many older people there to travel to Los Banos.

We are contacting our existing patients within our database, those who fall into the current tier of the vaccination distribution phase. We keep a continuous log of our patients and tell them about our vaccination plans during routine appointments or tele-health visits.

They will be contacted when we have enough vaccine. Right now, it is in very short supply, but we are determined to get allotments as soon as they’re available. We are being persistent.

Ever since our nation and our community have been dealing with COVID-19, for almost a year now, we have worked not only to stay open but also to provide the necessary care for our patients within the national and state protocols.

We have stretched our resources to make sure we haven’t laid off any staff in the past 12 months. We have also incurred extra expenses in obtaining extra supplies and physical improvements (including shade awnings) to deal with the pandemic.

Handling the vaccine for our staff has been a challenge. We have to purchase dry ice at the Savemart in Los Banos, load it into an ice chest and then travel to Merced on a designated day and time to pick up the vaccine, following strict protocols.

Back at our Los Banos facility, we have to keep the vaccine in a designated freezer and maintain it with a continuous temperature monitoring device.

This is the same process that other facilities in Los Banos have had to follow, including the local hospital and the county’s public health department, in handling and administering the vaccine.

It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it for the health and safety of our staff and patients. We are, in fact, proud of the privilege we have to serve the wonderful people of the Los Banos and Dos Palos area.

We will be in contact with our patients eligible for the vaccine to provide a specific date and time for their appointment to get their shot.

A big thank you to all our staff for the work they do, to our patients for the loyalty and perseverance and to the community, which has been so kind to us at the Apex Medical Group.