Summer Greetings!
I hope you are enjoying our beautiful prairie summer weather – it has been an absolutely fantastic summer so far! Given the current state of affairs (i.e. pandemic-mode), there has never been a better reason to get outdoors and enjoy all that our province has to offer. However, as usual, the summer days are flying by at lightning speed and the change of season is right around the corner. For this reason, I felt it was necessary to make a few announcements as we head into another school year and dive into fall. It's been a very busy past few months at my clinic, so I feel my update comes a little later than I had hoped...but better late than never!
Here, at Active Chiropractic & Wellness (ACW), we continue to follow health and safety guidelines set forth by health directives since re-opening in May. All of our practitioners will continue to wear masks during patient encounters, and sanitize as is necessary. We appreciate it when our patients are able to wear masks to the clinic—thank you to all those who continue to do this! Within the clinic, we are still doing our best to practice physical distancing, thereby limiting the number of patrons in our waiting area. At times, it can require a bit of “creative choreography”, and it doesn't come without it's “hiccups”! We are so fortunate to have such a lovely group of patients that have been respectful of our clinic's directives. And as always, we are smiling at you behind our masks!
ACW Staff Changes
Earlier in March, we sadly said farewell to Pamela Castro, our incredibly dynamic administrative assistant that held down the fort Thursday afternoons, Friday's, and Saturday's. We were so very fortunate to have her on the team, and it was hard to not have the opportunity to personally say “good-bye and good luck” until much later after her depature (due to the pandemic). I've since had the pleasure of connecting with Pam, and I am happy to report that she is back in school and pursuing her next dream (and excelling at it!). So we all wish her the best of luck on her next adventure and thank her for all the amazing work she did in her time at ACW. We love you, Miss Pam!
A few weeks back, we welcomed Meagan Patenaude to our team at ACW as a part-time administrative assistant. Please come say hi to her! She is in the office Thursday afternoons, Friday's and Saturday's. She has plenty of experience in this role, and has been adapting incredibly well! Welcome Meagan!
Fall/Winter Hours...and a “Plan B”!
As of September 8th, I will be back to my usual fall/winter hours at the clinic. This means the return of Saturday's once per month (usually the 1st Saturday of the month, unless there is a long weekend/holiday or schedule conflict on my end). So in addition to the once-per-month Saturday's 9am-4pm, I am also available Tuesday's and Thursday's 9am-noon/1:30-7pm, and Wednesday's and Friday's 9am-noon/1:30-5pm.
In the event of another clinic closure, or if I am at home with my daughter (either unexpectedly, or because of any directive set forth by the school division), or for other reasons (i.e. physical distancing due to illness), I will have a “Plan B” set in place. I'm sure all you parents out there know what I am talking about when I say I am a bit...what's the word?...CURIOUS about how we will navigate the waters of back-to-school during a pandemic!! Thankfully, when the pandemic initially hit, I was able to continue practicing (for the most part) through telemedicine. This means I can be made available through phone consultations and video conference calls. Admittedly, this spring I was using the free version of www.doxy.me, and it came with its fair share of glitches (sorry to those that experienced that!) So to reduce the chances of this happening again in the coming fall/winter season, my plan is to subscribe to a monthly membership to improve the functionality for virtual patient encounters. I feel this will benefit my practice in so many ways—the ability to connect with patients virtually decreases the stress of finding time to make it to the clinic, and for those that feel safer with that format anyway, it is wonderful to be able to accommodate those folks.
Summer Holidays
Although this notice comes much later than I'd hoped, I'm letting you know that I will be taking some time off August 22nd to 31st. During this time I plan to do some serious re-organizing at the office (I know, that doesn't really sound like a “vacation” but trust me, after 16+ years in practice it is LONG overdue!) I look forward to taking at least one or two “beach days” but will also be preparing for a busy fall/winter season. I don't know about you, but I love to be organized and nothing “scratches that itch” like a little deep-cleaning!
The clinic will remain open during my holidays, so if there are supplements you need or questions you have, it is best that you get this to me ASAP! Joanne (office manager) and Meagan will still be on hand to help you in my absence. If they aren't able to assist you, then I am just a phone call or email away!
Final Thoughts...
Finally, I just want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of my wonderful patients! I am humbled by your dedication to pursuing better health through naturopathic medicine, and more specifically by seeking support through me. I wasn't sure how my practice would look during the pandemic, but I am honoured to say that my practice has never been better! Finally, after 16 years in practice, I can honestly say that I am feeling the most confident I have ever been in my position. That said, the learning curve continues to grow exponentially...after all, they call it a “practice” for good reason! So thank you for supporting my clinical practice, and thank you so very much for all your referrals and positive feedback – it means so much to me and my family!
Let's all continue to be safe, healthy, and take care of each other!
