After consultation with our clinical and administrative staff and review of the current BC Public Health Office (PHO) and WorkSafeBC guidelines as well as information from the BC Centre for Disease Control, Community Therapists is pleased to provide an outline of our Restart Plan. In accordance with WorkSafeBC requirements, please click here for a detailed Safety Plan.
The primary goal of our Restart Plan is to keep staff, visitors and clients safe and reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission while gradually resuming operations. We expect this plan to be modified over time in response to updated direction from the PHO or WorkSafeBC. In developing our Restart and Safety plans, we used the chart presented here from the BCCDC which provides a hierarchy of various measures and their relative levels of protection.
A Summary of our Restart Plan
- Gradual Reopening of Head Office
Our head office is now open but with a limited number of staff onsite. Office workers attend the office on a schedule, working from home on some days and in the office on others. The schedule considers office workers, visitors, clinical team members and suppliers; it is managed daily to limit the number of occupants at any given time. In addition to the limit on the maximum number of people, there are specific limits for each room and area of the office which take into account physical distancing requirements.
- Signage & Education re Covid-19
We have increased the amount and clarity of our signage. All entrances to our offices have signage advising attendees not to enter our premises if they have any flu-like symptoms, have travelled outside of Canada within 14 days or have come into contact with someone who has Covid-19. Signage on how to prevent infection including personal hygiene and physical distancing is posted throughout our premises. Specific signage to cue maintenance of safe distance between office occupants is also in place.
- Support for Work from Home
We continue to support our office and clinical workers with secure and reliable work from home technologies. Worker’s who are not comfortable attending the office during the gradual restart are allowed to remain home.
- Telehealth Service Delivery
We continue to encourage the use of Telehealth Service delivery using our secure and reliable telehealth platform which meets Canadian privacy requirements. We have advised our clinical team members to continue to favor this method of service delivery during our Restart phase as long as treatment via Telehealth can be safe and effective.
- In-Person Clinical Services
As we gradually re-integrate in-person visits into our overall service delivery, we have taken a number of steps to ensure we minimize the risk of Covid-19 transmission. These steps include:
- All clinicians must conduct a Covid-19 Screening Questionnaire with clients the day before and the day of their scheduled session, prior to meeting their client
- Provision of PPE and education regarding the proper use of PPE; including wearing of masks when unable to maintain physical distances
- Providing guidance on how to modify service delivery to allow for physical distance of at least 2M, when possible
- Advising clients at time of scheduling appointments not to attend their appointment if they feel ill, have recently travelled outside of Canada or have been in contact with someone known to have Covid-19
- Visitor Management
We do not accept unscheduled visitors to our offices. This allows us to adhere to the occupancy limits we have set and ensure all visitors have been screened.
- Personal Protective Equipment and Measures
We have and continue to acquire a robust inventory of PPE supplies. Staff have been encouraged to bring their own utensils and dishware for meals, hand sanitizer is widely available in our offices and workers are instructed to self-isolate for 14 days (not attend the office) if they have flu like symptoms.
- Enhanced Cleaning Measures
We have increased sanitation and cleaning procedures in our offices to help prevent the transmission of Covid-19. These procedures extend to administrative and clinical areas of our offices (e.g. clinical equipment used in testing, door handles, counters).
- Elimination of Cancellation Charges Paid by Clients
In order to minimize the risk of clients not reporting flu-like symptoms to avoid cancellation fees, we have eliminated cancellation fees that a client would have to pay, out of pocket.
Clients, staff and payers may contact Laura Doig, Operations and Human Resources Manager for further information at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 604-681-9293 Ext 231.
