The health system dedicated a phone number for furloughed employees to set up primary care appointments. Employees’ immediate family members may also use the service.
Cooper officials said they wanted to help furloughed employees take care of their health during the shutdown, which has been going on since Dec. 22.
“By offering furloughed federal employees access to healthcare appointments within 24 hours, our hope is to help them make good use of this time to take care of their important health needs, such as a physical or flu shot that has been difficult to fit into their schedule,” said Cooper Co-President Kevin O’Dowd.
The South Jersey health system made a similar offer to veterans several years ago when patients in the Veterans Affairs’ health program faced significant appointment delays.
More articles on patient flow:
Ballad Health responds to state probe of proposed NICU changes
UPMC hospital on track to close by March
VA wait times shorter than private sector, study finds
