Welcome Back to Acupuncture!
Hello, friends, and welcome back to acupuncture!
I’m excited to reopen my acupuncture clinic starting on Thursday, May 28th. I know many of you have been eager to come back to treatment! Of course, for our mutual safety I’m implementing some changes to scheduling and clinic operations. Take a look below!
New Practice Procedures
COVID screening. Before your appointment I’ll text you a COVID-19 screening questionnaire. I’ll need you to respond to me before your appointment so I know that you have no known exposure risks and symptoms.
Tongue pictures. Before you come to your appointment I will need you to text me a few pictures of your tongue in good lighting. You should stick your tongue out all the way but keep it relaxed. This way you won't need to take your mask off while in the clinic.
Masks will be required in the clinic at all times. I’ll be suspending water/tea service in the clinic so that we can both keep our masks on at all times.
Temperature check on arrival. When you arrive at the clinic I’ll buzz you in upstairs, then use a non-contact forehead thermometer to ensure you don’t have a fever before you enter the clinic. I’ll double-check the pre-screening questions with you as well.
Hand washing upon arrival. I’ll need you to wash your hands for a solid 20 seconds before you come into the clinic. We’ll go straight into the treatment room rather than lingering in the waiting room.
Touchless payment. I prefer that you store your credit card information “on file” with Square so that I can deduct payment after we meet. This reduces the risk from handling the Square device, credit cards, and phone for signature. Bulk packages (buy 10 treatments for the price of 9) are also still available to decrease the swiping burden. Please be in touch if you have any concerns with this approach.
For those of you who tend to come in family groups, let’s discuss the best way to keep the family safe. It may make sense to have some of the children wait at home, or we may want to ask them to stay in one section of the waiting room. For safety I have removed the toys from the waiting area so I will ask that you bring toys or books to keep siblings entertained.
New Scheduling Procedures
In order to reduce overlap in the clinic I am spacing patient appointments out. If you arrive early, please either stay in your car until the appointment time or text me to make sure it's ok to come in early.
I'm restarting with a limited schedule. Appointments will be available:
Mondays from 10am-3pm
Tuesdays from 1:30pm-5pm
Thursdays from 1:30pm-5pm
Fridays from 10am-3pm
If you cannot make appointments during these time windows please contact me and we can arrange something as needed.
New Cleaning Procedures
To keep everything clean-as-can-be, between acupuncture sessions I’ll be:
Changing all table linens (this is NOT new - just a reminder that it happens!)
Scrubbing the face cradle, table, doorknobs, and bathroom doors/fixtures with medical grade disinfectant
Continuing to run the air purifier and cleaning the filter repeatedly
I’ve always had hand sanitizer and tissues in every treatment room, but I’ll make sure to have extra available in easy locations.
Our New Normal
I know I’ve listed a number of changes above but I think we'll rapidly get accustomed to the changes in the clinic and fall into our usual easy rhythm. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the new procedures. I can’t wait to see you!!
With love,
Janet
PS -- For those of you looking to read more about ways to decrease risks when re-entering work places, I found Atul Gawande’s recent article quite helpful.
