LOWCOUNTRY THERAPY COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE PLAN
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
EFFECTIVE: March 13, 2020
Lowcountry Therapy is being proactive in enacting the following precautionary measures to assure safety of patients, families, and employees. Please read the following guidelines regarding current procedures and recommendations to reduce the risk of exposure.
Before entering our facility, or entering a patient’s home or daycare:
- All Lowcountry Therapy employees are being screened daily to assure that they are not experiencing signs or symptoms of COVID-19, and that there is no reason to suspect exposure.
- Lowcountry Therapy’s team members will not come to work if experiencing, or anyone in the home is experiencing, or has had any potential exposure to COVID-19 and is showing symptoms*.
Clinic Pick up/Drop off protocols:
- To limit waiting room crowdedness, parents are being asked to attend full sessions or wait in their car.
- Parents are to meet the therapist at the designated door. We do not want therapists walking kids across the parking lot.
- We will be utilizing different entrances throughout the facility to reduce crowdedness.
- Bluffton:
- PT - main door - designated by GREEN sign
- OT - craft room door - designated by RED sign
- ST - speech bullpen door - designated by BLUE sign
- Port Royal:
- ST - main door - designated by GREEN sign
- PT/OT - gym door - designated by RED sign
- We are reminding all parents to be prepared to pick up their child 5-10 minutes prior to scheduled end time and to expect brief transitions/parent education, to assure that extra precautionary measures are being taken prior to every treatment session (more frequent sterilization, extended transition time with avoidance of waiting room, etc).
- Rooms are sanitized in between sessions, as indicated below, by administrative staff and/or clinical staff.
- COVID-19 checklist is complete and temperature is taken prior to entering facility for treatment.
Within our facility, we are taking the following precautionary measures:
- Spaces normally available for use by multiple patients and therapists at the same time have been partitioned off and split into individual treatment areas. All areas allow for individuals to maintain the recommended 3-6 feet distance apart. This includes:
- Ortho gyms
- Sensory gyms
- Craft rooms
- Common areas and ‘touch points’ like light switches and door handles will be sanitized hourly by administrative staff.
- Toys, mats, and materials are sanitized between every session. See cleaning protocols below for more information.
- All therapy materials that are usually shared clinic-wide and cannot be sanitized between sessions are not being used - art supplies, play-doh, sensory bins, and games, until further notice.
- Frequent handwashing is required. Hand sanitizers are a backup, but handwashing is preferred.
- Therapists - wash hands with soap and water between all sessions, prior to using shared materials.
- Walk patients (and attending caregivers) to bathroom to wash at the start of each session.
- In addition to masks, gloves and shields are to be used until further notice from the SCCDC that COVID positive case numbers are at a safer transmission level
Cleaning Protocols
Unless otherwise restricted by government officials, Lowcountry Therapy will continue to provide therapy in natural environments including homes, daycares, and preschools. We are in communications with facilities to be sure we are adhering to facility-specific guidelines at all times, and to share our guidelines. If childcare facilities close or restrict visitors, we will work with families to reschedule services in our clinic or other settings as much as possible. Additional and ongoing training is provided to all Lowcountry Therapy staff regarding the CDC’s recommendations for cleaning and sanitizing materials to limit exposure risk.
Lowcountry Therapy follows the following guidelines and government agency advice and warnings:
