9/28/20
Dear Clients,
It’s almost October and Fall is here. It was our hope that with the change in season we would be able to relax our policies and welcome you back into our building. Unfortunately, the situation with COVID is still serious and is ever-changing and we don’t feel that it’s safe just yet. We plan to continue our curbside appointments indefinitely. Since we have such a small staff and we work so closely, if one member of the staff falls ill, we all would need to quarantine and we would no longer be able to provide services to your pets. Although we are careful with our scheduling and everyone wears masks, it is nearly impossible to maintain proper social distancing. Our building and exam rooms do not allow us enough room to follow recommended social distancing guidelines.
We will continue to monitor the situation with the hope that our next update will be to welcome you back into the hospital but we are unsure when that will be.
We know that some of you are hesitant to schedule appointments since you cannot be with your pet during the exam. We understand your hesitation, but we want to assure you that your pet is in good hands! Our nurses and assistant are experienced in getting your pet into our building and back to your vehicle as safely as possible. The doctors and nurses are also very experienced in working with pets that may be even more nervous than usual without their owners present. Please consider scheduling appointments when services are due so that we can continue to keep your pet healthy!
Please be mindful that we are scheduling wellness appointments for our established patients a month or more in advance. Please call us to schedule your appointment as soon as you receive the first reminder from us that services are due. This will ensure that you have the best selection of dates and times.
Thank you for your continued support for us. As a local small business, your support is what keeps us going. Thank you for wearing your mask when our staff come out to your car and for your patience with our reception staff when they speak with you on the phone.
We wish you continued health and look forward to the day when we can all meet in person again.
Sincerely,
The Doctors and Staff of Newington Veterinary Clinic
Curbside Appointment Procedure
- When you arrive for your appointment, please call to let us know that you have arrived. We will ask what kind of vehicle you arrived in and what phone number we can reach you at.
- The nurse or assistant will speak with you via phone to ask you some questions about your pet and to go over any recommended services. If your pet is extremely nervous or needs to be muzzled, or if you have any other concerns, you can discuss it with the nurse.
- The nurse or assistant will come out to your vehicle to get your pet.
- The doctor will perform her exam and any other services you have agreed on with the nurse.
- The doctor will call you to go over her exam and make any recommendations. If any other services are agreed on (bloodwork, other vaccines, etc.) the doctor will perform those with your permission after speaking with you.
- The nurse or assistant will bring your pet back to your vehicle.
- One of our receptionists will call you to take payment over the phone.
7/8/20
Dear Clients,
As we continue into the summer we are also continuing with our curbside appointments, curbside pickup of foods and medications and curbside drop off of lab samples. We continue to limit access to our building only to staff members. Although we are encouraged by the improvement in the COVID-19 situation in our state, we believe that we must remain vigilant to maintain the health and safety of both our clients and our staff. At this time, we expect to continue curbside service through the remainder of the summer and possibly beyond.
We understand that our phones have often been busy because of the curbside appointments. We have added another phone line so that we are better able to serve you and hopefully avoid the need for you to leave us a voicemail message. If you do find that you need to leave a message, please know that we check them often and will get back to you as soon as possible.
Please be aware that appointments for wellness care are always in high demand at this time of year and the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the demand for appointments. We urge you to call to schedule wellness appointments as soon as you receive your first reminder so that you have the best selection of appointment times and so that we can ensure that your pet is examined and vaccines are administered in a timely fashion. In most cases, we are unable to schedule last minute wellness appointments.
If your pet is a current patient and is suffering an illness or injury, we will do our best to see your pet as soon as possible. Please call our office at the first signs of a problem.
If your pet is not a current patient, please know that we are currently scheduling roughly 6 to 8 weeks into the future. Because of this we are only accepting new patients for wellness care. If your pet is sick or injured, we recommend contacting the closest urgent care hospital.
From all of us here at Newington Veterinary Clinic, thank you. We appreciate your patience. We appreciate that you wear masks when we come out to your vehicle. We appreciate that you have been so cooperative with these new procedures. We will continue to update you as the need arises. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to call if you have questions or concerns. We look forward to the day that we will be able to meet in person again, but until then, we look forward to meeting you curbside.
Be Well,
The Staff of Newington Veterinary Clinic
3/23/20
Dear Clients,
As the situation with COVID-19 continues to develop, we are continuing to monitor the situation and are adjusting our protocols to make sure that we continue to provide care to our patients while also keeping you and our staff safe. Here are our latest updates:
- Veterinary hospitals have been declared “essential services” so we will continue to be open for our regular hours to serve you and your pets.
- As of tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24, only staff members will be allowed inside our building. Our front door will be locked at all times.
- Medication refills and food pickups: We will continue “Curbside Pickup” for all food and medication refills. When your items are ready for pickup a staff member will call you to take payment over the phone. Then, when you arrive to pick up your items, please call us from your vehicle. A member of our staff will bring your items to your vehicle. Staff members will be wearing masks and gloves when they come to your vehicle.
- Appointments:
- When you arrive for your appointment, call our office to alert us that you are here.
- One of the nurses will speak with you via phone to gather any information needed for the appointment.
- The nurse will come to your vehicle to collect your pet and will bring him or her into the hospital while you remain in your vehicle. We will be using one of our leashes to bring your pet into the hospital and nurses will be wearing a mask and gloves.
- The doctor will perform the exam and will then call you to discuss their findings. They will go over any recommendations, medications, etc. at this time.
- The nurse will return your pet to your vehicle along with any medications, foods or other items to go home.
- A receptionist will speak with you over the phone to go over all charges and take payment over the phone.
- We will be emailing all itemized invoices instead of handing you a printed copy unless you request a printed copy.
If you are uncomfortable with any of these protocols we are happy to reschedule your appointment.
As the situation continues to change we will keep you updated with any other changes. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.
Be Well,
The Staff of Newington Veterinary Clinic
3/18/20
Dear Clients,
At this time our clinic remains open to care for your pets. We are following the Covid-19 pandemic closely and will update you with any changes in our operations.
We are instituting some policies to keep you and our staff safe:
- We have taken care to sanitize all areas of our clinic and will continue to do so several times daily.
- If you or someone you have been in contact with is experiencing symptoms of the Covid-19 infection, (cough, fever, malaise, or shortness of breath) we ask that you NOT bring your pet to our clinic. Feel free to ask a friend to bring your pet for you.
- If you have an appointment with one of our nurses/technicians, we ask that you remain in your car and phone us when you arrive. Our staff will bring your pet into the clinic for treatment and return your pet to your car.
- If you are picking up food or medication we are happy to bring it to your car. You may call the office and we can take payment over the phone and then bring the items to your vehicle.
- Although we always appreciate it when you refer family and friends to our clinic, we have decided not to accept any new patients for the time being so that we can focus on caring for the patients we already have a relationship with.
We appreciate your cooperation during these difficult times.
Be Well,
The NVC Staff
