COVID-19 INFORMATION
COVID-19 INFORMATION
9-3-2020
As a leader in our field…
Our Bridgewater office now has a whole furnace air filtration system with UV light to kill germs in the air and on surfaces, this runs all day and all night. Similar to the systems hospitals are using to disinfect rooms!
5-26-2020
We have reopened!
We care about our elderly and at risk patients. We have not yet resumed full capacity. Appointments are limited and spaced out at this time. We will be following all CDC social distancing and cleanliness guidelines. We are not using the waiting room, but instead strive to bring you directly back to your own private room which is cleaned after each person.
Please Stay home if:
- you have a fever
- are short of breath
- you have been exposed to any Covid-19 positive people
- any coughing
We ask our patients to please wear a mask. Leave any unnecessary companions in the car.
Update 5-4-2020
Post COVID-19 we are ready! We are still only seeing emergency patients, like infections, so you stay out of the emergency rooms and hospitals. We are starting to schedule future appointments in hopes the governor will lift sanctions and allow non-emergency visits in the coming weeks. Upon reopening we ask our patients to please follow the Governors guidelines for masking up, as we will be. Also please leave any extra persons in the car, unless you have trouble walking. We have extra safety measures in place to protect your health. Please stay home if you have had any fever or flu-like symptoms, for the protection of all. We are spreading appointments apart to limit any waiting in waiting areas.
In our Covid -19 sanitation efforts, we thank Bier Contracting for sealing our Epoxy floors for easy cleaning and their no germ penetration surfaces throughout the office, enhancing our efforts to keep you safe. I highly recommend them!
Update 4-23-20
Painting and cleaning the next office! Getting ready to receive our patients after the COVID-19 quarantine.
Upon reopening we ask our patients to please follow the Governors guidelines. Please mask up, as we will be. Also please leave any extra persons in the car, unless you have trouble walking. We have extra safety measures in place to protect your health. Please stay home if you have had any fever or flu-like symptoms. This is for the protection of all. We spread appointments apart to limit any waiting in common areas. Please stay 6 feet apart from other patients.
COVID-19 Update 4-17-20
During the past few weeks, we gave offices an overhaul. We hope our patients love it!
After washing walls and scrubbing top to bottom… we decided, why not paint? So the offices are freshly painted. We had to keep busy. Our moon patients will appreciate some changes. We ripped out our counters and cabinets. It has a fresh new look.
In addition, masks are worn by all staff. Rooms are cleaned constantly. Schedules are loose. Therefore one person is there at a time. There is no waiting. All CDC recommendations are followed for your safety. When we get the go ahead from our Governor, we will be ready to go. I hope you enjoy our spring cleaning efforts to keep us all safe.
COVID-19 Update 3-23-2020
We used this time to scrub every available surface in our offices. We removed any extra surfaces and unnecessary items from our treatment rooms. This allows us to clean easier and more thoroughly. This is for patients who must be seen on an emergency basis. Staff and patients are limited. Time between patients is increased. No waiting in the waiting room. No signing in.
We have a non contact thermometer at the door. Please leave all extra family members in the car unless you need help walking.
Please stay home if you have any symptoms to protect our staff, so we can continue to serve your emergency foot care needs and keep you out of the hospital.
COVID-19 UPDATE 3-18-2020
In accordance with Governor Tom Wolf ‘s edict to postpone all routine and elective procedures, the Beaver Valley Foot Clinic procedures are on hold until this has past.
I assure you our physicians are on call 24/7 for our patients emergencies and phone lines are open daily to answer your questions and facilitate resolving any scheduling issues and general medical questions about your care.
We will have a reduced schedule. Increased infection control safeguards are in place at each office. This is for our patients with diabetes, infections, injuries and who are in pain. All visits are by appointment. Please only schedule if you and those around you are symptom free, for everyone’s safety. Call 878-313-3338 for an appointment to keep you out of the emergency room.
To our Beaver Valley Foot Clinic Podiatry patients as of 3/13/2020:
In light of the current Coronavirus outbreak, I would like to assure you that we take your health and safety very seriously. Any patient with a foot infection we will help. If uncared for, This could lead to a more serious situation. We want to prevent sepsis or loss of limb. We are trying to keep our patients from overwhelming the hospital system.
In an effort to remain open and serve you, we will continue to use meticulous cleaning protocols. We are going beyond the current CDC recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting our office. This disinfecting includes waiting areas, treatment rooms, and equipment.
We will continue to use disposable gloves for all patient and client contact. Hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap will continue to be readily available for all staff and visitors.
Our goal is to keep other patients and clientele healthy. We ask that any person who is experiencing symptoms such as sore throat, cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, please contact us to reschedule your appointment. Current CDC recommendations are to remain at home. quarantine until you are free of fever for 72 hours and your symptoms are improved.
We will continue to monitor and abide by the CDC recommendations and Infection Control guidelines. Our priority will remain the health and safety of our patients.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christina Teimouri DPM
COVID-19
The Company intends to comply with all applicable law. Beyond that, we recognize that flexibility is important as more knowledge about COVID-19 is gained. We will also take into account individual circumstances to apply reasonable approaches. At this point we adopt the following guidelines. These are consistent with the above CDC information.
- Any employee who is experiencing flu-like symptoms themselves or who has a household member with flu-like symptoms is directed to stay home. they shall not come to work until after the symptoms are gone. You should inform us of this situation. We can consider whether to take steps to set you up for remote computer access. You are also encouraged to get advice from your physician. Provide us with any pertinent information about whether you are or are likely to be contagious. Personal leave, and the Company’s paid time off benefits will be available to those who are ill or otherwise not working while on leave.
Decontaminated for COVID-19
- All employees are directed to follow good contamination prevention measures. In addition to the above, these include properly washing your hands. 20 seconds or longer with soap and water is recommended in the attached CDC guidelines.
- We request that employees refrain from shaking hands. Instead politely state that the Company has advised against it for the time being as a COVID-19 precaution.
- We ask that our staff evaluate and consider when to use alternatives to in-person meetings. This is regardless of whether such meetings are to be held here or elsewhere. Serious thought and preference should be given to using computer/internet based applications. These include tele-meet or holding telephone conference calls. At some time, depending on development of COVID-19 in our area, we may prohibit in-person meetings with those outside the Company. We may put limits on internal meetings.
- We similarly ask that serious consideration be given to whether to attend seminars or other group functions. Base this on the most current information about the development of COVID-19 in the area of the seminar, meeting, or activity.
Out of Country Travel
- Employees who are traveling out of the country are, until further notice, required to inform Dr Teimouri or our office manager . Advise of the country(ies) and area(s) to which they are traveling. If it is a country or area considered to have a high incidence of COVID-19, the employee may be required to not come to the workplace. This is for a time period following such travel.
- It is our preference and desire to make work from home arrangements. This is for those we restrict from coming to the workplace. The employee should not have symptoms for which work is not advised. This will be done through phone and remote computer access. This will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.
All in it together
We look forward to and require all of your help in this regard. Give due thought to both your own health and the health of co-workers. Also consider customers and others with whom we interact. As things develop we will re-assess our approach. We seek to apply good judgment to protect our employees, patients, and reputation. Know that it is up to each person to do their part to lower the spread of this illness. Thank you.
COVID-19 FAQ
– Do we require a doctor’s note before allowing an employee to return to work following flu or COVID-19 symptoms? This will be arranged on a case-by-case basis
– recommended position: Case-by-case, considering factors. For example, how long it has been since the employee had symptoms. Any medical advice from the employee’s doctor are considered. Doctor may say that he/she does not want to see the employee in person. This happens if the person’s symptoms were mild. This lessens the risk of infecting the doctor’s staff or other patients. Local or national health experts (such as the CDC ), and the degree of confidence to the employee’s situation are considered.
– Will we direct employees to stay home when they believe they may have been somewhere with an increased risk of corona virus exposure. Even if it was not to an area known to be having a large outbreak?
Policy
– recommended position/policy statement: Case-by-case approach. Employees are asked to use good judgment on whether to remain home and not come to work. This is in the event of a risk that they or a family member has been exposed to the corona virus. We recognize that it is not yet possible to detect clearly if this has happened. We do not wish to promote fear. An persons odds of exposure through normal activities is low. Preventive measures are recommended. These should be based on info from infectious disease experts.
– Can remote access can be provided? This may permit all employees restricted from coming to our offices to work from home. This allows them to continue to be paid. A case-by-case approach, depending on the job. The nature of the work at the time, the availability and effectiveness of the computer hardware and software applies. The expected duration of the absence is also key.