COVID-19 Outbreak Precautions for Hamilton Veterinary Hospital
Covid-19 Outbreak Precautions
We at Hamilton Veterinary Hospital recognize that your pets are an important part of your family, and you want to keep your family safe and healthy. A key part of the veterinary oath is to protect and promote public health. We believe we have an obligation to do our part to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In an effort to continue to provide care for our patients and protect our employees and clients, we are working within the CDC’s guidelines to keep our clinic and staff free of COVID-19.
We have taken extra measures to implement an even more rigorous than usual cleaning schedule and additional cleaning procedures that include disinfecting all door handles, the front counter, the credit card machine, and other frequently touched surfaces in the clinic. We will continue very frequent hand washing and encourage you to do the same. Per CDC and Health Department recommendations we will try to maintain a 6 foot personal zone when possible.
We are asking our staff to not come to work if they or someone in their family is coughing, has a fever, or is sick in any way. We are dedicated to our work, so this is a difficult but necessary precaution. Please be patient and understanding as we all get through this health crisis.
As the CDC and Local government make recommendations, we will adjust our protocols. If the disease continues to spread rapidly (and we will not know that until broader testing occurs) it will likely impact every aspect of business (manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution). We recommend that clients consider their situation and plan for the potential of shortages including medications, supplies, and food. Please take into account the shelf life of the product(s), check expiration dates and plan accordingly.
Our new guidelines effective immediately:
1. Please call ahead for all medication or food refills in an effort to make sure we have items in stock. When you arrive at Hamilton Veterinary Hospital, call the office (609-888-3400) and a staff member will bring your medications and food to your car and collect payment there. Please don’t request extra medication. This will allow everyone to be able to have their pet’s medications filled.
2. Our front door will be locked to maintain social distancing. Call our office (609-888-3400) when you need to come into the building.
3. If you have traveled to a level 2 or 3 region within 14 days, have a fever, cough or other respiratory symptoms please reschedule your appointment, or ask another family member or friend to bring your pet to the hospital. We want to continue to provide excellent care for your precious pets, and in order to do so, we need to stay healthy. We work very closely with each other and your pets. Illnesses can spread easily in this environment. According to the CDC, there is currently no known reason to believe that any animals, including pets in the US, can spread COVID-19 and there haven’t been any cases of the virus being transferred from pet to human. To date, the CDC has not received any reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19.
4. In order to provide social distancing for our clients, we are requiring that all clients wait in their car with their pets. Call 609-888-3400 when you arrive, and when your appointment is ready we will call you to come into the hospital and one of our staff members will escort you into an examination room or will take your pet into the hospital treatment room for treatment. A maximum of 1 adult client is allowed into the hospital with each pet.
5. We will be doing the majority of treatments and diagnostics in the treatment area to reduce exposure of our staff. Please understand this is for the health and safety of our staff and our clients.
6. We will not be scheduling technician appointments for toenail trims until this crisis is over .
7. Please be patient while we schedule appointments, during our check in/out procedures, and while waiting for an exam room. Taking the necessary precautions between clients and patients will require more time. We will be adjusting our scheduling accordingly.
8. If you have any questions about your visit or your pet, we are always available to answer your questions. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
9. Additional procedures may be added and modified in the coming days/weeks.