COVID-19 Procedures

Clients: What to Expect

We want you to know that your health and safety is a priority for our agency. We have put certain protocols in place in order to help protect your personal health and safety, as well as the health and safety of our staff.  We are following local, state, and federal recommendations on how to safely serve our clients. With this in mind, we wanted to provide some guidance on what to expect for your appointment.

If You Are Sick

If you have a scheduled appointment in the clinic, please call and alert staff prior to the appointment if you have had close contact (within 6 feet for at least 10 minutes) with a person with cold or flu-like symptoms or positive COVID-19 within the last 14 days OR if you have had any of the following symptoms within the last 10 days:

1. A fever of 100.4 or greater
2. Cough
3. Shortness of breath
4. Any new onset of illness

We will take the necessary precautions to ensure safety for the appointment, which may include rescheduling your appointment, conducting a phone/video appointment with you, or utilizing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) if an on-site in-person appointment is clinically necessary.

Screening Process

• We are taking extra precautions to help ensure your health and safety, as well as the health and safety of our staff. All clients will be screened when they arrive for their on-site appointment. You will be asked to use hand sanitizer, wear a surgical mask over your mouth and nose, and have your temperature taken. If you do not have a surgical mask, we will provide you with one. You will be asked screening questions to assess for COVID-19 related symptoms.
• Anyone with a fever of 100.4 or more or who answers yes to any of the screening questions will be sent home. Exceptions may be made for appointments needing to take place on-site, as clinically appropriate. If your appointment continues on-site, you will be directed to the designated isolation room. You will then be seen via telehealth or in person with your treating provider dressed in full PPE.

Masks

• In order to help protect your health and the health of others, it is our policy that all clients over the age of 2 years old, staff and other persons entering the building wear surgical masks.

Waiting Room

• Only a limited number of persons may be allowed in the waiting room at any given time. Because of this, there may be times where you will be asked to wait outside or in your vehicle until your scheduled appointment time.
• In situations where there is space to accommodate social distancing in the waiting room, you will not be allowed in the waiting room until 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. This means that if you show up to your appointment early, you will be asked to wait outside.
• In order to help maintain social distancing, clients will not be permitted in the waiting room after their appointment. Please make arrangements accordingly.
• All clients will be required to maintain a social distance from one another of at least 8 feet apart.

Cleaning Protocols

To assist with maintenance of health and safety, we are implementing specific cleaning protocols, including but not limited to the following:

• All chairs in the waiting room will be plastic and cleaned regularly with either disinfectant spray and paper towel or disinfectant wipe.
• All magazines and unnecessary handouts will be removed from the waiting room.
• Chairs in treatment rooms will be spaced at least 8 feet apart in order to maintain proper social distancing.
• Chairs in the clinic rooms will be plastic and cleaned by staff with either disinfectant spray and paper towel or disinfectant wipes after each use and at the end of each shift.
• Any unnecessary items (e.g. magazines, books) are currently removed from each office space.
• Toys are kept at a minimum for clinical use only and properly cleaned after every use.
• Surfaces (e.g. chair, table) in the clinical rooms are wiped down in between each use with either disinfectant spray and paper towel or disinfectant wipes.
• Clinics will be professionally deep cleaned every night.

Your Appointment

This is what you can expect when you are on-site at one of our clinics:

• Unless prior arrangements have been made, you will see your treating provider via telehealth, even when you are on-site.
• If an in-person visit is clinically necessary, both you and your treating provider will be wearing surgical masks over your mouth and nose.
• In order to maintain proper social distancing, interactions such as hugging or shaking hands is not allowed at this time.
• For parents of children: Please prepare your children and let them know that, while we would love nothing more than to greet your child in the way we are used to (e.g. hugging, hand shake, high fives), we are practicing social distancing and will need to maintain a distance of at least 8 feet from them when we meet.

Visitors

• In an effort to ensure social distancing, we are keeping the number of visitors on-site at our clinics to a minimum. If you need to have someone accompany you to your appointment, please let your treating provider know ahead of time and discuss this matter with them. Your visitor will need to be approved by the treating provider prior to your scheduled appointment date/time.