Cumberland Village Wellness Safety Plan

To our valued clients of Cumberland Village Wellness

In light of the new Covid-19 restrictions, it is important to us that our clients feel as safe as possible.

We wanted to remind everyone that we will continue with our safety protocols and guidelines so that we can continue to provide our community with our registered massage therapy services

Navigating this virus and reopening healthcare services is something that will require a calculated process. Our intention with the following “restart our practices plan” is to be able to provide much needed therapies while maintaining safe practices and minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19

As part of our Safety  plan, we have made a few changes in order to keep our clients, ourselves and our community safe. Our regulatory boards have worked hard to provide us with our new interim guidelines and protocols. We are legally obliged to follow these protocols until the foreseeable future.

It is important to note that due to the nature of massage therapy, it is NOT possible to physically distance during your treatment. Therefore we can not completely eliminate all risk. The new protocols and the pre-screening process are designed to keep the risk of transmission as low as possible. Please be aware that part of the pre-screening process will include questions regarding your social distancing practices. We realize that there is a wide range of practices happening right now throughout BC that run from fear, resentment and isolation, all the way to pretending like we are not in a pandemic state of emergency. We wanted to be clear about what we feel is appropriate. At this time, we feel that massage therapy should only be available to those adhering to current guidelines from the Public Health Authority of staying close to home and keeping their bubbles small.

Please feel free to read this entire Restart Plan as there are important details you will need to know in order to prepare for your next treatment.

REMINDERS on NEW PROTOCOLS

Please be sure to talk to your RMT on a scheduled phone call for pre-screening 48 hours prior to your appointment.

Please wait outside, we will retrieve you for your appointment. Arrive as close to your appointment time as possible, and no earlier. We will OPEN the door for YOU. Please try to touch as little as possible upon your arrival.

Please come to your appointment alone. Leave children and family members at home. If a parent or care-giver is required, please let us know when you book your appointment.

Please bring your own clean mask. We will also have disposable masks available. Please wear a mask during your appointment (we will be doing the same) and have other PPE available upon request. We will not be providing services if you cannot wear a mask. You need to discuss with your RMT prior to your appointment if this is an issue. For laying face down we have created protection with the use of a clean pillow case, this will allow you to breathe easier while still providing protection.

Please wash your hands upon arrival and follow the hand washing protocols posted in the washroom.

Any items you bring in (ie. jacket,clothes, wallet, cellphone) must be kept on the treatment room chair or in the sanitized bin provided in treatment room

Bring your own water bottle.

Please reschedule your appointment if you or anyone in your household has any symptoms, have been around anyone with symptoms for the last 14 days, or if you have been out of BC in the last 14 days.

We are booking 30 min in between treatments to sanitize the entire clinic. Our doors will be locked during this time and during treatments.

We have gone paperless and receipts will be emailed. Please consider paying before arrival via E-transfer. Tap and pre-paid credit card payments will be available.

INTRODUCTION

UNDERSTANDING HOW COVID-19 SPREADS:

• Health experts believe that Coronavirus is transmitted via liquid droplets when a person coughs, sneezes or talks within a close proximity.
• It is believed that COVID-19 spreads when infected droplets reach the eyes, nose or mouth.
• The virus is not known to be transmitted through airborne transmission (by much smaller evaporated particles containing the microorganism floating in the air for long periods of time).
• Coronavirus does not transmit through the skin.
• The virus can be spread by touch if a person has used their hands to cover their mouth or nose when they cough.
• Be aware that COVID-19 may be spread by those not showing symptoms.

To minimize personal risk of exposure, everyone should:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol can be used. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces frequently.
• Keep 2 meters or 6 feet apart where possible (social distancing).

For measures on prevention see http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/prevention-risks 

or for a brief summary see: http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/COVID19-Prevention.pdf

PREPARATION & PRE-SCREENING:

• You will be required to complete a mandatory pre screening covid-19 survey before your treatment. You will receive the survey via email 2 days prior to your appointment,your RMT may contact you 24 HOURS  prior to your appointment, to confirm completion and to discuss new protocols.
• We will be prescreening you three times before your treatment, this is required to receive treatment and if you present with any symptoms listed below, your appointment will be cancelled. 

Three Screening times will include:

1. 48-24 hours via email a screening form from our on-line booking system or the BC Symptom Self-Assessment Tool
2. 2 hours prior to the appointment
3. When they first enter the treatment room

Please be honest about your health and we will too.

• If you have travelled out of province in the last 14 days or you or a family member are experiencing any signs of illness, please call to reschedule your appointment
• Please be aware that part of the pre-screening process will include questions regarding your social distancing practices. We realize that there is a wide range of practices happening right now throughout BC that run from fear, resentment and isolation, all the way to pretending like we are not in a pandemic state of emergency. We wanted to be clear about what we feel is appropriate. At this time, we feel that massage therapy should only be available to those adhering to current guidelines from the Public Health Authority of staying close to home and keeping their bubbles small.
• We will be particularly mindful of those who are at the highest risk of getting very sick: those over 65, individuals
• In a care home or long term care facility, those with underlying medical conditions – particularly if not well controlled, those with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma, those with heart conditions, those who are immunocompromised, those who are severely obese, those with diabetes, those with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis and those with liver disease.
• All cancellation fees have been waived at this time
• We ask that you attend treatments alone at this time, no additional people or children in the clinic space or treatment. If you have a newborn baby please check with RMT if you need to bring your baby to your treatment.
• When possible please come directly to your appointment and avoid making other non-essential  stops along the way.
• Please bring your own clean mask( 3 layers if possible), we have disposable masks available if necessary
• Please bring your own personal water bottle
• Bring your own clean change of clothing, if required to wear clothing during treatment. Discuss with you RMT.
• Leave all non-essentials at home
• Be sure that all of your forms and contact info is up to date before treatment

SCREENING QUESTIONS

For the safety of all practitioners and patients the patient must answer these questions to the best of their ability. This screening is subject to change as we learn more about coronavirus and will be updated as such. This screening is based on the BC Symptom Self-Assessment Tool, which practitioners may direct patients to using instead of the clinic online screening form if they choose.

1. Do any of the following apply to yourself, or anyone in your household? Please check all that apply and list the member of your household as well as any other relevant information: Heart conditions, Undergoing cancer treatment, Moderate / severe asthma, A habitual smoker, Chronic lung disease, Poorly controlled HIV / AIDS, Type I or type II diabetes, Severely obese, Liver disease, Over the age of 65, Chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis, Live in a nursing home or long-term care facility, Recent bone marrow or organ transplantation, Currently pregnant (how many weeks? any complications?), Corticosteroids / other immune weakening medications use (type and duration), Any other Immune deficiencies or pre-existing conditions (please explain)

Practitioners will discuss the risks versus the benefits of anyone who selected any of the above. The choice to continue with the appointment will only occur when the practitioner and the patient fully understand the nature of the patient’s health condition, the possible added risk of COVID to that patient, and both the practitioner and the patient are comfortable with the precautions in place.

2. Approximately how many social contacts outside your household have you had in the past week? One social contact is one place or action visited outside your home (example: grocery store, 2 meter apart walk with a friend, going to work).

The practitioner will also disclose their social contacts, giving the practitioner and the patient the opportunity to discuss and establish trust in each others’ approach to safety regarding COVID-19.

3. Have you, or has someone in your household, ever been diagnosed with COVID-19? If yes, please list the date of last symptoms.

If the answer is yes and the date is less than 10 days prior to the appointment date, the practitioner will cancel the appointment and re-book the patient for a date at least 10 days after last symptoms.

4. Have you, or has someone in your household, provided care or had close contact with a person with confirmed or presumed diagnosis of COVID-19? If yes, please list the date of resolution of that patient’s symptoms, or the date of last contact with that patient. 

If the answer is yes and the date of resolution of symptoms, or the date of last contact is less than 14 days prior to the appointment date the practitioner will cancel the appointment and re-book the patient in for a date at least 14 days after resolution of symptoms or last contact. 

If yes, AND you are a healthcare provider working with COVID positive patients, have you adhered to strict personal protective equipment protocol? What is your role in working with COVID positive patients?

Practitioners will decide for themselves if they are comfortable treating Healthcare workers who are in direct contact with COVID positive patients. Our doctors and nurses are very well trained in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and have strict protocol to follow when PPE fails. Practitioners who do decide to treat said healthcare workers will cancel the appointment if there has been a break in the healthcare workers PPE  within 14 days prior to the appointment, OR if the healthcare worker does not meet any other criteria in the screening process. The practitioner will also disclose to ALL patients they are treating that they are treating healthcare workers who are in direct contact with COVID positive patients.

5. Have you, or has someone in your household, traveled outside British Columbia within the last 14 days?

If the answer is yes practitioners will cancel the appointment and re-book the appointment for at least 14 days after the patient’s return home.

6. Are you, or is someone in your household, experiencing any of the following, please check all that apply: Severe difficulty breathing (e.g. struggling to breathe or speaking in single words), Severe chest pain, Having a very hard time waking up, Feeling confused, Losing consciousness, Mild to moderate shortness of breath, Inability to lie down because of difficulty breathing, Chronic health conditions that you are having difficulty managing because of difficulty breathing.

If the answer is yes to any of the above the practitioner will cancel the appointment and direct the patient to do one of the following: call 811, go to https://bc.thrive.health/ or to contact their physician for further guidance and advice. The patient can reschedule later after they are safe to be treated.

7. Are you, or is someone in your household, experiencing any of the following cold, flu or COVID-19-like symptoms, even mild ones? If yes, please note if this is due to an existing condition (provide the name of the condition), or is a regularly experienced symptom. Fever, Chills, Cough, Shortness of breath, Sore throat and painful swallowing, Stuffy or runny nose, Loss of sense of smell, Headache, Unusual muscle aches, Fatigue, Loss of appetite.

If the response to any 2 of these questions is yes, the patient cannot have a treatment. Practitioners will cancel the appointment and direct the patient to do one of the following: call 811, go to https://bc.thrive.health/ or to contact their physician for further guidance and advice. The patient can reschedule later after they are safe to be treated.

ARRIVING & ENTERING THE CLINIC:

Please arrive at your start time, no earlier

Leave your family members and children at home* discuss with your RMT if you need to bring your baby

We ask that you wait in your car or outside until we signal you to come in for your appointment. Our doors will be locked between treatments and during sanitization time

We will be opening the door for you upon arrival.

We will take your temperature upon arrival.

Please wash your hands immediately upon arrival for the full 20 seconds required. Hand washing protocols are posted visibly in the washroom.

Please try to touch as little as possible during your visit. Your RMT will be opening the door and closing the door to the treatment room. 

Please prepare to arrive and leave wearing a clean mask(3 layers ideal), we will provide you with one at the door if needed, before entering the clinic. 

Your RMT will always be wearing a fresh clean mask upon your arrival. We have more Personal Protection Equipment( goggles, gloves, aprons)  available for RMTs to wear if requested. It is our goal to make you feel as safe as possible. Be prepared for us to be looking a little more medically clinical but we are your same friendly RMTS

In the current environment of Covid-19 risk, the RMT will be sure the client understands and is informed of  the risks of transmission involved in treatment and will document the client’s consent in advance of every treatment.

Please maintain social distancing protocols of 2 meters  in clinic areas other than during treatment.

Washroom use:

1. Please follow the hand washing protocols.
2. Please close during use and open the door with a clean towel provided to avoid touching the door handle. Leave the door open after use.
3. Please close the toilet lid before flushing.
4. Please consider using the washroom before leaving home.
5. Washrooms will be more thoroughly cleaned at least twice per day with common contact
6. Washroom touch points will be wiped down each time a therapist uses the washroom to wash their own hands.

We have gone paperless and receipts will be emailed. Please consider paying before arrival via E-transfer. Tap and pre-paid credit card payments will be available. Cash will not be accepted at this time.

Fee update: $90/ 45 min and $115/ 60 min. We are adding $5 to each appointment to compensate for the extra supplies and time we need to keep all of you, and all of us safe.Thank you for your understanding. 

We will be offering only 45 min and 60 min treatments at this time.

WHAT WE ARE DOING TO KEEP SAFE & SANITIZE/CLEAN OUR SPACE:

As required we will be regularly sanitizing before and after treatments. This includes door handles, washroom, treatment room, massage table and reception area. We have 30 min between clients to properly sanitize the entire area with government approved safety cleaners. Your RMT will be wearing new gloves during the cleaning and sanitization of the clinic and will remove after each use. There is a cleaning checklist that the RMT will follow each time between clients.

Nothing remains in the clinic space that cannot be disinfected after each touch. 

As always new clean linens and blankets will be provided for each client. Clean sanitized vinyl pillows/bolsters will be used during treatment. 

Medical grade vinyl table and face piece coverings applied for easy to clean use after each treatment

We have added HEPA air purifiers to the treatment room and front desk area

TREATMENT ROOM CONSIDERATIONS

          The following furnishing considerations have been implemented:

1. Laundry hampers that are easy to disinfect, with washable liners
2. No touch garbage bins in common areas and treatment rooms
3. Cleanable patient chairs in waiting and treatment rooms
4. All furnishings in the treatment room and common areas washable
5. Dedicated cleanable areas for patients possessions
6. Hepa air filter in treatment room

Your RMT will be changing their masks, apron for each new client

Your RMT will be washing hands before preparing the treatment room, before and after treatment

Your RMT will be wearing new gloves during the cleaning and sanitization of the clinic and will remove after each use

Your RMT will also complete this same prescreening survey for ourselves each day before work.

Your RMT Practitioners will self-monitor by recording their symptoms, and number of contacts each day outside of the treatment room.

They will not use medicines that reduce fever e.g. acetaminophen or ibuprofen. If they have taken a fever reducing medicine they will wait at least 4 hours after their last dose to take their temperature.

YOUR RMT IS COMMITTED TO:

• Being conscious of the number of places visited before and after work and on days off.
• Avoiding non-essential trips within our community.
• Not gathering in groups.
• Limiting contact with those at high risk.
• Going outside to exercise but staying close to home.
• Practicing social distancing (stay at least 2 meters apart) outside of our home to the best of our ability.
• All travel outside BC requires a 14-day quarantine upon returning home that must be strictly adhered to.

LAUNDRY:

Contaminated linens can transmit disease via direct contact or by aerosols of contaminated lint generated during sorting, and handling of contaminated items. 

RMTs will:

• Avoid shaking out laundry before placing into the washing machine – it may create aerosolized particles.
• Keep used linens in a clean closed hamper bag or container until washing.
• Use proper hand washing protocols, after touching and processing dirty laundry, as well as cleaning and disinfecting of the buttons, knobs, and doors of the laundry area.
• Laundry will be left in the laundry bag for 24 hours before being put into the machine.
• Linens, masks, aprons, and cleaning items will be washed using regular laundry soap and hot water (60-90 degrees Celsius) and put through a dryer cycle until completely dried.
• Practice regular cleaning/ sanitizing of laundry area
• Schedule massage clinic laundry hours

RMT NOT FEELING WELL:

RMT practitioners will not go to work if they are not feeling well – even if their symptoms are mild and they are uncertain of whether it is COVID-19 or not. Practitioners are committed to protecting their colleagues and their patients and will stay home if there is any doubt in their mind. Practitioners expect to miss more work than usual to make sure that they are taking care of themselves, their colleagues, and their community.

ILLNESS AMONG CLOSE CONTACTS WITH RMT PRACTITIONER:

If a close contact, a spouse, those they live with or their child becomes ill they will stay home and self-isolate with their

family. They will follow the instructions from the BC Centre for Disease Control: http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/Self-isolation_caregivers.pdf

RMT Practitioners will only return to work when:

• Their close contact has been tested and the results for COVID-19 come back negative and they are well.
• OR after self-isolating for 14 days and having no symptoms or fever develop.
• OR being cleared by a public health official.

If a patient alleges they were exposed to coronavirus at an appointment OR in the same time frame they were at an appointment with the practitioner, and the practitioner has had an appointment with that patient within the past 14 days, the practitioner will immediately self-isolate and cancel all appointments. Regardless of when the last appointment was, the practitioner will call public health at 8-1-1 and report the alleged transmission, providing both the practitioner’s name and the name and contact information of the patient.

RMT Practitioners will only return to work when:

• The case has been investigated and proven false, AND the practitioner has not had any symptoms.
• OR after self-isolating for 14 days and having no symptoms or fever develop.
• OR being cleared by a public health official.

IN THE EVENT THAT A PATIENT TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19:

Having Been to a Massage Therapy Appointment within the 14- days Prior to Onset of Symptoms:

• The patient will contact the therapist and inform her of positive test results and possible transmission of the virus immediately. 

In the Event That a Patient Alleges they Caught COVID-19 from the Therapist:

• The therapist will immediately call public health at 8-1-1 to report the alleged transmission, providing both the name of the RMT and the name and contact details of the patient. 
• The patient must agree to the release of this information under these circumstances in order to receive treatment.
• All massage therapy appointments will be cancelled and the Therapist will cease to provide services until Public Health has investigated and provided direction.
• The therapist will immediately self-isolate until Public Health has investigated and provided direction.
• In the Event That the Therapist Catches COVID-19 or Displays Symptoms of Covid-19 
• The therapist will immediately self-isolate. 

The therapist will call public health at 8-1-1 to report the symptoms and request access to Covid-19 testing. If testing is granted:

• All massage therapy appointments will be cancelled and the Therapist will cease to provide services until test results are returned negative. 
• If testing proves positive the therapist will follow Public Health directives in informing patients treated over the previous 14 days about potential transmission. 

If testing is not granted: 

All massage therapy appointments will be cancelled and the Therapist will cease to provide services for a minimum of 10-days beyond the onset of symptoms, and/or until symptoms cease. 

In the Event That the Therapist Comes into Close Contact with Someone Showing Signs of Illness or Tests Positive for Covid-19 

• The therapist will immediately self-isolate. 
• All appointments will be cancelled and the therapist will cease to provide services until: 
• The close contact has been tested for Covid-19 and the results proved negative and the therapist is well, 
• OR after self-isolating for 14 days and having no symptoms of fever develop. 
• OR being cleared by a public health official. 

ASYMPTOMATIC SPREADERS:

• Asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus is an unavoidable risk of practice until we’ve acquired herd immunity or there is an effective treatment or vaccine against Covid-19. 
• We have put into place protocols to help mitigate that risk as outlined in the preceding documentation. 
• No guarantees have been made by the therapist, that the patient may not come in contact with COVID-19 at or during an appointment. 

Informed Consent: 

In the current environment of Covid-19 risk, informed consent requires that the patient be informed and understands that: 

Any massage therapy treatment involves some risk of Covid-19 transmission. 

CLEANING SUPPLIES  AND EQUIPMENT:

• Hard surface cleaner and vinyl cleaner/disinfectant approved and listed on the government of Canada’s website. Found at https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/disinfectants/COVID-19/list.html
• Cleaning cloths: Reusable cloths for disinfecting and available for door opening – washed after every use.
• Spray bottles: for hard surface cleaner, vinyl surface cleaner – Large bottles in between appointments and small bottles for practitioners to carry with them for use on frequent touch areas.
• Non-porous surface covers for all bolsters, massage table, pillows, heating pads, for easy cleaning.
• Linens to be washed between every appointment in the approved sanitization process.
• Hand soap with touchless or cleanable pump dispenser in the washroom.
• Freshly laundered hand towels for single use drying hands.
• Hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) in touchless or cleanable pump dispensers at front door and in each treatment room.

PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATIONS: 

Liability Insurance 

• The therapist carries professional liability insurance through Wilson M. Beck as provided through the Registered Massage Therapist Association of BC. 
• The therapist is following all the health and safety guidelines outlined by the Registered Massage Therapists Association of BC, the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia and the Provincial Health Officer and that they are taking all reasonable precautions to clean and disinfect the clinic and all the surfaces within the treatment room. 
• No guarantees have been made by the therapist, that the patient may not come in contact with COVID-19 at or during an appointment. 

Cumberland Village Wellness is adhering to all guidelines mandated by the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia as per the direction of the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. We will continue to implement the recommended practice guidelines as per the direction of the Registered Massage Therapists Association of British Columbia as they continue to evolve. Please be aware that these guidelines and protocols can change at any time.

We know this a lot to take in and we ask that you follow our guidelines and respect the new protocols we have established. If you have any questions or concerns we encourage you to contact us directly before your treatment. We also completely understand that you may not be ready to return until the risks of COVID-19 diminish further. If you, or anyone in your family  are immunocompromised that might be best. We are here for you when you are ready.

We thank you for your understanding and support,

Kirsten Werner RMT & Tara Miller RMT

Cumberland Village Wellness 

250-336-3244

 info@cumberlandwellness.ca