Allevio is always taking precautions to ensure both our and your safety. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we are increasing our efforts however we can, ensuring Allevio continues our caring, carefully. We are facing the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic with our eyes open, our hands clean, and our intentions heart-felt. If we can keep working in a way where COVID-19 has minimal chance of spreading in the clinic, we believe we have a responsibility to keep helping.
We know that any patient with pain would much rather not continue to suffer, and that by setting up screening tools and rules, some of our patients will be sacrificing their short term comfort for others to be able to continue receiving care.
For us all to make this work, we are innovating parts of our care, and we are creating new policies where we can to ensure everyone’s safety. These policies are subject to change without notice as the situation is constantly changing and we need to react quickly.
For example:
- If you have traveled, been around anyone who has traveled, or have any cold, flu or respiratory symptoms, please call us in advance and let us know. We will reschedule your appointment and thank you for being forthright about your condition.
- Since our opening, Allevio has seen thousands of patients virtually, and will be increasing and improving our virtual care practice to ensure our patents can be seen meaningfully, comfortably and more easily than coming to Allevio. These encounters will be covered by OHIP. With a ton of thanks to the OMA and OHIP, we will now and on an interim basis be able to have a consultation over the phone as well (just in case our patient doesn’t have access to a smartphone, tablet or computer).
- If you are driving a patient to the clinic for a procedure or clinical encounter, our waiting room is temporarily closed. We are encouraging social distancing by inviting you to sit in your car and wait for your patient, or get some fresh air and take a walk in the park just beside and behind the clinic.
- Please ensure you shower or clean your face and hands before your appointment. Please ensure you clean your hands before entering Allevio using the sanitizer stations in the lobby, and then use the hand-sanitation pumps in the waiting room before signing any forms.
- The Patient Access Team will greet you wearing masks and gloves, this is for their protection and is nothing to be concerned about. We are treating all patients with a tremendous amount of care.
- We will be confirming appointments by text, email and phone – if you’re not sure you’re feeling well when you hear that message, or you aren’t completely comfortable coming to Allevio during this time for any reason, please do just cancel the appointment and be in touch with us to set up a virtual appointment with your physician. We completely understand and appreciate your being honest before the appointment, and we will find you another time to come in when you’re ready.
- If you haven’t already done so, please give us your cell number and your email address so we can reach you if and as things evolve. We want to get you news and updates right away, and we want to ensure that after the COVID-19 virus emergency is over, we can keep in closer touch and make sure your experience with Allevio continues to improve.
There will be more updates coming over the next several days. Our leadership team, including our Medical Director, CEO and team leads, are in constant virtual contact, and are doing their best to ensure our community are safe and accessible during this time.
We appreciate what you’re going through and we know this is a difficult time for us all. Thank you for working together with us to ensure your care and everyone’s safety can be our collective success over the next while.
The Allevio Team