After several months of being closed to help flatten the infection curve of COVID-19, as of Wednesday May 27th, we have been allowed to open for non-emergency care.
Of course, being open for more regular visits comes with new restrictions and controls that are required by the Ministry of Health, our regulatory colleges (the CCO, the CMTO and the CTCMPAO) as well as our own best practices to ensure the safety of all of our patients and our staff. With these in mind, we took our time to put together our new policies and procedures, and have re-opened our doors as of Monday June 1st.
So what has changed?
If you have been to our office before, you are likely already familiar with some of our hygiene practices, such as therapists washing their hands before and after every patient interaction, and all of our treatment surfaces being cleaned and disinfected between patient visits.
These practices remain in place, and we have added additional disinfection in between each patient of high-touch surfaces. We have also scheduled additional cleaning of horizontal surfaces, and other high-touch items in our common areas frequently throughout the day.
We are also screening for COVID-19 related symptoms both at the time of booking, as well as upon entrance to the clinic. It may seem like a bit of overkill, however this is what is required to keep us all safe and to comply with new regulations.
Before entering the clinic, we are now requiring patients to contact the office from the parking lot upon arrival. Our staff will let you know if you are clear to come up to the clinic, as we are doing our best to have as few people as possible in the clinic at the same time. We also request that patients arrive to their appointments in fresh clothing that hasn't had the opportunity to be contaminated (such as in a big-box store), and to leave any non-essential items at home, or in their car.
You'll notice when you come in, that there is no furniture in the waiting area with the exception of a small table with hand sanitizer and facial tissues. This is to reduce the number of surfaces that can become contaminated, and it reflects the need to reduce the number of people in the clinic.
Inside our clinic door, there is a physical distancing marker on the floor. If you stand on this marker, you can be screened for COVID-19 from 6 feet away, before you are directed to wash your hands and don a face mask. We are requiring all patients wear a mask, and yes, a home-made cloth mask is acceptable. If you do not have one with you, we have them for sale for $2.00.
Our providers will be wearing a face mask, as well as eye protection. These will remain on for the duration of the appointment, as it may not be possible to maintain 6 feet of physical distancing the entire time you are in our office. You will also notice that there are additional physical barriers to keep our reception staff protected.
We have also moved to a new patient-management software. This software allows us to do more electronically, and relies very little on paper. As a result, patients can complete their intake paperwork online, and there is no more need for sharing pens, paper or clipboards!
Some other things we are doing administratively, to help reduce the spread of COVID-10:
- Gradual restart - we are slowly adding practitioners back to the office, and slowly increasing availability
- Appointment spacing - we are ensuring that there is 20 to 30 minutes between appointments to ensure that our cleaning requirements are met
- Less stuff - we have removed all non-essential items from the waiting area and treatment rooms
- Hand Sanitizer - we are making sure there is plenty available for everyone!
- Self-monitoring - all of our practitioners are self-monitoring for COVID-19 related symptoms daily
- Training - we have updated policy and procedure documents, and have trained all of our staff and providers on the 'new normal' - they are experts now!
As everything these days, we are updating and improving our processes daily. If you have any feedback that you would like to provide, we'd be happy to hear it!
If you are interested in making an appointment, or if you have any questions you are welcome to contact us at 905-864-9799, or email us at info@miltonbackdoc.com.
