Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Control Statement
The health and safety of our patients and employees is priority number one! To maximize patient, staff, and visitor safety we are remaining diligent and consistent with CDC recommendations. Please call the facility and speak to your provider if there is any question surrounding your appointment. Our facilities will remain diligent and open to care for our patients. To help us do our part in controlling Covid-19 we ask:
- Sick employees, patients, and visitors to our facilities are to stay home until fever-free or symptom-free for greater than 24 hours.
- Anyone who appears to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to the facility will be rescheduled to a later date when symptom free.
- If an individual is sick and has traveled in a high risk area such as China, Italy, Iran, South Korea or Japan, or any other region deemed high risk by the CDC, that person should not come to the facility.
- Do not come to the facility if you were advised to self-quarantine.
- Please call the facility if you have visited us and have become ill with symptoms of or diagnosis of Covid-19 so we can take appropriate safeguards.
We Are Open!
“Proactive Physical Therapy is open and comfortable inviting healthy patients into our clinic to continue their recovery and physical therapy treatment. Continuity of care is important in rehab, and we are doing our best to be available to care for our patients. For established patients, we are rolling out our Telehealth program in order to serve out our patients remotely when needed. Please call our office to discuss this option of treatment.
The health and safety of our employees and patients is our top priority. We are remaining diligent and consistent with CDC and American Physical Therapy Associating recommendations.
“Social distancing” is defined as limiting contact with 10 or more people in a social setting ie: family and friend gatherings, parties, restaurants and bars, gyms and community events. My family and I are avoiding these situations to help prevent the spread of the corona virus. Social distancing is important and applies to un-screened and untreated environments and public spaces, not controlled, treated and monitored settings.
Health care does not require social distancing. Health care providers are knowledgeable in infection control and enforcement of best practices. In my clinic we are aggressively and vigilantly screening patients for symptoms consistent with COVID 19. Those with illness of any kind are asked to stay home and are being supported with telehealth remote services and being instructed on comprehensive home exercise programs.
Because I am a small private clinic I can be in complete control and hyper diligent with disinfecting all surfaces and equipment. Hygiene stations for hand washing and sanitizing are available. Employees and patients are required to treat their hands before, after and at intervals during each treatment session. Hand washing is the number one way to prevent the spread of coronavirus. My clinic is clean and very prepared to provide a safe environment for staff and patients.
Please continue to be diligent in relying on reputable sources of information to guide our own personal decisions and habits during this crisis. Facebook and the media are not always factual and can contribute to undue stress, anxiety and panic. Stay calm and focus on facts. We will get through this together and lets all look out for each other.”
– Mike Lachance, PT/Managing Partner
What is Direct Access?
Direct access refers to an individual’s ability to come directly to a physical therapist for evaluation without seeing your doctor first or receiving a referral. Direct access to a physical therapist is specifically outlined in the physical therapy practice act and is allowed in the state of Maine. Where you seek health care is your choice.
In this time of crisis due to the corona virus it is not necessary to go without care. Allowing musculoskeletal conditions to progress and worsen can set the stage for development of chronic issues. Conditions will be more difficult to overcome if appropriate treatment is delayed.
I encourage you, family members, friends and co-workers to seek treatment for musculoskeletal pain, strains or injury during this time of crisis. A trip to the emergency room or doctor’s office, where sick people go for treatment, is not necessary. Physical therapist are the musculoskeletal experts and are very qualified to evaluate your condition without seeing your doctor first. Do not neglect yourself during this time of social distancing. We all need to care for our bodies during times of stress. Physical therapists are an excellent resource to the community and often underutilized in the evaluation and treatment of many conditions. We are the experts!
Physical therapy clinics are not exposed to sick individuals like emergency rooms and doctor’s offices. Because I am a small private clinic I can be in complete control and hyper diligent with disinfecting all surfaces and equipment. Hygiene stations for hand washing and sanitizing are available. Employees and patients are required to treat their hands before, after and at intervals during each treatment session. Hand washing is the number one way to prevent the spread of coronavirus. My clinic is clean and very prepared to provide a safe environment for staff and patients.
According to Dr. Matos, an expert in biologic surety and the management of select agent programs at federal facilities:
“Physical therapists are essential in flattening the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic. They play a key role in keeping people they can help out of the doctor offices and ER’s. This will not only free up the medical teams to treat those impacted by COVID-19, but also limit the exposure of those seeking the care of the physical therapist.”