Dear Koru Family,
I shared this newsletter with our newsletter subscribers a few days ago, but I also wanted to share it as a blog post to the general public.
At Koru Wellness Aesthetics, the health, wellness, and safety of our patients and staff are our top priorities. In light of the growing public-health concern about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to share what Koru has been doing to prioritize your health and wellness and share some practical tips on how to keep you, your family, and our community safe.
We are monitoring the evolving situation and following the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) in all of our practices and workspaces to keep our patients and team members safe and clean. This includes:
- Increasing our cleaning protocols – adhering to the strictest infection control and protective barrier protocols. We clean each surface of the treatment rooms before and after every single patient with hospital-grade disinfectant.
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Equipment and surfaces are cleaned with a hospital-grade disinfectant prior to seating every patient. In addition, high-touch areas like the bathroom and door handles are cleaned after every patient.
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Many items used during procedures are single-use only and are properly disposed of.
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For the wellness of our patients and others, we ask that patients refrain from coming to the practice if they’re not feeling well and especially if you have symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Until further notice, any patient who has traveled to, from, or through mainland China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, any country in Europe and the United Kingdom within the past 15 days will have treatment postponed. This includes traveling on connecting flights through these areas or coming into contact with people who have traveled to, from or through these countries. The CDC characterizes contact with an individual as coming within six feet (two meters) of a person.
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As a reminder, we have also increased secondary health screening requirements. In advance of visiting one of our offices, you will be asked questions regarding symptoms and travel history and may be sent home if you exhibit flu-like symptoms or fever. Please call us to reschedule your appointment – we will be waiving cancellation fees as necessary during these special circumstances. We already ask that our staff call in sick if they are not feeling well.
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We maintain medical standards of washing hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, before, during, and after patient contact. We have recommended Personal Protective Equipment for recommended procedures. We have hand sanitizer available at the front desk and in each treatment room.
What We All Can Do
- Stay informed. It’s important to process the considerable information we’re all receiving in a balanced and thoughtful way. With that in mind, worrying or panicking in response to the overwhelming amount of information can create stress in the body, which can compromise immunity. The CDC provides a comprehensive overview of “What You Should Know.”
- Protect yourself:
- Practice good hygiene. These habits include washing your hands frequently, and for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water to protect yourself and others from germs. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze – or use the inside of your elbow. Keep your hands away from your face, because germs routinely spread when a person touches something contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. If you cannot wash your hands, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- If you begin to develop cold- and flu-like symptoms or become ill, take care of yourself and minimize the spread to others by staying home. If you think you may have symptoms of coronavirus, call your primary healthcare provider.
We all have a responsibility to do our part to limit the spread of this virus and other illnesses, especially to those at a higher risk due to age, compromised immunity, and/or pre-existing conditions. Additionally, by doing as much as we can to stay healthy ourselves, we support the healthcare providers who will be caring for those in greater need when it becomes necessary.
Your health, wellness, and happiness are paramount to us at Koru Wellness Aesthetics and we are committed to monitoring the situation, communicating openly with you, and doing anything we can to help with this situation and anything else that comes our way.
Business Update:
As a very small business, we are also feeling the pain and uncertainty of this public health emergency along with the rest of New York City. With that said, we are going to be staggering appointments and reducing some hours, such as closing Mondays for now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to minimize exposure for our patients and staff. We are continuously monitoring NYC guidelines for small businesses and are alert to any recommendations/mandates towards closing, as the case may be. As the conditions are fluid, please call 212-396-3672 or email hello@korunyc.com or check our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/korumedspa or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/korumedspa/ @korumedspa for updates before stopping by.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding in these uncertain times,
Vivian Chin, MD, MPH
March, 2020
