Greetings,

I am excited and honored to be joining the exceptional physicians and staff of Seattle Medical Associates. I look forward to getting to know each of you in the coming weeks and months.

A bit about me:

Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, traveling, and eating great food. My husband Matt is a former federal prosecutor and now in practice at Davis Wright Tremaine. Most weekends, you will find us cheering on our kids, Daniel (12) and Amaya (9), on the sidelines of their various sporting events. I volunteer as a team manager and as the Board Treasurer at their local soccer club.

I completed medical school and internal medicine residency at the University of Washington after attending college at Seattle University. I began my career as a hospital medicine physician at Swedish in 2012. Over the years, I took on various leadership roles, culminating in leading over one hundred physicians on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic. As a respected medical staff member, I had the privilege of serving on the Swedish Board of Trustees from 2020 to 2022. With the support of my family during that challenging time, I returned to my alma mater, Seattle University, to get an MBA. I continue to serve on a Swedish peer review committee and am the current Swedish Medical Staff historian.

After more than a decade in the hospital, I sought more meaningful, long-lasting relationships, focusing on wellness and prevention of diseases and their complications. I transitioned to primary care where I loved partnering with patients to ensure they could thrive at every life stage. However, I found the short appointments and sheer volume of patients made it difficult for me to practice in the thoughtful, compassionate, and evidence-based way I had hoped for. I returned to the hospital where I enjoyed reconnecting with colleagues from every specialty while I sought the perfect practice to align my temperament, clinical skills, and experience. SMA, with its emphasis on superb medical care and prompt personal service, is that practice and I could not be more delighted at the privilege to serve as your primary care physician!

Warmly,

Naomi Diggs, MD

SMA Upcoming Holiday Closures:

• Friday March 14th - Early Closure at Noon

• Monday May 26th - Closed Memorial Day Holiday

• Thursday June 19th - Closed Juneteenth Holiday

• Friday July 4th - Closed Independence Day Holiday

• Monday - September 1st - Closed Labor Day

• Wednesday November 26th - Early Closure at 2:00pm for Thanksgiving Holiday

• Thursday November 27th - Closed Thanksgiving Holiday

• Friday November 28th - Closed Thanksgiving Holiday

• Wednesday December 24th - Early Closure 2:00pm Christmas Eve

• Thursday December 25th - Closed Christmas Holiday

• Wednesday December 31st - Early Closure 2:00pm New Year’s Eve

MyChart Patient Safety and Navigation:

• MyChart should not be used for emergent medical conditions and symptoms. Please call our main number at 206-215-2550.

• MyChart is not monitored after hours, holidays/ weekends.

• Please always start a new MyChart message for each new issue or question you are communicating, rather than using an older message string.

• MyChart messages are visible to all clinical staff. There is no need to send multiple messages to multiple members of staff at SMA, as it creates unnecessary duplications and can delay care.

  For questions regarding MyChart activation please click here.

Vaccinations Update

Dear SMA Patient,

Even as we are relishing these last few weeks of summer, our thoughts are turning toward the “cold and flu season” and how best to stay healthy. With this, we wanted to inform you of vaccine recommendations for this fall.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine (“Arexvy” from GSK and “Abrysvo” from Pfizer), for those 60 and above, may now receive at your local pharmacy. Since this is brand new (FDA-approved this summer), you may consider spacing 7-14 days from other vaccinations (although “technically,” can be given with other vaccinations, and may in the future be “bundled” with the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines as likely will be recommended annually as protection can wane after 6 months).

Please note that some insurances may not cover the full cost of the vaccine (discuss with your pharmacist), and may be from $250-$300 out of pocket if not.

RSV Vaccine Information Statement | CDC

Use of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines in Older Adults: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2023 | MMWR (cdc.gov)

FDA Approves First Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine | FDA

We want to share an update regarding the latest CDC recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations, as we navigate these challenging times together. Our practice encourages eligible individuals to schedule their 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine dose, covering the newest variant, at their local pharmacy to enhance protection against severe illness. You may receive your vaccine after 2 months of a prior COVID-19 vaccine, or after 3 months of a recent COVID-19 infection. Your health and safety are paramount, and we're here for any questions or concerns you may have.

We also wanted to bring to light that the CDC has recently updated Covid-19 isolation guidelines to bring in alignment with those for other common respiratory illnesses (like influenza or RSV): people who have Covid-19 should stay home until they have been fever-free (temperature < 100.5) without medication for at least 24 hours or their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours. 

 Thereafter, one may resume regular activities, although it is still recommended to take extra precautions - improved ventilation, masking and limiting close contact with others - to reduce spreading the virus (particularly, as vulnerable populations - like cancer patients, immune compromised patients, or those with complex medical conditions - remain at-risk for severe illness). 

 We will continue to ask that patients mask in our office - out of an abundance of caution and to ensure an optimal healing environment - as we care for many vulnerable patients. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Information | Washington State Department of Health

Pneumonia vaccine, the PCV 20, available at your local pharmacy. For those patients with chronic medical conditions (for example, with diabetes, heart disease, asthma or cancer) or those over the age of 65 who have not received PneumoVax 23 and Prevnar 13/15 within the last 5 years, staggered 1 month from other vaccines. (You may confirm with your MyChart account under “Immunizations.”)

Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out! And take good care.

Sincerely,

Your SMA Team

Masking Requirements for Seattle Medical Associates

The mask mandate for WA State changed on April 1, 2023. However, many healthcare facilities throughout Puget Sound continue to require masking. Public Health Insider Statement on Masking

To best protect the safety of all our patients and our staff, patients and visitors will be required to wear a mask while in our clinic.

Thank you for your understanding.