Primary Care Clinic
Primary Care Clinic Mission Statement: “To promote the physical and spiritual well-being of our community while providing quality care.”
COVID-19 Notice
When COVID started, we closed our clinic. Face to face visits stopped and all patients were directed to the ER. As we move forward, we look to seeing more patients and providing telemedicine appointments.
Primary Clinic is currently in Phase III
Phase I: Clinic closed. Staff assisting in other departments. Limited wound care provided in the ER. The plan to begin telemedicine appointments was rolled out.
Phase II: Begin face to face visits on a limited basis. Begin infusions, injections, and wound care on a limited basis.
Phase III: Expand face to face visits while continuing telemedicine. Open infusion, injections and wound clinic fully.
How to Schedule a Appointment
An appointment will be provided via telemedicine by calling (928) 729-8032. All face to face visits will be done by the provider. For Infusion, injection or wound care, a referral will be done by a provider. For injections, call the number above and ask for the infusion clinic where an appointment will be made. For a face to face visit. The patient will be asked the day before a series of screening questions, to maintain the safety of patients and staff. For telemedicine, make sure you are in an area with good cell reception or on a land line.
Check-in/Waiting Procedure
Come to the hospital about 20 minutes before your appointment. Walk though the check in tent for a temperature at the main entrance. A hospital employee will then escort you to the primary care, or other clinic where you will be checked in. In most cases the provider will be waiting for you. If not, limited seating is available. You will be required to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose for the entire visit until you leave the facility.
Visitor Guidelines
There are no visitors allowed except for a assistant with a wheelchair or interpreter. All patients will be escorted as needed.
Services
The Primary Care & Specialty Clinics is a Community Based Outpatient Clinic located in the Apache County inside the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation in Fort Defiance Arizona inside Tséhootsooí Medical Center where a broad range of general and specialized medical, nursing and ancillary services are provided. The clinic uses the homebased care model where patients are assigned to specific providers for health care planning and follow up. This model is directed toward health promotion, disease prevention, management of acute and chronic medical conditions, referral to specialty care and coordination of patient health care needs across the continuum. The Clinics serves acute and chronically ill patients aged 18 to greater than 100 years.
Patients requiring hospitalization are assessed, stabilized and transferred to either our inpatient MSU/ICU departments or to other higher acuity facilities via air, ground or fixed-wing transport according to the urgency and the patient's needs. Procedures or specialty care not provided by the Clinics are referred to outside facilities within the four corners area (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado). During off hours, patients are referred to visit our Emergency Department.
The Cardiac & Pacer Clinic at the Primary Care Clinic in Tséhootsooí Medical Center provides ongoing follow-up care for adult patients with permanent pacemakers/cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) in conjunction with outside cardiologist to provide limited on sight follow up for cardiology patients. Facilities are available for the evaluation of device function, and reports are forwarded to the patient's attending physicians. In addition, an evaluation is carried out in order to optimize the device settings to any changes in the patient's clinical condition and to maximize device functionality. Outpatient consultations are easily scheduled by calling the appointment desk: 928.729.8032 or 928.729.8034
The Chest & Tuberculosis Clinic at the Primary Care Clinic in Tséhootsooí Medical Center is a specialty clinic and sees persons who have or are suspected of having tuberculosis and persons who have come in close contact with someone diagnosed with TB disease. The clinic performs routine TB screening, such as those for job or school admission. The clinic provides diagnostic and medical management of persons who have been diagnosed with or are suspected as having TB. Specific services include skin testing for close contacts to tuberculosis and high risk individuals, chest x-rays, sputum collection, medical management, including treatment, and case management.
The Chronic Care Clinic at the Primary Care Clinic in Tséhootsooí Medical Center helps patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses to manage them under the guidance of an easily accessible healthcare provider. Our providers and dedicated, experienced staff see patients during the specialty clinic days. Patients are provided education on subjects such as proper nutrition, exercise regimens and disease management that encourages healthy lifestyle changes.
The Regular Follow Up Appointment Clinics at the Primary Care Clinic in Tséhootsooí Medical Center is the act of making contact with a patient or caregiver of a patient at a later, specified date to check on their progress regarding a change or action that took place at their last appointment or contact. Contact with patients between office visits can enhance patients’ sense of being cared for by your practice. Follow up appointments are carefully managed to ensure efficient use of available resources. If a Provider needs to physically examine the patient, a visit is the only means to do this.
Recurrent hospitalizations are responsible for considerable health care spending, a substantial proportion of readmissions are preventable through effective discharge planning and patient follow-up after the initial hospital visit. Timely outpatient follow-up has been promoted as a key strategy to reduce hospital readmissions, these patients are seen seven to ten days after discharge to identify all the patients’ needs are being met taking in consideration their conditions of varying complexity.
The Emergency Room Urgent Follow Up Visits at the Primary Care Clinic in Tséhootsooí Medical Center is committed to deliver the highest quality of service to patients that have recently visited the Emergency Department. Since the emergency department is not meant to take the place of the primary care provider, patients are re-directed to visit the Primary Care Clinic where one of the same day providers can continue managing patients’ health and wellbeing. Excellent follow-up care is a critical component in ensuring our patients continue to receive the highest quality of care. While our Emergency Department has an important part to play in your health, they’re not a substitute for a primary care doctor. Although they provide comprehensive medical treatment for a wide variety of injuries and illnesses, they can’t replace the relationship you have built with your family doctor or primary care physician. We’re committed to working closely with our patients to make sure all their health needs are being met. We believe that by working together, we can ensure that no health problems are left untreated and potential problems are spotted early.
The Infusion Clinic at the Primary Care Clinic in Tséhootsooí Medical Center provides a comfortable and safe alternative for those more active patients seeking privacy and convenience while receiving their infusion therapy. We want to make healthcare as easy as possible. Our clinic allows you to maintain healthy and active lifestyles, decrease your exposure to infections, and give you individual patient care to meet your specific needs. The clinic is designed to provide the utmost in comfort and convenience. The staff at our Infusion Clinic consists of highly qualified and trained registered nurses, pharmacists, and providers. During visits, the patients will receive education from our staff about how to care for themselves during therapy to maximize their wellbeing and health. Infusion Services are available as ordered by your provider. Our clinic hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm delivering direct patient care, following orders and protocols, providing patient and family education. Our services are done through appointments only. You can contact our Infusion Clinic by dialing 928.729.8460.
The Injection Clinic at the Primary Care Clinic in Tséhootsooí Medical Center works on treating joint problems by reducing inflammatory pain or by relieving pain through supplementing your joint fluid, depending upon which substance is injected into a patient. A variety of substances can be injected as ordered by your provider. Providers use injection therapy as a highly effective, non-surgical way to manage orthopedic joint pain, which may cause limited range of motion or loss of function. The goal is to get your symptoms under control so that you can engage in the activities you need to function and recover, including physical therapy, rehabilitation, or exercise. Once your pain is minimized, it is easier to diagnose the underlying cause.
The Therapeutic Paracentesis Clinic at the Primary Care Clinic in Tséhootsooí Medical Center is designed to perform this simple clinic procedure in which a needle is inserted into the patient’s abdomen and fluid is removed. Ascites is a condition where fluid builds up in the abdomen. It is usually caused by liver disease, such as cirrhosis of the liver. Therapeutic paracentesis has been shown to be a useful intervention in cirrhotic patients. Paracentesis can be performed safely by any provider who has received proper training. Patient preparation consists of explaining the procedure to the patient and obtaining informed consent. Patients do not need to be fasting before the procedure. This procedure usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes, but may take longer if a large amount of fluid is being removed. Ascetic fluid may be used to help determine the etiology of ascites, as well as to evaluate for infection. You may resume normal activities after the procedure unless your doctor tells you otherwise. For a few days, you may notice some clear fluid draining from the needle site, especially if a large amount of fluid was drained. The treatment may need to be repeated periodically for patients with large accumulations of ascetic fluid.
SMASE is the only school located on the Navajo Reservation dedicated to the care and education of children (ages 6 to 22) and adults (22+) with moderate to severe disabilities. Is a residential and day treatment facility for adults and children with special needs. In order to minimize disruption to their schedules twice a month a provider visits the SMASE facility to attend minor illnesses, performing physicals to maintain services and attending to clients emergent needs. These clients are all patients here at Tséhootsooí Medical Center and this allows continuation of care in a more comfortable setting when medically appropriate. Follow up appointments are carefully managed to ensure efficient use of available resources. Primary Care providers have been performing this service at SMASE for many years.
The Clinic that takes place at the Window Rock Jail is designed to continue with community focus and provide primary care to our detainees at the Window Rock Detention Centers. They may be seen by a provider on a monthly or biweekly basis to assess needs for medication management, chronic illness assessment and acute illness triage which may lead to further workup at the nearest emergency room. Currently detainees are housed at the facility for approximately 24-48 hours prior to transfer to an operating facility on the Navajo Nation while preparations are being made for a new facility within this region.