Updated COVID Guidance: Masks will remain a requirement at AcuBalance
Happy Monday, everybody! By now, I'm sure many of you have read or listened to the latest CDC guidance and news briefings about mask mandates in Kentucky - and are curious if these updates will impact your treatments at AcuBalance.
While I'm sure many of you are excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we gently remind everybody that healthcare facilities will continue to require masks/face coverings even after the June 11 Mask Mandate is (partially) lifted. The C.D.C.’s new guidance has several caveats. In KY specifically, there are several instances in which face coverings will continue to be required in public settings:
Healthcare Settings (offices, clinics, hospitals etc.)
Longterm Care Settings
Shelters
Public Transportation & Hubs
K-12 educational, preschool, daycare, and other childcare settings
Correctional facilities
Immune-Compromised Individuals
Individuals who are exhibiting COVID symptoms or who have tested positive in the last 10 days
That being said, there are a few changes that will start to take place at AcuBalance, so please take a moment and read through this update; feel free to email us with any questions/clarifications at info@acubalanceky.com
Masks & Face Coverings
Masks will remain are requirement at AcuBalance for clinicians and patients except for face-down treatments, facial acupuncture treatments (details below). If you do not have one or forgot it, one will be provided for you.
We are offering acupuncture treatments for allergies, TMJ, bells palsy, facial pain, migraines, headaches, dental pain, skin conditions, trigeminal neuralgia etc. In these situations, your clinician will double mask so you can safely remove yours during the treatment.
Masks can be pulled down if you are being treated "face down" once you are in positioned in the face cradle.
Masks are not forever, we promise. We just gently remind you that many of our patients are high risk, we also work in a high risk setting, and have patients with medical conditions that are legitimate reasons for wanting to wait a bit longer to get vaccinated (auto-immune conditions, history of Guillain-Barre syndrome, going through IVF, and more). We ask that you maintain compassion and empathy for each other as we try to provide the safest setting for all of our patients.
Entering/Exiting the Clinic
We still ask that you text us upon arrival before entering the clinic. However, if you arrive early you may wait in the waiting area if there is space available. We will allow no more than 3 people in our waiting room so proper distancing can be observed.
We are no longer requiring a separate COVID consent form, but we are still doing screenings prior to clinic entry. If you feel unwell, PLEASE reschedule your appointment, even if it's last minute.
We still ask that you wash or sanitize your hands upon entering the facility. There is an all gender restroom available for use and bottles of hand sanitizer by the front door and in the treatment rooms.
We are still cleaning rooms in between appointments and cleaning the clinic at the beginning and ending of each day.
Vaccinations
All the clinicians at AcuBalance have been fully vaccinated since early February, please ask us anything about the vaccines! We're happy to answer any questions you may have about safety, efficacy, how they work, how you may feel after, and how to schedule. We make a point to stay informed about the data and information as it becomes available.
SCHEDULE YOUR VACCINE: https://govstatus.egov.com/ky-covid-vaccine
The vaccines are safe - the mRNA technology has been around for decades, and the speed at which they were made available has everything to do with the (wo)manpower and funding that was made available to them. The overwhelming majority of concerns about these vaccines are founded upon misinformation, fear, and distrust.
SAFETY: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html
The most recent data has shown that the Pfizer & Moderna Vaccinations are safe and effective at reducing disease and infection. More data has come in that shows that these vaccines likely prevent transmission - which is GREAT news! There is some data that also shows that the vaccinations are effective against multiple variants, which is more great news; there is still a lot to be learned/fleshed out in this area.
EFFICACY https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness/work.html
EFFICACY: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html
If you have been vaccinated, you are welcome to bring your vaccination card with you to your next appointment so we can update your chart.
That should about cover it! Sending much love and gratitude to you all for helping keep our doors open and keeping our clinic a safe and sacred place of healing and growth. You are the reason we are in this field and we look forward to continuing being your healthcare partners and providers as we move into a post-pandemic future!
Until then,
Be well, be safe, wash your hands, and get vaccinated!
Colby, Andrea, & Arielle.