June 24, 2020

 

Dear STN families, 

 

This year really has really been a rollercoaster! We are in unprecedented challenges and changes-- and so much unknown and doing our best to charter these uncharted waters. We know that many of you, like us, are eager to resume all of our previously enjoyed activities, including in-person therapy. We too miss the laughs, energy, and in-person connection but we know that this time period is temporary and that we want to protect our vulnerable kids, pregnant parents, grandparents, and community members with compromised immune systems. 

 

As we entered Phase 2, we have reflected on our commitment to reducing the spread of COVID, listened to the feedback of our team, and assessed the safest way to deliver your care. At this time we will continue to provide speech and occupational therapy via Telehealth services as it is far and away the safest provision of your healthcare and the surest way we can maintain our staff’s health. We are also reviewing your care plans to ensure that we are meeting your goals. As the weather changes to our beautiful Seattle summer days, don’t forget that you can do your telehealth appointments from anywhere you find yourself in Washington state, including grandparent’s home, the beach, a state park, or the backyard. 

 

We are regularly checking with all of our in-network health carriers to advocate for your services. Many of these have been extended until the end of the year already and others are routinely updating policies. Should you see a barrier to your insurance, please just let us know.

 

We are looking to our community to take actions that limit the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, limiting gatherings, practicing frequent handwashing, and maintaining social distancing so we can advance in the state reopening phases. Our team will evaluate our plan for in-person care when King County enters Phase 3. Again, given our clinic size and our proximity to high density populations, we are taking COVID seriously and want to prevent the spread, especially as it has a disproportionate effect on our communities of color. 

 

As we transition into summer and changes in your schedules, we want to raise your awareness of our Attendance Policy again to ensure that you are receiving care that will advance your child’s goals and respects our clinician’s time. Please talk to your therapist if there is a better time to provide your therapy. 

• • We require that families attend 75% of their scheduled therapy sessions.

  • To avoid cancellation fees, please review our late cancellation and no show policy as outlined in our policy agreement. Families will be given the opportunity to reschedule missed appointments per our clinician’s availability in order to waive late cancellation or no show fees. 

 

We are open to your feedback and suggestions for making re-entry to the clinic safe and comfortable for both our team and families. If you have any questions, concerns, or additional accommodations we encourage you to speak with your therapist or call to speak with a clinic director.  We want to thank you for your continued participation in services at STN and deeply appreciate your referrals of friends, family, and colleagues. Know that these are truly difficult decisions to make and we are glad to have your support as we navigate this together. 

 

We want to personally thank everyone that has participated in Telehealth services during this time. 

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June 23, 2020

Today Governor Inslee and the Washington State Department of Health announced that King County is moving to Phase 2. We are committed to providing high quality therapy services that are both safe to our community and our team. As we assess the safety of our staff and our community, we will continue to update this site and communicate to individuals via our newsletter. 

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Sincerely, 

Carey and Meredith

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May 22, 2020

 

Dear STN families, 

 

We have received such positive feedback regarding our Telehealth services and we want to thank you for your continued participation in therapy. It means so much to our team to be able to provide continuity of care and to come together to support your family during our closure. At this time, we will keep our physical location closed tentatively through June. We will be looking forward to a modified opening in July, pending ongoing transmission decreases in COVID in our community, specifically in King County.

 

As we consider reopening the clinic, we are striving to ensure the health and safety of our team members, families, and the greater community. We will be outlining revised policy and procedures for team members and for families participation in clinic based services. As we make plans to reopen we are thinking critically about our space and capacity to ensure we follow social distancing guidelines. This means that we will reopen at partial capacity for both team members and families. We are hoping to seek a balance of both connection and safety with others.

 

You can expect to see many changes when we open our doors to families for clinic based care. Some of these changes will be temporary, but significant in order to minimize COVID-19 and its impact on the greater community.  

 

Continued participation in Telehealth services are encouraged as the safest provision of your healthcare. Telehealth is a practice that we launched prior to COVID and will continue to be available ongoing. We are working with all insurance carriers to advocate for continued Telehealth coverage and will notify your family if there are barriers. Please speak with your therapist to discuss your preferences for continued participation in Telehealth. 

 

You will expect to see the following changes to our clinic based care: 

 

Waiver for Participation in Services

All families will be asked to sign a communicable diseases waiver prior to their first therapy session. This waiver ensures that all families are abiding by our new policies and procedures which are aimed at decreasing the spread of COVID-19 in the clinic and greater community. Signing this waiver indicates your interest in resuming in-clinic care during the 2020 calendar year. 

 

Health Screenings and Temperature Checks

Families will be required to self screen household members for signs of illness and take temperatures within 30 minutes of leaving for therapy. If any member of the household has signs of illness or a fever of >100.4 degrees F, we ask that you call the clinic to reschedule. All families  will participate in a health screening questionnaire, with their therapist, prior to each session in the clinic. If you are unable to meet the requirements of the questionnaire, we ask that you do not participate in therapy that day. You will be given the option to reschedule your appointment that week via Telehealth according to our cancellation policy guidelines. We ask that you do not return to the clinic until members of your household are free from symptoms for at least 72 hours.

 

We ask that you do not participate in services at the clinic if anyone in your household has: 

 

• Been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 14 days

• Been in close contact with someone who has confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the last 14 days

• Traveled abroad, been on a cruise ship, or traveled within the US to an area affected by COVID-19 in the last 14 days

• Presented with symptoms of COVID-19, such as coughing, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell. 

• Shown other signs of illness within the last 48 hours such as diarrhea, vomiting, lice, drainage itching/redness of the eyes, rash or other unusual behaviors such as fatigue, paleness, lack of appetite or confusion.

 

Individuals who are at higher risk due to certain health conditions are also encouraged to wait to resume clinic based services. These populations include: 

 

• People age 65 years and older

• People who are pregnant

• People who have certain health conditions, such as a weakened immune system or respiratory conditions

 

 

Family Participation and PPE

Our waiting room will be closed and families will be asked not to enter the facility until their designated appointment time. Session start times will be staggered to provide social distancing and therapists will ensure that sessions end on time to allow for cleaning of materials and therapy space between clients. Toys and materials will be limited to those that can be sanitized or assigned for single use to one child only.

 

We will allow one caregiver to join therapy and no siblings will be allowed to be in the clinic. The caregiver will be required to wear a mask as well as the child, as medically advisable if over 2 years old. We are asking all families to bring and wear their own masks. Your therapist will wear a mask at all times. Your therapy session will take place in a designated treatment room in order to limit access to materials/toys between others and to allow social distancing between families. We request your partnership in keeping everyone healthy by using the restroom before your session and performing proper hand washing before entering our clinic. 

 

Increased sanitization

We will implement heightened cleaning measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of our team and the families that we serve. Treatment rooms and shared spaces will be stocked with hygiene and disinfecting materials and all materials will be sanitized between sessions. Families and team members will be expected to wash hands frequently, including before and after therapy sessions. 

 

Markers and signage

The clinic will have additional markers and signage for social distancing, health requirements, and hand washing requirements. We will ask that all families and team members adhere to the social distancing and hygiene practices outlined in the clinic. 

 

As our reopening plans evolve we will communicate directly with STN families. If you have any questions or concerns we encourage you to speak with your therapist or call to speak with a clinic director. We are open to your feedback and suggestions for making re-entry to the workplace safe and comfortable for both our team and families. 

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Sincerely, 

Carey and Meredith

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