We are making some changes to our clinic policies, the Portland clinic space, and how we manage our patient flow.
What you can expect as a patient:
- Patients will now be required to wear a face mask
- You will still be asked to wash your hands upon arrival
- You will still be required to answer a screening questionnaire prior to arriving for your appointment
- Rarely, you may share the space with another clinician and patient. We are still scheduling a large majority of people so there is only one doctor and one patient.
- We will continue to clean surfaces after appointments.
- We will get the front door for you when possible to eliminate contact
- We are open 7 days a week and all 3 doctors are treating
Why the changes:
Oregon continues to be doing well with its exposure and reopening measures. We are all, however, out and about more. Prior to Phase 1 almost all of us were locked down at home with very minimal exposure other than what was needed. Now our circles are growing bigger and cases continue to spread elsewhere. In order to continue moving through phases we need to continue to increase our activities without increasing exposure. This is why we are requiring face masks now.
Our Face Masks:
We have used a variety of face masks recently (as we are sure you all have) and want to give some feedback. Here are our two recommendations:
Outdoor Research Essential Face Mask Kit – $20
For simplicity and quick delivery, we recommend the Essential Kit from Outdoor Research. It has a generous amount of coverage around the face and boasts an anti-allthethings coating on the fabric in addition to a replaceable filter. The ear straps are adjustable and comfortable. It still does hold a fair amount of moisture that can build up.
Halo has some cool technology behind it, but where it really shines is comfort and ease of use. The masks tend to run small (Dr. Q would prefer and XL to a L) but they are able to stay on the face very well even when talking a lot as we do in the clinic. They also hold much less moisture despite having a theoretically higher filtration that the Outdoor Research mask. It has a great seal around it and has an optional foam nose piece that actually feels very nice. The delivery took a very long time, but that is to be expected as the entire world tries to mask up. They have replaceable filters that seem very high quality but are a pain to install, but once installed they are good to go. If you have glasses, these are a no-brainer. The nose pad and less moisture keep the glasses fog free.
Our Thanks:
We have had so many of you continue to pay for recent treatment and even catch up on some old outstanding bills. We greatly appreciate this and it has allowed us to get to a very good point in our business. We are just as busy (and maybe more busy) than we have ever been.
What’s happening at the Portland Clinic:
- The faucet in the bathroom is now touchless
- The faucet in the front area is soon to be touchless
- We will be replacing the sink in the bathroom to allow for more surface area
- Hooks and shelves will be added to the bathroom
- Shelving will be added to the orange room to allow for a cleaner space and more storage
- A Jade surgical grade air purifier will be installed. This meets the recommended air filtration standards for hospitals to reduce virus exposure. It also emits negative ions, which we are really excited about!
- Our front door will be replaced with a Wifi deadbolt and (hopefully) a hospital style door handle to eliminate the need for hands
- We will still be limiting clinician and patient overlap in the clinic
- We have purchased a natural based cleaner for everyday cleaning that uses only water, salt, vinegar, and electricity to make an EPA approved viral killing spray. We are also really excited about this. Check out Force of Nature for yourself.
Our Goals:
We are using this momentum to make some small changes to the Portland clinic space and some big changes on the back end. We are all enrolled in courses to improve the business systems here so that billing and payments can be easy and simple. We know that our clinical system is bulletproof and we want our other system to catch up.
Our recent purchases are all about making long term changes to the Portland clinic to proactively improve patient health and ease of use in the space for years to come. Having purified air and as many touchless options is just good future proofing.
