3/25/2020
Hello Therapy Tree Families!
Committed to Excellence
On March 23, Governor Ducey signed an executive order prohibiting the closure of essential services. We are pleased to confirm that Therapy Tree falls under this order as an essential service. In light of this information, Therapy Tree will remain open for business as usual. We are committed to the success of our patients and will continue to do everything possible to ensure you are able to receive the services you deserve and need.
Teletherapy for the Win!
For those families that wish to receive services but are hesitant to leave their homes, we understand and we invite you to participate in teletherapy. For more information on teletherapy, please contact a member of the front desk at (480) 787-5387 or fill out our contact form here.
Prepared for the Worst
In the event that we need to temporarily close, we are prepared to enable essential workers to work-at-home on a temporary basis. Until such circumstances necessitate a temporary closure, Therapy Tree will continue to function as normal and we will perform our duties within the walls of the clinics as well as via teletherapy for those patients that elect to do so.
We thank you for your patience, understanding and grace.
Warm regards,
The Therapy Tree Team
480-787-5387
hello@therapytreeaz.com
3/18/2020
Hello Therapy Tree Families!
We wanted to share some good news with you regarding teletherapy.
AHCCCS has recently communicated that teletherapy will be a covered benefit on many Medicaid plans. HOORAY!
We are appreciative that the government has taken action to make it possible for Therapy Tree to continue to serve our patients and families.
We will have more info to come, but wanted to share this uplifting news with you. 🙂
Thank you for your patience, understanding and flexibility as we work together to navigate these uncertain times.
Sincerely,
The Therapy Tree Team
3/17/2020
Hello Therapy Tree Families!
We understand that many of our families have questions during this time. We are writing today with an update to all of our families on how we are continuing to provide quality services. We are taking our current situation very seriously and are dedicated to making Therapy Tree a safe place for staff and families throughout the coming weeks. We have increased our precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of our patients, families and staff. For updates on our precautions and a list of what we are doing as it related to COVID-19, please visit our website.
We know families are concerned that during this time of social distancing our children with special needs will regress and lose the gains they’ve benefited throughout this year. We understand your concerns and are working diligently to provide multiple options in order to support your child and their continued success and well-being, while also taking the COVID-19 situation seriously. In times like these, when things feel very out of our control, it’s nice to have options. We are doing our best to provide choices that meet the needs of each family we serve. It’s important that we lean into the needs of our families, and allow everyone to continue to have the opportunity to choose their best fit for this time. You know your family best, you know your children best, and we will honor that by providing options.
Below are three options for receiving services:
Option 1: Clinic therapy sessions at your normally attended clinic.
- If you currently receive services or if you are a new patient, you are invited to the clinic as usual.
- We will meet you outside (in front of our door) for your appointment for a brief wellness check.
- You will be escorted through the waiting room by your therapist once we notify them of your arrival.
- We are asking that you stay in your car until a few minutes before your start time.
- All children and therapists will start their session with hand sanitizing/washing.
- All therapy sessions will be held in either private rooms/classrooms or designated areas that will be fully sanitized in between sessions.
- All shared equipment space will be sectioned off and used by only one therapist that day with full sanitation procedures in between sessions.
- For information related to our precautions related to COVID-19, please see our website.
Option 2: Extended Weekend Hours
- For individuals that would prefer a setting in which fewer people are in the clinic, we are offering weekend appointment slots.
- You can change your current weekday slot to a weekend slot to enter into a considerably less populated clinic.
- All of the above mentioned precautions will continue to be provided.
- Please contact the front desk at 480-787-5387 if you would like to schedule an appointment for the weekend.
Option 3: Virtual Tele-therapy services
- Therapy Tree is now offering services remotely for parents and children through the use of a video-conferencing platform called ZOOM.
- This type of session would include the therapist “meeting” with you through a computer, tablet or phone at your normal appointment time.
- Please note: Medicaid (AHCCCS) currently does not cover tele-therapy sessions. We are working diligently to offer you and your child the care they need and simultaneously encouraging the government to pass a bill that would enable therapists to provide tele-therapy to Medicaid
- patients. We need your help! Please contact your congress-person at this link. We will continue to exhaust all options to support you and your child.
- Please contact the front desk at 480-787-5387 if you would like to explore the option of a tele-therapy session.
Therapy Tree is fully committed to your children, your family and our team members. We understand the conflict and struggle that many families are facing. We are here to help. Additional resources for therapy can be found on our website, facebook and instagram.
Please call us with any questions, concerns or updates on your family’s circumstances.
Thank you for your support, help and trust. It is an honor to serve you and your family!
Sincerely,
The Therapy Tree Team
3/15/2020
Hello Therapy Tree Families!
Because our team cares deeply about our community and patients, we wanted to provide some comforting information. Therapy Tree can report that there are no confirmed cases of COVID 19 at any of our clinics, and no report of confirmed cases with any connection to our clinics.
At this time, we are pleased to announce that we have no plans to close our clinics. We would like you to know that we have always had strict measures in place to ensure that our patients can receive therapy services without the fear of getting sick. At each of our clinics, we have always used medical/commercial grade cleaners to disinfect equipment and surfaces on a regular basis. The most commonly used areas of our clinics are disinfected frequently throughout the day. You may have noticed our staff is cleaning more often throughout the day, as we’ve decided to increase our efforts to maintain the highest levels of cleanliness.
Additionally, we are closely working with your pediatricians to ensure that we are inline with their recommendations for the health and safety of you and your child. At this time, our pediatricians have emphasized the importance of maintaining therapy appointments to ensure the continued progress of your child with an additional emphasis on closely monitoring signs of fever. We kindly ask parents with children that have fever-like symptoms to stay at home and notify the front desk.
We can assure you that we are taking every measure possible to ensure the well-being of the clients we serve and to be able to continue therapy services. We already take several precautions, especially during flu season, which have enabled us to get a jump start on being prepared for situations like this.
Here’s what we are already doing and will continue to do:
- Wash and sanitize hands before and after sessions
- Disinfect and sanitize equipment and surfaces between sessions
- Appropriately cover coughs and sneezes and dispose of tissues immediately after use
- Provide access to hand sanitizer, tissues and cleaning stations for staff and patients
- Frequently touched surfaces (workstations, countertops, doorknobs, etc.) are disinfected every night and at lunch daily
Cleaning crew will continue to clean and disinfect all surfaces each evening
Additional disinfecting and cleaning will occur after surfaces are soiled
Patients, parents and staff who appear to be ill upon arrival to the clinic are assessed by management and sent home if appropriate
In addition to our regular precautions that we take to prevent the spread of illnesses, our staff and cleaning crew will be conducting enhanced cleaning procedures throughout the day and each evening.
Additional measures we are taking in response to COVID-19:
- The cleaning crew of each clinic will be doing a deep clean each evening utilizing medical/commercial grade disinfecting chemicals
- Educational materials and posters related to preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be posted
- Wellness screenings are being conducted at the clinic entrance to ensure that patients are well
- Families and care-givers are encouraged to wait in their vehicles during therapy sessions
- Patients and staff who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms upon arrival to the clinic or become sick during the day will be assessed by management and sent home as appropriate
What can you do to help?
- Keep calm and wash your hands 🙂 The CDC has emphasized the need to wash hands regularly, cover coughs and use disinfecting solutions.
- When you arrive at the clinic, please utilize the hand sanitizer as appropriate or wash your hands in our restroom.
- We ask that patients and parents who are confirmed to have COVID-19 to please notify the clinical director of their clinic. Confidentiality will be maintained as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- We ask that patients, parents and staff who are well but have a sick family member at home with a confirmed case of COVID-19 to please notify the clinical director. Confidentiality will be maintained as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- We ask that patients and staff who are traveling outside the U.S. to please notify the clinical director prior to leaving and returning.
- Tools to Help you
- We have print-offs of a very effective hand-washing routine readily available at the front desk for you to take home. Feel free to ask for one.
Thank you for your support as we all work through these times together. We are committed to taking the necessary steps to protect our community and clinics and to ensure that patients are able to receive the therapeutic services they need. As we work together, you can expect us to remain open during our normal operating hours. We look forward to seeing you at Therapy Tree!
Sincerely,
The Therapy Tree Team