05/20/2020
Good news! RMTs are now permitted to resume practicing.
I will be back to work soon, starting with urgent cases and patients whose appointments had to be cancelled in March.
I will soon (likely next week) open my online booking for June - I'll send an email to my Cortes patient list then to confirm.
Your health and wellbeing continue to be my highest priority. Providing massage therapy at this time requires taking additional preventative safety measures to minimize the risk of transmission, including:
1. I cannot treat you if you are sick, have COVID-19 symptoms, or have traveled outside BC in the past 14 days.
2. BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool is a quick 5-question quiz. When you have an appointment booked with me, I'm required to call you the day before to ask you to use this tool. I will also be using this tool myself every day.
3. Appointment times - please do your best to arrive on time, to minimize overlap and contact between patients. If you arrive early, please go for a walk or stay in your car until your appointment start time.
4. Please allow me to open doors for you, using a protective barrier.
5. Patients must wash hands upon entry with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, followed by thorough drying – this must be done on arrival and departure from the clinic.
6. Face Touching Avoidance - coronavirus can be spread by touch if someone has used their hands to cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing. If you have an itch, it's recommended that you use a tissue. Tissues will be provided for you in all clinic areas.
7. Enhanced Cleaning - this includes cleaning and disinfecting: all high-touch surfaces between each patient, light switches at least twice a day, door handles at least thrice per day, all contact areas in the washroom several times a day; sanitizing the treatment table and face cradle after each treatment, and not using my thermophore (thankfully it's warmer now).
8. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - I am required to have masks available for my patients. If you have a mask and would like to wear it, please do. While they are not effective in preventing viral transmission, they can be helpful for face touching avoidance. I respect your individual personal boundaries - I will wear latex gloves and/or a mask at your request, if it helps you feel safer.
9. Payment by e-transfer is ideal, though cash and cheques will still be accepted. Receipts will be sent by email.
10. COVID-19 consent waiver - must be signed by all patients in order to receive treatment from me.
11. Informed consent requires that you understand that, while I will be taking measures to minimize the risk of transmission, the nature of massage therapy means that physical distancing is not possible in the treatment room. The benefits of treatment must be weighed against the potential risks in your decision to provide consent to treatment. It is my responsibility to help inform your consent decision-making process to the best of my ability. As an RMT, I make decisions in my patients’ best interests. At present I feel that, by taking sufficient precautions, I am able to provide care to my patients. I will be following a protocol to reduce and mitigate risk - however, that risk cannot be reduced to zero. Ultimately, it is your decision whether you feel safe to receive treatment at this time.
This is my synthesis of the CMTBC's Interim Guidelines for Return to Practice. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask me.
The COVID-19 isolation has been a difficult time. I truly appreciate your understanding while I was unable to provided treatment these past months.
I look forward to seeing your faces again!
Sean
