March 29, 2020 Update: Maine Medical Partners Open Respiratory Assessment Center at 5 Bucknam Road

Falmouth EMA Logo

The Falmouth Emergency Management Team received unofficial notice, last Friday, that the Maine Medical Partners facility at 5 Bucknam Road may be used to see patients related to COVID-19.

Today, Maine Medical Partners officially announced that this location is now open to see patients who are in a course of illness with COVID-19, or suspect they may have contracted COVID-19. The announcement can be found HERE. The facility will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00am to 1:00pm. It is our understanding that this facility is for patients of Maine Medical Partners who first contact their primary care provider and are then given an appointment to see a medical practitioner at 5 Bucknam Road. It is not an open clinic for walk-ins. For any additional information regarding this facility, please contact Maine Medical Partners.

Our Police and Fire/EMS Departments have specific policies and practices in place to protect our employees if they are called to service at this location. Practices include use of personal protective equipment and sanitization after a call for service.

At the EMA Team meeting on Friday, we discussed whether we could expect any motor vehicle traffic congestion at this location. We do not believe there will be any issues based on the number of medical personnel at this location. Furthermore, the traffic system network in this area has a high capacity for traffic and traffic has greatly diminished during this crisis.

This facility, among others in our region, is necessary to provide care to those who have contracted COVID-19 and need medical assessment and/or care. We fully expect that Maine Medical Partners will inform those that visit and work at this facility to take necessary precautions to avoid spread of the virus in Falmouth and neighboring communities.

Maine CDC Director, Dr. Nirav Shah has indicated that the virus is widespread. Falmouth residents should assume the virus could be anywhere, including at essential businesses in Falmouth that remain open. We urge residents to continue to practice social distancing, avoid touching any part of your face with your hands, and wash your hands frequently. This assessment and guidance was applicable prior to the announcement of a COVID-19 Respiratory Assessment Center at 5 Bucknam Road and has not changed.

As noted in previous updates, this is a rapidly evolving situation. The Falmouth Emergency Management Team is closely monitoring the situation. We will continue to provide regular updates to the community through E-Alerts, social media, and our Emergency Management COVID-19 webpage.

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