Possible Temporary Procedures at HVH Due To Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Dear Hewitt Veterinary Hospital Family,
We have been closely monitoring government agency and CDC communication regarding the developing situation concerning COVID-19 community transmission in the USA. While the risk at this moment appears to be still relatively low in our area, we believe it is wise to begin implementing procedures that will lessen the likelihood of our clients coming into contact with the SARS-CoV-2 strain of human coronavirus in our facility, and ultimately do our part to protect the health of our clients, team, and community. Because there has been very limited testing to date, the virus has a fairly long incubation period, there are potentially infected individuals who are asymptomatic, and because the virus spreads easily and can cause severe symptoms in certain individuals, we will soon be taking extra precautions and offering extra services.
We believe that small changes can have a large impact if initiated early enough.
Most available evidence points to two primary methods of spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease:
Close contact (<=6 feet) through inhalation of respiratory droplets created by coughing, sneezing, and talking.
“Fomites” – objects that respiratory droplets fall on (door handles, counters, etc.) that don’t get cleaned, that then are touched by another person, who then touches their face or eats food without first washing hands.
We will focus on these 3 areas during this temporary change in our procedures.
1. Increasing distance between people and/or limiting the number of people inside our facility (likely to happen very soon)
2. Cleaning quite often (already happening)
3. Paid sick leave policy for all staff to reduce incentive to come to work if they are feeling sick (already happening).
As a service to our clients who may wish to avoid close contact with others during this time, JUST GIVE US A CALL AT 254-666-5050 WHEN YOU ARRIVE AND A MEMBER OF OUR TEAM WILL GREET YOU AT YOUR VEHICLE.
We may soon be making efforts to reduce congestion in our building such as
· Waiting in the car for technician appointments
· Staggering appointment start times
· Asking about health status at check in (fever, coughing, etc)
· Increased physical distance in the building
· Asking you to wait in your vehicle if you are coughing, sneezing, or look like you feel unwell
· Rescheduling your appointment if you are feeling sick or have recently been sick
· Meeting you at your vehicle when you drive up, checking you in there, and having you wait until an exam room is ready to enter the building.
· Limiting the number of people allowed in exam rooms at the same time
· Checking you out in the exam room or car-side instead of at the reception desk
We want to keep everyone in our community happy and healthy, including our beloved pets, and we’re so glad to have you as part of our family!
