Beacon’s school district is one of the only that opened with a Hybrid model, meaning, kids in elementary, middle, and high school could opt to go to school for 2 days, and stay home on the Remote Learning plan for 3 days a week. Children in Special Needs programming can go 4 days. Beacon took many precautions with opening safely and maintaining sanitized rooms, which included investing in more disinfecting equipment and personnel, dividing the classes in half in order to reduce the class sizes to comply with state social distancing requirements, enforcing masks in the building (with breaks), and using outside spaces for learning or more breaks.

But as we are in cold/flu/allergy season, the sniffles are bound to happen. What do you do in a pandemic, when requirements exist about how to treat symptoms you may or may not have kept your child home for before?

Step 1: You call your school nurse.
Step 2: Consult with the Beacon City School District’s (BCSD) website, where they have a Reopening section with several documents, including a Protocol for Symptomatic Students or Staff chart that explains what to do.
Step 3: Decide if you are going to visit your primary care physician, or an urgent care, or a free testing site. This article evaluates all of these options.

Symptoms: What Are They?

Many symptoms exist for COVID-19, and you should always refer to New York State’s guidelines, the CDC, and the BCSD’s website for the latest.

For guidance on how to treat a child with symptoms related to COVID-19, like chills, a cough, a sore throat or nausea, the Beacon City School District has posted a flow-chart that explains it. The flow-chart says that if a student has symptoms, then the student is to be isolated and sent or kept home. From there, they should seek medical attention and/or get tested for COVID-19.

This means, the child can see a doctor to be evaluated, and at the doctor's discretion, come away with a note from the doctor saying that they don't think it COVID-19 and can return to school, or that the doctor recommends getting the test.

To return to school, there are a few options:

Get a note from a medical provider. Says Beacon’s head Nurse Aakjar: “The note from the Doctor must provide an alternate diagnosis (as per NYS requirements),” or
Provide a negative COVID-19 test of the RT-PCR kind (meaning, the one that gets sent out to a lab, vs the same-day rapid test), or
Wait 10 days from the onset of symptoms.

If siblings of the sniffler are also sniffly, they are also asked to stay home until symptoms are over. If the sniffles passes through a house with multiple children, you could be looking at a long time of staying at home, if you are a Hybrid family. It's OK. If this had been done prior to the pandemic and with playdates and sleepovers, it might have reduced the amount of stomach bugs and other viruses from being passed around anyway.

If the student tests positive for COVID-19, then the school nurse notifies the local health department. Close contacts to positive cases can return to school after a 14-day quarantine period.

Testing - Where To Go

This is where things can get creative, as there are several variables and costs to consider, including office visit charge, testing charge, scheduling time, and if computers for new telahealth visits are working that day.

Dutchess County put their list of testing sites here. Three of those are evaluated below. Where you go might depend upon your insurance, if you have insurance. If you do not have insurance, Excel Urgent Care is accepting patients and submitting to the CARES ACT on their behalf.

If you do not have insurance, there are no state-sponsored free testing sites in Dutchess County or Orange County at this time, according to a representative from the New York State Department Of Health, and confirmed by Colleen T. Pillus, Communications Director with Dutchess County Executive Office. However, Colleen does encourage people to visit Dutchess County’s list of testing sites, as an insurance breakdown is provided for each one.

Counties that do have free testing sites for non-insured (or insured, if you want to avoid paying whatever your insurance company will still bill you), include: Albany, Binghamton, Erie, Nassau, Suffolk County, Niagara, Rochester, Rockland, and Utica. Visit covid19screening.health.ny.gov to complete a Screening questionnaire, then call the NYS COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065 to make your appointment. Bring proof of ID and confirmation number.

ALBB’s Review Of Urgent Cares

PM Pediatrics - Hopewell Junction
The easiest urgent care to go for Beaconites is PM Pediatrics. Possibly because they are dedicated to pediatrics, there are less people going there. Also, maybe it’s the area’s best kept secret. Got a splinter and a very upset child who won’t let you touch it? PM Pediatrics has a special splinter puller. Need stitches removed? They can do that too. All from friendly, kid-decorated offices.

At PM Pediatrics, your child can walk-in to be seen by a doctor, and tested at the same time. Or, the doctor may decide that a test is not necessary, and send you on your way with a note. A telahealth visit prior to the visit is not necessary. The test will be done inside their building.

Pulse MD - Poughkeepsie
During the 10/13/2020 Board of Education Meeting, Beacon’s Superintendent mentioned a partnership that BCSD has with the urgent care Pulse MD. According to BCSD’s head nurse, Hannah Aakjar, RN, this is a line of scheduling communication with the District that can be used by any District family, especially those who are new to the District and don’t have a primary care physician yet. Once you connect with your school nurse, your school nurse can set up a virtual telahealth visit with Pulse MD.

A text will be sent to your phone, and you fill out insurance information first. For the 2 times I used it, the telahealth connection did not work, and a phone call was had between myself and the medical professional about my children who had sniffles. They recommended a COVID-19 test.

COVID-19 testing is done on site, but it is in Poughkeepie and averages 300 people per day, for a 2 hour line in the car. Testing is done by nurses outside, rain or shine, and the nurse, in our experience, was so nice and helpful when administering the test, despite the rain that day. The line, however, is real. Go to the bathroom prior, and bring snacks. Or go to PM Pediatrics for walk-in service with no call-ahead scheduling.

Excel Urgent Care - Fishkill

Beaconties have been visiting Excel Urgent Care in Fishkill for their sniffle evaluations and testing. Some waiting of at least an hour in the parking lot may be required, but depends on the day. Excel Urgent Care is accepting people with no insurance, and are filing to programs on the patient’s behalf. Reservations encouraged, but walk-ins welcome.

Sun River Health (formerly HRHCare Beacon)
An appointment for testing is required, but not a telahealth visit. The cost of the test is covered by Sun River Health for those who do not have insurance. This is not an urgent care, but is a resource you should know about for primary care physicians, women’s medical issues, and other medical needs.
6 Henry Street
Beacon, NY
(845) 831-0400

Caremount Medical Urgent Care - Poughkeepsie

We wrote about testing at Caremount Medical Urgent Care here. Being a prior patient of their system is not required, and walk-in service is available. Depending on the wait, you may be waiting in the car for testing or to be called to your appointment. Testing will be done inside the building or from your car.

Primary Care Physician

Being seen by your primary care physician is ideal. But sometimes, their schedules do not allow for this. Which is why a trip to PM Pediatrics may nip your wait time in the bud.

If your child has conditions like asthma cough, causing them to cough without being sick, then a note from your primary care physician is needed to be kept on file with your child’s school. Says Nurse Aakjar: “As far as getting a note for students with chronic conditions that would cause a cough, sneeze or sniffles, this would elate the students from having to stay home and receive a note each time they are having an ‘episode’. We also would accept physician notes that state if a child has a chronic condition that may cause diarrhea or headaches (ie. IBS, lactose intolerance, anxiety, migraines...) to also eliminate the student from having to be sent home.”

This is a good time to make sure your child has an inhaler in the office if needed, and to get the note and prescription from your doctor.

Nurse Hannah Aakjar, RN encourages families and caregivers to reach out and call the nurses at the schools: "If anyone has questions, they could reach out to myself or to their school nurse. We have spoken to many families since reopening and have learned a great deal along the way. This is a learning process for all of us but we are happy that we are able to help families navigate through this very unusual and trying time."

Wishing your family health and safety.