6/15/20 The Hand Therapy & Occupational Fitness Center is open for clinic appointments at this time. However, as we are only able to operate at 75% of our normal capacity to ensure appropriate social distancing, we continue to limit scheduled appointments to once a week for all our clients so that we can meet the demand of the influx of patients requiring in-clinic therapy.
Masks are required at all times in the clinic.
Temperature screening is required before entering the clinic.
Please, cancel your appointment if you feel ill, have a temperature, have a cough or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is in the process of being tested.
We are taking extra measures at this time to disinfect all equipment, tables and chairs after each use.
We continue to offer a telehealth option for those who are in high-risk groups and for those who are uncomfortable attending in-clinic appointments. Please use the Telehealth option to book your appointment online or call the clinic at (805) 682-3055 to schedule through reception.
5/9/20 The Hand Therapy & Occupational Fitness Center is cautiously welcoming back our patients for limited in-clinic appointments. To maintain appropriate physical distancing, appointment frequency and duration will be affected.
We continue to strongly encourage those who are in the high risk categories or those who are not comfortable attending in-clinic appointments to use our telehealth option. We would also like to suggest that those who have a quick question, those that would like to just check-in with the therapist or those who need to progress/update their home programs also use the telehealth option to reserve our limited appointments for those with acute needs.
Face masks will be required at all times in the clinic. Physical Distancing Protocols will be enforced. You can access the clinic's COVID-19 & Physical Distancing Protocol here:
4/14/20 The Hand Therapy & Occupational Fitness Center remains closed to in-clinic appointments. Please choose the Telehealth Option to schedule an online appointment. We can guide your recovery, provide information, discuss your healing, advise you in techniques to control scar, swelling and pain from a hand or arm injury during an online therapy session.
3/22/20 The Hand Therapy & Occupational Fitness Center is currently closed to in-clinic appointments. For an online consult or check-in, go to the Telehealth Option, choose your therapist, choose your time. We will meet with you online!
3/19/20 A statewide Stay-At-Home order was issued by Governor Newsom effective tonight. It is with great sadness that we shut down the clinic at this time at least through April 1 and likely through April 7.
If you have appointments schedule with us during the first week in April, you will likely be receiving a call that we are cancelling those appointments sometime at the end of the month. However, we do not want to cancel just yet as we see how this situation plays out. We want to be back in the clinic as soon as is possible while still doing our part to flatten the curve and help those at risk, as well as our loved ones and the community at large, healthy.
The good news is that we have our telehealth platform ready to schedule appointments.
If you are an established Hand Therapy & Occupational Therapy patient, click below to schedule an appointment time to consult with your therapist online through TheraPlatform.
If you are a new patient or a self-referred patient who has had the misfortune to have had a recent hand injury or surgery at one of the worst possible times to seek in-person care, we will be happy to consult with you online as well. We just may need to work out a few kinks in figuring out the paperwork and billing aspects. We appreciate your patience. Click to schedule an appointment and we will continue to work on figuring things out together.
3/17/2020 ☘️ The Hand Therapy & Occupational Fitness Center is currently still open for limited appointments. However, we are on a skeleton crew and, to flatten the curve and expose fewer people to COVID-19, especially those at higher risk, and to prevent a potential strain on our medical system if this virus continues to exponentially spread, we request that you cancel your appointments through the end of March if you are in any of the high risk groups, if you have any underlying conditions, if you have a fever, cough or feel generally unwell, or if you are over the age of 65 per CDC recommendations. We will be asking screening questions and taking temperatures at the front desk prior to any appointment.
We continue to work on Telehealth options and should be able to begin checking in with our clients in the very near future electronically. Please continue to check back for updates. In the meantime, if you need to consult with a therapist via phone or email, please contact us. (805) 682-3055 clinic@handtherapysb.com
🍀Happy Saint Patrick's Day. May we seek and find what is good around us today as we deal with so many uncertainties. 🌈
3/16/2020 The Hand Therapy & Occupational Fitness Center is currently still open for limited appointments at this time for those with more acute injuries. However, as we are all aware, this is a situation that is changing moment by moment. We will notify you via phone or email if we need to cancel additional appointments or in the event that we need to close the clinic. We are setting up a Teletherapy option for those who would like to consult with their therapist through an electronic platform. We continue to strongly advise that those in the high risk groups self-isolate and do not attend their therapy appointments at this time.
3/15/2020 As many of you are aware, we have stringently enhanced our already-in-place infection control policies over the last few weeks to ensure that our facility is a clean and safe environment. Although I do not want to spread fear and panic, my interpretation of recent events is that this pandemic needs to be taken very seriously.
On 3/11/2020, the Coronavirus threat was declared a pandemic. On 3/12/2020, Santa Barbara Public Health declared a State of Emergency for the county and has mandated social distance practices. On 3/15/2020, California Governor Newsom requested that seniors self-isolate due to their increased risk of Coronavirus complications.
With heavy heart, but in light of this, and to help “level the curve” of this threat, I feel that our hand therapy clinic must take our precautions to the next level to protect those at high risk, our clients, my staff who I care deeply about, and the Santa Barbara community in general. Please, cancel your therapy appointments through the end of March if you are:
Over the age of 65
Diabetic
Have Asthma or any Lung Disease
Have Heart Disease
Have any Underlying Health Issue
Or if you:
Have traveled in the last 2-3 weeks, either domestically or internationally
Been on a cruise ship within the last 2-3 weeks
Been exposed to someone who is ill
Please, stay home if you:
Have a Fever over 100 degrees
Have a Non-Productive Cough
Are Short of Breath
Are just not feeling well in general.
We will be asking these screening questions per the CDC recommendations as well as taking temperatures prior to each appointment. We will cancel your appointment if you answer yes to any one of the above questions or if you have a fever. For those who are not in the high risk groups, or for those with more acute injuries who do need to attend appointments in order to achieve a good injury/surgical outcome, we will be working on staggering and shortening treatments to minimize exposure. We also request that ONLY OUR CLIENT attend appointments at this time unless they have a caregiver who must attend as well. This is not the time to bring guests or children to your appointment.
I am currently working to develop our capability to provide consults through an online platform that is HIPAA compliant and secure so that we can check in with our clients and progress exercise programs, answer any questions, for those who need to cancel or for those with underlying conditions or in higher risk groups who should not be attending clinical appointments. CLICK HERE FOR TELEHEALTH INFORMATION
I ask that you please be patient with me and my staff and compassionate with each other as we attempt to adjust to this rapidly changing and evolving crisis. Take care and be healthy, Marji Hajic, OTR/L, CHT, Occupational Therapist, Certified Hand Therapist, owner