UPDATE 3-18-2020

In accordance with Governor Tom Wolf ‘s edict to postpone all non life sustaining procedures, the Advanced Liposuction Center procedures are on hold until this has passed.

I assure you our physicians are on call 24/7 for our patients emergencies and phone lines are open daily to answer your questions and facilitate resolving any scheduling issues and general medical questions about your care.

 

To our Advanced Liposuction Center patients as of 3/13/2020:

In light of the current Coronavirus outbreak, I would like to assure you that we take your health and safety very seriously.

In an effort to remain open and serve you, we will continue to use meticulous cleaning protocols.  We are going beyond the current CDC recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting our office including waiting areas, treatment rooms, and equipment.

We will continue to use disposable gloves for all patient and client contact.  Hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap will continue to be readily available for all staff and visitors.

In order to keep other patients and clientele healthy, we ask that any person who is experiencing symptoms such as sore throat, cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, please contact us to reschedule your appointment.  Current CDC recommendations are to remain at home until you are free of fever for 72 hours and your symptoms are improved.

We will continue to monitor and abide by the CDC recommendations and BHS Infection Control guidelines.  Our priority will remain the health and safety of our patients.

Sincerely,

Dr. Christina Teimouri DPM

The Company intends to comply with all applicable law. Beyond that, we recognize that flexibility is important as more knowledge about COVID-19 is gained. We will also take into account individual circumstances to apply reasonable approaches. At this point we adopt the following guidelines, consistent with the above CDC information.

  • Any employee who is experiencing flu-like symptoms themselves or who has a household member with flu-like symptoms is directed to stay home and not come to work until after the symptoms for you and your family end. You should inform us of this situation so that we can consider whether to take steps to set you up for remote computer access. You are also encouraged to get advice from your physician and provide us with any pertinent information about whether you are or are likely to be contagious. Personal leave, and the Company’s paid time off benefits will be available to those who are ill or otherwise not working while on leave.
  • All employees are directed to follow good contamination prevention measures which, in addition to the above, include properly washing your hands (20 seconds or longer with soap and water) as recommended in the attached CDC guidelines.
  • We request that employees refrain from shaking hands and instead politely state that the Company has advised against it for the time being as a COVID-19 precaution.
  • We ask that our staff evaluate and consider when to use alternatives to in-person meetings, regardless whether such meetings are sought to be held here or elsewhere. Serious thought and preference should be given to using computer/internet based applications to tele-meet or hold telephone conference calls. At some time, depending on development of COVID-19 in our area, we may prohibit in-person meetings with those outside the Company and may put limits on internal meetings.
  • We similarly ask that serious consideration be given to whether to attend seminars or other group functions, based on the most current information about the development of COVID-19 in the area of the seminar, meeting, or activity.
  • Employees who are traveling out of the country are, until further notice, required to inform Dr Teimouri or our administrator and managers, of the country(ies) and area(s) to which they are traveling. If it is a country or area considered to have a high incidence of COVID-19, the employee may be required to not come to the workplace for a designated time period following such travel.
  • It is our preference and desire to make work from home arrangements for those we restrict from coming to the workplace, provided the employee does not have symptoms for which work is not advised. This will be done through phone and remote computer access arrangement and will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.

Conclusion

We look forward to and require all of your cooperation in this regard, giving due consideration to both your own health and the health of co-workers along with customers, contractors, and others with whom we interact. As things develop we will re-assess our approach, seeking to apply good judgment to protect our employees, patients, and reputation. Know that it is up to each person to do their part to minimize the spread of this illness. Thank you.

–           Do we require a doctor’s note before allowing an employee to return to work following flu or COVID-19 symptoms?

–           recommended position:  Case-by-case analysis considering factors such as how long it has been since the employee was symptomatic, any then available medical recommendations from the employee’s physician (who may say that he/she does not want to see the employee in person as the person’s symptoms were sufficiently mild and to lessen the risk of infecting the doctor’s staff or other patients) or local/national health experts (such as the CDC recommendations), and the degree of confidence attributed to the employee’s descriptions of his/her situation.

–           Will we direct employees to stay home when they believe they may have been somewhere with an increased risk of coronavirus exposure but it was not to an area known to be having a significant outbreak?

–           recommended position/policy statement:  Case-by-case approach, with employees asked to use good judgment on whether to remain home and not come to work in the event of a significant risk that they or an immediate family member has been exposed to the coronavirus. We recognize that it is not presently possible to determine clearly if this has happened and we do not wish to promote unwarranted fear (as an individual’s odds of exposure through normal activities are low).  Preventive approaches are recommended where they are based on recommended approaches from infectious disease experts.

–           Can remote access can be provided to permit all employees restricted from coming to our offices to work from home (and thus continue to be paid) A case-by-case approach, depending on the job and the nature of the work at the time, the availability and effectiveness of the computer hardware and software, and the expected duration of the absence.