WE'RE BACK! What's changed and what hasn't since COVID-19

Why we closed

As we all know the “Stay Home, Save Lives” order was given by Governor Kate Brown back on March 12, 2020. The order began with the closure of K-12 schools and limiting the size of social gatherings beyond 250 people. Once the situation was deemed a national emergency by the President on March 13, 2020, the leadership team at Headquarters Physical Therapy knew it would be important to contribute to any efforts to curb the spread of disease with full intention. 

On March 16, 2020, 3 days before the executive order was amended to include the postponement of non-urgent health care procedures, we made the decision to close all in-person clinical services. While physical therapy as a whole was considered an essential service, we felt that designation referred primarily to acute care, home health, and skilled nursing therapists and not so much outpatient orthopedic physical therapy. 

Though we didn’t know how long we would be closed for, we knew that the strength of our remote rehab and telehealth experiences would allow us to continue to keep our patients and clients headed in the right direction whether they were post-operative, nutrition, general knee pain, or general health and fitness.

Why we reopened 

As confident as we are in our remote offerings we still love seeing patients in our physical spaces. We love being right there with them when they realize they have less pain, greater physical strength, and an overall healthier outlook on themselves. We love seeing the looks on their faces when they accomplish something that they thought was unattainable just a few weeks prior. 

Governor Kate Brown lifted the restrictions on non-urgent health care on May 1, 2020 and we knew it was time to consider whether we felt that the time was right for us to get back into the clinic. The leadership team spent the following week preparing procedures for sanitizing, ordering disposable face masks, medical gloves, and making sure clinics were equipped to provide an adequate physical therapy experience without putting patients at risk of infection. 

As with all decisions, many factors came into play and we felt that our patients would be best served by having the option to come into the clinic or continue their care remotely.

What you can expect now

Currently, we are providing masks and gloves to all patients and providers. Patients and clients who are considered at-risk (per CDC risk factor guidelines) are encouraged to continue their care remotely. All equipment and treatment surfaces are disinfected between patients and, as always, hands are constantly being washed between sessions. Additionally, providers are discouraged from scheduling sessions back to back to allow adequate time for disinfectants to do their job properly and reduce the overwhelming smell of cleaning solutions. 

Truthfully, we do not know how long these procedures will be in place for but clients can rest assured that we will adhere to them as long as local and federal officials recommend doing so. And while wearing protective equipment can be burdensome while exercising or discussing pain and injury, we would be devastated if any oversight on our behalf contributed to the sickness of someone under our care. 

So while some procedures have changed, patients and clients can rest assured that the core of who we are and what we do has not changed. Our patients still come first and delivering high quality care that is honest, effective, and impactful is still our priority. 

At the end of the day you can rest assured that we will continue to do whatever it takes to provide the best physical therapy experience in Portland, Oregon. 

Looking forward together 

We’ll skip the cliches about silver linings, reinventing yourself, and diamonds being made from pressure.  We won’t talk about “unprecedented times” or how we’re all in this together. The truth is this entire situation is not the same for all of us. While some have busier work schedules others have lost their jobs. While some are excited about the opportunity to get “back to normal” others are intimidated by the idea of a “new normal”. 

So as we look to the next few weeks and months we can confidently say that we have no idea what our “normal” will look like. Some of you are eager to get back into the gym and will benefit from our help in making sure that a reintroduction to a regular fitness routine does not lead to injury. Others of you are hesitant to be in a public space with shared surfaces and equipment. Whichever camp you find yourself in you can rest assured that we are with you 100% of the way. 

If you’re ready to start a new exercise program, finally address that nagging (or new) injury, or begin a new nutritional journey then we are just as excited as you are. 

However, if you’re hesitant or nervous to come in that’s ok as well. We’ll be ready when you are. 

If you have any questions or would simply like to speak with a physical therapist directly just fill out one of the forms below and we will reach out to you.  

To welcome everyone back into the clinic we are also offering a discount through the month of May. Click the link for details!