As you’ve probably heard there are new federal and state guidelines against groups of 10 or more people in order to halt the spread of coronavirus. As of tomorrow, March 17th, 2020, our clinics will be closed. WCA will be open again as soon as possible. We'll send an email update when we are preparing to reopen.
We love you all and we'll be missing you.
In solidarity,
WCA
P.S. We know this is going to be a trying time for us all. It sucks, and WCA wants to try to help.
If you feel like kitty gifs and videos might help you feel better, we'll send one a day; direct to your email inbox.
If you want in, sign up for our COVID fighting cats. It will be just cuteness and laughs, nothing more.
Dear Friends of WCA,
Hi again! This is a coronavirus update.
Everything in our previous notice still applies (see news item below): please don’t come in for acupuncture if you are coughing or sneezing uncontrollably, have a fever, or are caring for someone who does. Please wash your hands as much as you can. We’re still following updates from the Multnomah County Health Department and we hope you are too. Here’s our update:
We have changed our schedule and hours at all locations. (More about this below.)
View the updated schedules
We’ve been doing some furniture rearranging and measuring and we are happy to report that our chairs are 6 feet apart (most of them were before we started rearranging, but we’d never checked).
We recognize that many people are managing the same health issues that they had before the coronavirus arrived, so our goal is to keep our clinics open unless the Health Department says otherwise.
As we said in our previous update, we trust everyone to make good decisions for their own health and the health of our community.
We’re sad to say that the changes in our schedule are a result of having to lay off some of our staff. Like most other small businesses, WCA has very narrow margins and limited savings, and we’re seeing a downturn as people stay home. (Please know we support you in staying home!) Layoffs are not what we wanted to do but we don’t have much choice.
We trust that we’ll get through this difficult time together, and we’re sending even more good thoughts to all of you.
In solidarity,
WCA
This is about our response to the coronavirus. As you probably know, information about the virus is changing daily and there are still many unknowns. We are closely following the Multnomah County Health Department.
Taking their advice to “Prepare, Don’t Panic”, we are:
Asking you to please stay home if you have a fever/chills, are coughing and sneezing uncontrollably, or are caring for someone who has these symptoms. We will not charge for missed appointments or late cancellations due to illness.
WCA cannot treat anyone for the coronavirus; if you think that you might have the coronavirus, please contact your primary healthcare provider immediately. (We figure you probably know this, but we’re obligated to say it.)
And, please cover your cough by coughing into your elbow or using a tissue. (We recognize that many people have coughs due to asthma, allergies, and other conditions.) And
Please wash your hands frequently. A recent study showed that washing ones hands five times a day reduces the likelihood of contracting a respiratory illness by 45%.
At our clinics, our staff and volunteers are also washing our hands as much as we can (see attached image); stepping up our cleaning/disinfecting of clinic surfaces; and staying home if we are sick.
We’re also making our own alcohol-based hand sanitizer -- since it’s very hard to find in stores right now (Here’s the recipe).
We have hand sanitizer for your use at the front desk of all of our clinics; please take some on your way in to your treatment, and on your way out also. We’re making it in bulk!
Trust is a foundational value for us at WCA. We trust everyone to pay what they can afford; to treat our shared space well; and to make good decisions for themselves about their health. This situation is no different; we still trust our patients to make good decisions about staying home when they might be contagious and taking care of themselves, each other, and our shared space. We recognize that different people have different needs and we support everyone in doing what they need to do to best take care of themselves. Regular acupuncture is an excellent immune-booster and stress reliever so we welcome you to come for treatment as part of staying healthy. We’re sending good thoughts out to all of you during this time. Please let us know if you have any questions.
In solidarity,
WCA
