First and foremost, we’re asking everyone who comes to our organization for any purpose to be good stewards of our mission and do not visit our office if you have any of the above symptoms. Business meetings are being canceled and every effort to reduce traffic throughout our locations is being made.

We will be asking all clients to sign at every visit, acknowledging that they do not show signs or symptoms of Coronavirus or any communicable illness.

These include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Recent travel outside of the United States or to affected areas in the U.S.
• Recent contact with anyone infected with COVID-19 or influenza

We have placed posters about the Coronavirus — means of infection, methods of prevention, signs and symptoms — at all locations to educate our staff and our patient population. We have hand sanitizer stations in all of our facilities, and we’re discouraging personal contact — handshakes, hugs, etc. — between one another. We’re emphasizing recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) regarding hand washing. WE are screening clients and staff returning from leave, and should any client exhibit any symptoms — or Coronavirus or any communicable illness such as influenza, we are taking immediate precautions.

In essence, we follow Standard Precautions as laid out by the CDC, which “are the minimum infection prevention practices that apply to all care, regardless of suspected or confirmed infection status of the patient, in any setting where health care is delivered.” These practices include, among others:

• Hand hygiene.
• Use of personal protective equipment (e.g., gloves, masks, eyewear).
• Respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette.
• Sterile instruments and devices (SCRAM).
• Clean and disinfected environmental surfaces.

We have also taken steps to re-educate all staff members on the use of personal protection equipment to prevent the spread of any communicable illness.

In addition, we have restricted all non-essential travel by company employees, as well as taking a thorough look of employees when returning from leave.

We want to encourage an open and honest dialogue about this developing situation, and we understand that you may have additional concerns. Please feel free to reach out directly to us, via our contact us link should you need to clarify any information or ask questions.