Coronavirus: ambulatory consultation centers open in Île-de-France

What a welcome help in the fight against Coronavirus…. The Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS) has announced in a press release to open ambulatory consultation centers in all regions of France allowing urban doctors and other health centers to get organized with the municipal authorities and to set up, on the territory, “new consultation modalities for patients presenting COVID-19-suggesting symptoms” and unblocking hospitals as of orientating patients and testing  in case of symptomatic people at risk.

Created at the initiative of health professionals, these centers aim at “optimizing the care of patients presenting COVID-19 symptoms in a secure place” but also “at avoiding the propagation of the virus in usual care premises” enabling to “taking care of the other patients in city offices the best way possible” and even to include “a strong interconnection with paramedics and local emergency departments” in order to “effectively regulate patients influx and care demands”.

Note that these outpatient consultation centers are not testing centers, and only symptomatic patients ticking current criteria (fragile people, pregnant women, health care professionals…) will be able to have a diagnostic test prescribed to them by a doctor.

• To be read
• Tips for the week of April 15 - 21, 2024 in Paris: free or inexpensive outings
• In less than 100 days, Paris will unite the world! A historic chapter, to be written together

As for these new ambulatory consultation centers, there are different services:

• Temporary centers created “to take care of patients, that could be set up in places given by municipalities or in places next to a hospital center”
• Structures (paramedics, health centers, group offices…) that are reorganizing “in order to take care, with a constant team or by associating other local professionals, of patients presenting Covid-19 symptoms on time slots, in devoted rooms or other specific organizations”.

Also note that these new centers are open by appointment, after prior medical consultation by your GP, home-consultation associations, ER or even paramedics. In Ile-de-France, several centers have been created (or will be soon), including 84 for Paris only. We also count three centers in Seine-et-Marne, six in Essonne, nine in Yvelines, ten in Hauts-de-Seine and Val de Marne and 13 in Val d’Oise and 20 in Seine-Saint-Denis.