Last week’s bomb cyclone windstorm was a good reminder that wild weather can change plans quickly. Due to extensive power outages in our area, 10 Valley clinics and our Endoscopy Center closed, multiple offices were closed, and our call center experienced longer than normal wait times. So, if you have an appointment or procedure scheduled at Valley and the weather throws a curveball, how can you verify if things are still scheduled as planned?
To start, it is important to share that our hospital and emergency department are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In the event of a power outage, we have generators and downtime procedures to keep operations moving as close to normal as possible. Please note that wait times, including in the emergency department and urgent care clinics, may be longer than normal during inclement weather.
Where will Valley post alerts about closures/delayed openings?
If your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to a power outage, staffing shortage, or other event affecting operations, Valley will use the following channels* to provide status updates:
- MyChart – If you have a scheduled appointment that must be cancelled, you will receive a notification in your MyChart account. You can also cancel and reschedule most appointments via MyChart.
- Telephone call – If you have signed up for phone reminders, you may receive a recorded message alerting you to your appointment cancellation. When possible, a representative from the clinic may call you to cancel and offer rescheduling options.
- Valleymed.org – An alert will be placed at the top of valleymed.org when there are clinic closures or schedule delays, phone line issues, or other changes to Valley’s daily operations.
- Social media – Do you follow Valley on Facebook and/or Instagram? When our operations are affected by weather or another major event, alerts and updates are posted to both channels.
Don’t forget telehealth!
If your clinic is closed, you may be able to switch your appointment from in-person to telehealth. The clinic will contact you if this is a possibility.
Many urgent care appointments are eligible for telehealth. See our Know Where to Go flyer for examples of what conditions can be treated via telehealth.
What if I can’t make it to my appointment due to the weather?
If you are running late or cannot make your appointment, please notify your provider as soon as possible and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate you when you arrive or reschedule for another time. You can contact us by calling your clinic or via MyChart.
*In the event of phone or internet outages, some notifications may not be possible.
