New Clinic Procedures for In Person Appointments

New Clinic Procedures during COVID-19 Pandemic

~ What to expect when you attend your In-Person Appointment ~

There is a lot of information here – rest assured it is simply because your health and safety are of utmost importance to me. I will strive to make your in-clinic experience feel otherwise the same as it usually does, even if we have to smile with our eyebrows. :)

 Before your Appointment

1.     The morning of your appointment, you will receive an online COVID-19 screening questionnaire for you to fill out BEFORE arriving for your appointment. **Please scroll to the bottom to see these questions.

2.     If you are feeling ill in any way, please stay home – I am happy to reschedule your appointment to a time when you are feeling well again. I will not charge for cancellations due to illness during the pandemic.

3.     Bring a mask and put it on before entering the building – cloth or disposable are both fine.

*A 3-layer mask (cloth or disposable) is now recommended – if you do not have a 3-layer mask, I will provide a surgical/procedure mask for you to change into, once you arrive.

4.     Feel free to pack a change of clothes to change into after your appointment if you like.

5.     I would encourage you to use the washroom before leaving home to minimize traffic in our washroom.  Rest assured, our washroom is there if you need it.

6.     Please plan to come to your appointment alone if possible; however, if you need assistance for any reason or need to bring your child along with you, please just let me know before your appointment so we can make accommodations.

7.     Once you arrive at 30 Dupont Street East, please wait in your vehicle or outside the building if you are arriving on foot. I will call you once my office is clear and thoroughly cleaned, and I am ready for you.

8.     Please leave all non-essential personal items at home or in your vehicle.

Arriving at your Appointment

1.     Upon entering the building, please come directly into my office / treatment room – we do not have a waiting room available at this time.

2.     Upon entering the clinic, please clean your hands for 20 seconds with hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer will be set out just inside our clinic door and inside my office.

3.     I am then required to complete another COVID-19 screen in person, before we can proceed, which may include a body temperature check with a contactless thermometer.

During your Appointment

1.     To protect both of us, I will be wearing a mask and face shield. For certain techniques I will also wear gloves and possibly a gown. I will be wearing clothing that is only worn in the clinic.

2.     We will maintain physical distancing (2 m) whenever possible, and close this gap only when essential for hands on assessment or treatment.

3.     Please avoid touching your face or your mask as much as possible. Any time you touch any equipment or other surfaces, you can re-sanitize your hands at one of the many stations set up around the clinic.

4.     Appointments will otherwise run as per usual – hands on assessment and treatment, manual therapy, acupuncture and dry needling are all available to you.

After your Appointment

1.     We can book your next appointment before you leave, or you can book your next appointment online.

2.     Virtual appointments and in-person appointments are both available to you. A hybrid model of in-person and virtual appointments can be used to reduce risk – we can choose whatever you are most comfortable with and is best for your care. Please feel free to discuss this with me at any time. **If you ever have an in-person appointment booked and you would like to switch it to a virtual appointment in the same timeslot, this can be done at any time.

3.     Billing will be completely contactless/paperless for now. I will be processing payments through Jane Payments – a secure online payment processing system through Stripe. Jane Payments accepts VISA and Mastercard. Your card can then be saved in this system for future payments.

4.     If you would like to pay via e-transfer instead, just let me know at the end of your appointment.

5.     Your receipt will be emailed to you immediately.

6.     Feel free to change your clothes prior to leaving the treatment room.

7.     Please sanitize your hands again before leaving the clinic.

Behind the Scenes

1.     Schedules will be coordinated with the other practitioners in the clinic to limit the number of people in the clinic at one time.

2.     There will be an extra 15-minute buffer between patients to allow time for disinfecting the treatment room and all high touch surfaces and fixtures in the clinic between appointments. All cleaners/disinfecting agents and hand sanitizers used in the clinic are approved by Health Canada to be effective for COVID-19.

3.     All linens will be changed between patients and laundered on the highest heat settings possible.

4.     I will be completing a COVID-19 self-screen, including body temperature check before each in-clinic work day. I will contact you immediately if I am unable to work due to a positive screen/symptoms.

If you have any questions you would like to ask before arriving for your appointment, or if you would like to book a virtual appointment instead, please don’t hesitate to contact me via phone or email.

COVID-19 SCREENING QUESTIONS

1. Have you received your final (or second) vaccination dose more than 14 days ago?

2. Do you have any of the following symptoms?

Fever and/or chills

New onset of cough or worsening chronic cough

Shortness of breath

Decrease or loss of sense of taste or smell

If you are an adult >18 years of age: unexplained fatigue/lethargy/malaise/muscle aches (myalgias)

If you are a child <18 years of age: nausea/vomiting, diarrhea

I have none of these symptoms

3. Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days or been told you should be isolating?

If you answered "No" to question #1, please answer the following two questions. If you are fully vaccinated, you can skip questions 4 and 5.

4. Have you travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days?

5. Have you had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 without wearing appropriate PPE?

If you have a fever, ANY other symptoms, or have answered YES to question 3, 4 or 5, PLEASE CONTACT SARAH by phone to discuss your specific circumstances BEFORE coming to the clinic for your appointment.