At THRIVE CHIROPRACTIC & WELLNESS GROUP, your health and safety is our number one priority. As such, we have implemented several protocols and procedures to help minimize the risk and transmission of COVID-19 and ensure members of our community continue to receive quality care in our office.
Of course, while it is essential for our team members to adhere to and uphold the following safety measures, it is equally necessary for our practice members to do the same.
It must also be understood that if you are attending the practice for Chiropractic, Acupuncture or Craniopathy you are providing consent to be receiving care when the recommended distancing measure guideline cannot be upheld due to the nature of the appointment.
The overall goal of this protocol is to reduce potential COVID-19 transmission in our public setting. The key measures in place are as follows:
- Ensuring the recommended distances are being followed (2 meters/6 feet). Our waiting room has been modified to increase the efficiency of patient movement. We have reduced our waiting room capacity from 8 to 2 chairs.
- We are only allowing a total of 9 patients in the office at a time. It is recommended you do not bring a guest or children at this time. If we are at risk of exceeding capacity, patients may be directed to form a line outside the practice and directed to come in once capacity is reduced.
- You are encouraged to sanitize your hands upon entering our practice. Hand washing and/or sanitizing options are available throughout the office.
- Additional cleaning procedures are in place as per the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (CCO) Guidelines.
- Appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) is donned when and where required.
- As per Public Health Ontario, mask use is mandatory in all public settings, unless behind a barrier or in a private work area. Please advise our staff if you are physically unable to wear a mask (a medical note or other similar proof is not required and cannot be demanded).
- Our doctors and staff wear masks during operating hours while in the office.
- A Plexiglas shield has been added between staff and patients at reception.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Please find additional procedures associated with your visit to the office below.
BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT
Each practice member is required to complete a self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms prior to their appointment. A reminder email sent out 48 hours before each appointment will ask a series of questions that help the practice member discern whether or not they have potentially been exposed to COVID-19, or are expressing symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Any ‘Yes’ responses suggest that a practice member may be at risk of COVID-19 exposure or infection and should therefore refrain from coming to the office. If this is the case, please call to inform the office at 613.256.0222, and the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit for guidance on next steps.
UPON ARRIVAL
- Due to social distancing guidelines and the limited capacity in our office, practice members are asked to arrive on time for their appointment. If you are running late or need to be seen earlier, you are encouraged to call the office at 613.256.0222 for further instruction.
- Signage at both the front and back door currently acts as a screening point for practice members or unscheduled visitors, and instructs individuals to not enter the premises if they are sick or if they identify with any of the symptoms or risks listed on the self-screening poster.
- Practice members and visitors are required to don their mask before entering the office. In the event that you are in need of a mask, please notify a staff member and one will be provided.
- Hand sanitizer is also provided upon entry for every person to use as they arrive and exit the office.
- Every person entering the office, including guests and children, must complete the standard COVID-19 screening survey at the reception desk before proceeding to any area where they are one-on-one with our doctors or staff without a barrier.
- Should a practice member answer ‘Yes’ to any of the screening questions, they will be asked to leave the office and encouraged to contact the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit for further guidance. Practice members are encouraged to reschedule their appointment once they are cleared to return.
DURING YOUR APPOINTMENT
- The doctors and staff will be wearing the appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) and sanitizing all touch points after every use/as needed. This includes the chiropractic and acupuncture tables, the front desk, pens, clip boards, coat hooks, chairs, examination equipment, point of sale machine, etc.
- The doctors will be sanitizing their hands before and after every patient visit. Staff will be regularly sanitizing and hand washing throughout the day as well.
- Patients are expected to continue donning their mask throughout the entirety of their visit. However, on occasion, there are certain tests or procedures that may require the patient to remove their mask for a short period of time.
- Social distancing guidelines are to be followed while in the office. This means that a distance of 2 meters/6 feet is to be maintained from other patients and staff members as much as possible. Chiropractic and acupuncture tables as well as reception area seating has been reduced and spaced apart accordingly.
- Sanitizing stations are provided throughout the office. The sanitizing stations at the entry points of the office are to be used by everyone entering and exiting the office.
- Our washroom facilities are open for patients to use. However, people who use the facilities are required to sanitize their touch points with the provided Lysol wipes after washing their hands and before leaving the washroom.
CANCELLING OR CHANGING YOUR APPOINTMENT
If you are at all concerned about whether or not you have any symptoms related to COVID-19, or if you are concerned that you may have a recent increased risk of exposure to COVID-19, please do not hesitate to email or call us at 613.256.0222 to cancel or reschedule your appointment. In addition, please consult with the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit (1-800-660-5853) or your medical doctor for guidance and clarity on how you should proceed.
SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19
COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. The following is a list to help guide your self-assessment (adapted from the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit):
Serious symptoms (call 911 if applicable):
- Severe difficulty breathing
- (struggling for each breath, can only speak in single words)
- Severe chest pain
- (constant tightness or crushing sensation)
- Feeling confused or unsure of where you are
- Losing consciousness
Other symptoms (especially if new or worsening and not related to other known causes or conditions you already have):
- Fever and/or chills
- Temperature of 37.8 degrees celcius/100 degrees Farenheit or higher
- Cough or barking cough (croup)
- Continuous, more than usual, making a whistling noise when breathing (not related to asthma, post-infectious reactive airways, COPD, or other known causes or conditions you already have)
- Shortness of breath
- Out of breath, unable to breathe deeply (not related to asthma or other known causes or conditions you already have)
- Sore throat
- Not related to seasonal allergies, acid reflux, or other known causes or conditions you already have
- Difficulty swallowing
- Painful swallowing (not related to other known causes or conditions you already have)
- Runny or stuffy/congested nose
- Not related to seasonal allergies, being outside in cold weather, or other known causes or conditions you already have
- Decrease or loss of taste or smell
- Not related to seasonal allergies, neurological disorders, or other known causes or conditions you already have
- Pink eye
- Conjunctivitis (not related to reoccurring styes or other known causes or conditions you already have)
- Headache
- Unusual, long-lasting (not related to tension-type headaches, chronic migraines, or other known causes or conditions you already have)
- Digestive issues like nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain
- Not related to irritable bowel syndrome, menstrual cramps, or other known causes or conditions you already have
- Muscle aches
- Unusual, long-lasting (not related to a sudden injury, fibromyalgia, or other known causes or conditions you already have)
- Extreme tiredness
- Unusual, fatigue, lack of energy (not related to depression, insomnia, thyroid dysfunction, or other known causes or conditions you already have)
- Falling down often
- For older people
COVID-19 RISK ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
- In the last 14 days, have you been identified as a “close contact” of someone who currently has COVID-19?
- In the last 14 days, have you been in close physical contact* with someone who either:
- Is currently sick with a new cough, fever, difficulty breathing, or other symptoms associated with COVID-19?
- Or, returned from outside of Canada in the last 2 weeks?
- In the last 14 days, have you travelled outside of Canada?
*Close physical contact means any of the following while not wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE):
– being less than 2 metres away in the same room, workspace or area
– living in the same home
– being in the same classroom
If you have any of the above listed symptoms (unexplained by a pre-existing condition) or answer yes to any of the risk assessment questions, please refrain from entering the office. Instead, contact the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit at 1-800-660-5853, or call your medical doctors office for guidance.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time and we are grateful for the opportunity to help you reach your health goals safely as we move forward.