3/17/2020 UPDATE: COVID-19 Procedures Working Well and Resources for Other Businesses in Waco Area
http://hewittvet.com/news will be updated frequently as the COVID-19 situation develops. If you are planning to visit our veterinary hospital in the next several weeks or months, please check this page first for any updates. Bookmark and refer to this page for subsequent updates.
Hewitt Veterinary Hospital successfully operated with a drive-up only procedure yesterday (with the exception of a minor glitch in our phone system open-closed hours, which resulted in phones inadvertently announcing that we were unavailable for a period of about 1 hour. We responded to voicemails throughout that period and quickly resolved the issue once identified.) We plan to continue our non-traditional operation for the coming weeks/months. The procedure below continues to apply as of 3/17/2020.
The well-being of your pets, you, your loved ones, our team, and our community is our priority. We are currently rescheduling all elective surgeries, non-emergent dental therapy/cleaning, and adult wellness exams in order to preserve much needed medical and personal protective (PPE) supplies for human hospitals and to ensure we will have the supplies necessary to care for your pet should they become seriously ill or injured. We will resume these services as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
RESOURCES FOR MANAGERS/OWNERS OF OTHER BUSINESSES IN OUR AREA:
We feel it is vital that our community continue to have access to quality services in the event of an outbreak in our immediate area. If you are an owner or manager of a business in the area, we are posting our 3/9/2020 preliminary draft emergency COVID-19 Response Plan as a resource to refer to as you consider emergency procedures to continue operations in the event of an outbreak. You may access our 3/9/2020 Draft Response Plan HERE.
Upon your visit to us on or after Monday 3/16/2020 we will be operating temporarily as follows:
1. Upon your arrival we ask that you remain in your vehicle.
2. A member of our team will greet you at your vehicle, take your name, pets name, a good contact number, and the reason for your visit.
3. A member of the appropriate team will contact you via phone to provide instructions for your pet’s visit or your purchase of food/medications.
4. If you are purchasing food or medications, our team will bring those to you and conduct the checkout procedure over the phone or at your car.
5. If this is a pet visit, the remainder of our communication will be done via telephone. Hewitt Veterinary Hospital has added 16 outgoing telephone lines to accommodate this.
6. We will gather some more information from you over the phone (pet history/symptoms/etc.). When we are ready, we will have you exit your vehicle with your pet and go to the covered front porch. We will meet you there (with minimal contact) and then escort your pet from your car to an exam room or treatment for immediate care.
7. We will communicate with you throughout this process via phone.
8. When the visit is complete, we will communicate with you again, escort your pet back to reunite with you, and complete the check out procedure with you over the phone or at your vehicle.
We are anticipating longer than expected wait times. If you are unable to wait a bit longer, please contact us to reschedule. We cannot guarantee availability of open appointment times for several weeks potentially if you choose to reschedule.
You will not have access to public restroom facilities, so please plan accordingly.
Our staff will remain at a distance when conversing with you in-person, and we ask that you minimize conversation during transfer of your pet to our staff member.
ALL CATS MUST BE IN CARRIERS. ALL DOGS MUST BE ON A SECURE LEASH.
We will temporarily be activating an automated phone menu to handle increased call volume. Voicemail will also be activated, and we will check this very often during business hours. (see previous news post).
No clients, non-essential contractors or deliverymen, or others will be permitted in the building without authorization so that we can maintain a high level of safety.
Clients whose pet will undergo euthanasia may be permitted to enter the facility if they are not feeling sick or exhibiting other signs of illness. At our discretion we may limit client access.
We continue to work hard to protect the health and safety of animal and human lives in our area, and ensure maximum access to a wide range of goods and services during this event.
-Your Family at Hewitt Veterinary Hospital
