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What you need to know about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Crisis Response Guidelines

We continue to stay in close contact with the county department of health to determine the best way to care for an unprecedented surge of critically ill COVID-19 patients. If the number of patients exceeds our resources, and there are no alternate care sites available, we may need to implement triage guidelines so that limited resources are used equitably and consistent with national standards.

Triaging care during a crisis situation is the most difficult decision any care team has to make. At Dignity Health, triage guidelines are based on the unequivocal principle that we treat all patients with dignity and respect.

View our guidelines


COVID-19 Vaccine Information

St. Joseph's Medical Center has received shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine and is administering the vaccine to health care workers in our facilities.

Additional information will be provided here when it becomes available.

For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine FAQs, click here for English or here for Spanish. Additional resources are available on the CDC website and FDA website.

If you are interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, please make an appointment through the California Department of Public Health’s MyTurn system.

If you are not yet eligible or appointments are not available in your location, you can sign up to be notified when it’s your turn.

MyTurn Vaccine Appointment

St. Joseph's Medical Center Receives 'A' Rating from The Leapfrog Group

Dignity Health—St. Joseph’s Medical Center was once again awarded an ‘A’ in the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing the hospital's achievements in providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade is a letter grade assigned to all general hospitals across the country and updated every six months, assessing how well the hospital prevents medical errors and other harms to patients.

“We are honored to once again earn this recognition by The Leapfrog Group. This is truly a testament to our incredible team, whose dedication to safety and quality I see demonstrated in the hospital every day,” stated Don Wiley, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Medical Center. “This third consecutive ‘A’ grade illustrates our commitment to providing the highest quality care to our community, both during this challenging time, and always.”

Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for St. Joseph’s Medical Center. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. health care system, we appreciate you putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it.” 

COVID-19 Hospital Preparedness

The mission of St. Joseph's Medical Center is to improve the health of our greater community by providing quality health care services, exceeding the expectations of those we serve.

The safety of our visitors, patients, employees, and physicians remains our highest priority. We want to assure the community that St. Joseph's Medical Center is closely monitoring all developments with COVID-19 and we are prepared to identify, isolate, and treat any potential patient who seeks care at our facility. We are in contact with local and state health officials as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our staff is following the latest guidance from these public health agencies. St. Joseph's Medical Center has the supplies and equipment needed to effectively manage the care of any suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients and we are continuously assessing the volume of supplies at our hospital.

COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Research 

Physicians and residents at St. Joseph’s Medical Center have partnered with the Mayo Clinic on a prospective study involving convalescent plasma, which is the intravenous infusion of blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients into those who are seriously ill from the virus. The convalescent plasma treatment for COVID-19 is being studied nationally in hopes it increases a patient’s recovery time and saves lives.

If you have fully recovered from COVID-19 and are interested in donating plasma, please visit www.vitalant.org/covidfree for more information.

Free Virtual Care visits for Mild COVID-19 Symptoms

We’re here for you during this challenging time. One of the best ways to protect yourself and your loved ones is to stay at home. To encourage social distancing as well as continue to support your health and well-being, we’re offering virtual care visits. If you or a family member have mild COVID-19 symptoms such as low-grade fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, you can speak with a healthcare provider on your phone or other mobile device. Here are your options for accessing a virtual visit:

If using your computer desktop, please go to dignityhealth.org/virtualcareanywhere.
If you have an Android device, please download the app here.
If you have an Apple device, please download the app here.

Please note, we have been receiving a high volume of requests at this time. We apologize for longer than usual wait times. 

Visitor Information Regarding COVID 19

To help prevent the spread and transmission of COVID-19, visitors are no longer permitted at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. This restriction is being implemented in an effort to protect vulnerable patients and staff from avoidable exposure to infection.

We recognize that it is important for family members and friends to visit their loved ones in the hospital, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. Patients are encouraged to leverage technology to stay in touch with family and friends during this time. Thank you for your understanding and support as we work to keep our patients and community safe and healthy.

Visitor Policy   

COVID-19 Education

COVID-19 Overview

Cold and Flu Season

What to do if you are sick

What you need to know

COVID-19 Resources

San Joaquin County Public Health Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Help By Making A Donation

In response to COVID-19, our doctors, nurses and other care team members are utilizing necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) that keep them and the community safe. While we have enough masks and PPE as it stands now, we are focused on keeping up with demand. Many people want to help and we thank you for your interest.

To make a donation, please click here.