05/29/2020
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Hi Everyone,
I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding over the last three months. As most of you know, the Ministry of Health (MOH) mandated on March 19th that all Massage Therapists suspend their treatments as we were deemed a non-essential service. I personally closed on March 16th due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
On May 27th, the Ontario Chief Medical Officer announced a new health directive that allows for the gradual reopening of certain Regulated Health professions in which Massage Therapists were included in. It is important to note that even though we are now permitted to work that not all Regulated Health Professions will be opening immediately or at the same rate. There are certain criteria that need to be met before the commencing any type of treatment.
I am tentatively planning to gradually reopen on June 11th. I would like to provide some clarification on how my personal reopening will go:
*As set out by our regulatory body, the CMTO, we are to prioritize our clients with essential care needs first. With this in mind, please note when restrictions ease, any of my clients that had their appointments cancelled over the last few months due to the COVID-19 outbreak will be offered appointments first. I am unable to accept any new clients at this time until I am able to serve all my existing clients.
Since this is a GRADUAL reopening I will not be working the same amount of days or hours as I was pre COVID-19. Fewer clients will be seen daily as we need to allow for longer breaks to properly sanitize the space after each treatment.
Some of the criteria that mus be met before reopening are as follows:
*RMTs must complete mandatory training on how to safely use and dispose of PPE through Public Health Ontario's "Infection Prevention and Control Fundamentals"
*Massage Therapy Treatments will only be provided by prioritizing clients with essential care needs (meaning a client's overall health and/or function would considerably decline if they do not receive treatment)
*RMTs must have the proper PPE prior to reopening.
*The anticipated benefits must outweigh the risks to both the client and RMT
Other considerations and criteria:
*Clients will undergo a virtual pre-screening for COVID-19 at the time of booking an appointment and again upon arrival. If a client answers yes to any of the questions, I will not be able to provide treatment. Please note if you exhibit any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, you will be asked to leave the clinic. This is for everyone's safety that may enter or work at the clinic.
AT YOUR APPOINTMENT:
*You will be asked to wait in vehicle until your appointment time or until the therapist instructs you to enter the building.
*You must sanitize your hands upon entering the clinic space and after your treatment. Hand sanitizer approved by Health Canada will be provided.
*The therapist will thoroughly wash their hands, forearms and elbows with soap and water prior to and after treatment. The therapist will also immediately sanitize their hands upon entering the treatment room and exiting the treatment room.
*A wipe-twice method will be used to both clean and disinfect all contact surfaces soft and hard. (wipe once to clean, wipe again to disinfect)
*Blankets, sheets, pillow cases and face cradle covers will be changed between each client as usual and laundered after each use as usual.
*Any items that cannot be disinfected easily will be removed from the treatment space. In my particular case, I will no longer be able to provide a heating pad during treatment.
*The client and the therapist must wear a mask during the entire visit. The RMT will wear a new surgical mask for each client. The client is asked to bring their own reusable or disposable mask. If they do not have one, the client may purchase one from the RMT.
*We discourage the use of the public washroom at this time as we must sanitize the washroom after each use which will take 5-10 minutes to allow for proper disinfection.
This is certainly a lot of information to digest and includes some drastic changes to the appointment you were accustomed to pre COVID-19. For now, these measures are mandatory and necessary in order to keep everyone healthy and safe.
Going forward, I am going to be contacting my clients individually to assess their individual need for treatment. I kindly request that if you are not in dire need of treatment to please allow those clients who's condition and/or function has deteriorated, to be treated first.
I have truly missed all of my clients and have thought about you all daily. I look forward to gradually seeing you all again!!
Thank You
