As you know, we closed the clinic the third week of March. This was one of, if not the hardest moments in our 14 years as an organization. As a group of people who share the desire to be of service to others and believe in the power of this medicine, shutting down was the last thing any of us wanted. But, it was the safe and right thing to do.
The difficult decision to close our doors means we will need to reemerge slowly. Additionally we will need to limit our patient volumes to ensure a safe space. At first, there will be some names and bright souls missing among our current line-up from the Mend equation. Some are graciously supporting from the sidelines while a few of us pave the way for safe spaces and a re-established practice. For others, the pause has made room for taking care of littles, going back to school, or other pursuits. There is sadness in the fact that the Mend team will not look like it did on March 17 when we closed our doors. A team of 30 will be a team of 12 when our doors re-open at the end of this month.
The team is small, but mighty. We have devoted the last few weeks to forwarding a plan that can serve our patients safely as we look towards reopening. Every logistical detail regarding safety (facility changes, distancing practices, responsible sourcing of PPE) is being combed through and tested now.
And heck, since this plane had to land, we took the chance to have a look under the hood and see what other tweaks and adjustments we could tinker with during this down time so that when it flies again, it will be simply smoother, safer and enjoyable for all.
For now, standby. Our ‘soft open week’ is slated for May 26 for both in-clinic and Tele-health* appointments (we’ve enjoyed our Chinese Herbal Consults & Take Home TCM consults so much that we are keeping them in the mix, even when we reopen our doors).
And we’ll be sharing our safety plans in the coming week for your review and reassurance that your time with us will be a safe one.
Thank you for all of your outreach and outpouring of encouragement. It has meant the world to be held so graciously. We look forward to reconnecting soon.
