As we get ready to open the UC BABY businesses in the different provinces, our priority continues to be the health safety and confidence of our clients, their families, and our UC BABY team. We want to ensure that we have protective and precautionary guidelines in place.

We immediately revised our operational practices at our UC Baby clinics all around Canada.  As our business is considered as “elective health service,” we are carefully taking the following precautions as new COVID-19 era’s safety guidelines.

Comprehensive Re-Opening Plan for UC Baby Franchises in Canada due to COVID-19

Precautions taken at the time of booking an appointment:

• Ask about clients and their partner’s travel history during appointment booking and advise of 14days isolation required if they travel before their appointment date.
• Ask clients if they have any of the following recent flu symptoms:
  • Fever
  • New cough
  • Sore throat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sneezing
  • Muscle aches
  • Hoarse voice
  • Unusual fatigue
  • Runny nose
  • Headache
  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of smell and/or taste
  • Unexplained red, purple, or blue lesions on feet, toes or fingers
• If any of the above symptoms are experienced, the customer will be requested to complete the 811 online assessment tool.
• Ask about any contact with COVID-19 infected person, and reschedule for 14 days later if this is positive.
• Inform clients that if they are feeling unwell the day of their appointment, they must reschedule and use the 811 online assessment tool.
• Schedule customers with 15 minutes of free time between appointments for disinfecting surfaces.
• Ask clients are to arrive wearing non-surgical facial masks.
• Inform clients that they are permitted to arrive with 1 GUEST ONLY.
• Inform clients of all new policies and procedures by sending them a detailed information email outlining all steps at the time of booking.
• Staff member will collect all information for UC Baby intake forms over the phone to eliminate paper/pen contact and time in the office. Staff will ask the customer all questions on the form and will fill in the answers for the customer.

When customer arrives for an appointment:

• Customer will call or text to “check-in” before they enter the premises.
• If staff has office prepared for the appointment (see “After customer leaves office” below), customer will be informed to enter the premises.

Upon entering our space, the following steps will be strictly adhered to:

• While maintaining 6 feet of social distancing by clearly marked floor decals, both the client and her 1 guest (if applicable) will arrive wearing non-surgical facial masks and be asked the following:
  Are you feeling well? Do you have any of the following symptoms:
  • Fever
  • New cough
  • Sore throat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sneezing
  • Muscle aches
  • Hoarse voice
  • Unusual fatigue
  • Runny nose
  • Headache
  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of smell and/or taste
  • Unexplained red, purple, or blue lesions on feet, toes or fingers

• If the customer or her guest is feeling unwell or has any of the above symptoms, the appointment will be immediately cancelled. They will be asked to go home and complete the 811 online assessment tool.
• While maintaining 6 feet of social distancing by clearly marked floor decals, a staff member will log the first and last name along with phone numbers of the client and her guest, as well as any staff present for the appointment in a registry for the purpose of contact tracing by Public Health if needed.
• The client and her guest will then be guided to the handwashing station by the ultrasound tech where they will each wash their hands for at least 30 seconds.
• The client and her guest will then proceed to the ultrasound table and guest chair for the ultrasound procedure.

 

Precautions taken in the Ultrasound Room

• 6 feet of physical distance will be kept between sonographer and client’s guest with clearly marked floor decals.
• Keeping appropriate physical distancing between the sonographer and the mother is not possible, therefore the following extra measures will be applied:
  • Ultrasound tech will be wearing a non-surgical facial mask, gloves, and a long-sleeve lab coat/hospital gown throughout the procedure
  • Client will be wearing a non-surgical facial mask at all times
• Clients will not be permitted to use cell phones during the appointment.

When the ultrasound session is complete:

• Guests and staff must proceed to handwashing station immediately for handwashing of at least 30 seconds each.
• Ultrasound tech will guide customers to the reception area.
• Customers will proceed to reception desk at the space designated for them using clearly marked floor decals for 6 feet of social distancing or a plexiglass barrier at the reception desk.
• Maintain the 6 feet clearly marked distance while handling goods and taking payments.
• Customers will be encouraged to pre-pay via e-transfer to decrease touched surfaces. If e-transfer is not an option, card payments will be accepted, but cash will not be accepted at this time. Customers will know this information prior to their appointment via our confirmation phone call and emailed details.

When customers have left the office:

• Staff will properly and carefully remove from PPE and discard one-time-use items, while placingthe lab coat in a washable laundry bag.
• Disinfect all contact surfaces – ultrasound machine, medical grade examination table, guest chair, sink/taps, door knobs/handles, reception desk, and payment terminal.
• Contact next customer to enter premises if applicable, and repeat steps for “When Customer Arrives for Appointment”.

Staff precautions taken at the end of each day:

• Meticulously clean the entire facility with sanitizers.
• Wash hands with soap at least 30 seconds.
• Disinfect the ultrasound machine and all the other devices in the ultrasound room and the reception area including computers, printers, TVs and remote controls.
• Change staff members’ clothes and wash them at high temperature at home.
• Staff members will not work if they have any flu symptoms or anyone in their immediate household is diagnosed positive with COVID-19.

 

General office precautions:

• Maximum of 5 people permitted in our office at any given time, however there may be as few as 2 and commonly only 3 present at any given time.
• Staff members are informed are to self-assess their health at the beginning of each work day. If staff members are feeling unwell or have any of the following symptoms, they will be required to go home and complete the 811 online assessment tool:
  • Fever
  • New cough
  • Sore throat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sneezing
  • Muscle aches
  • Hoarse voice
  • Unusual fatigue
  • Runny nose
  • Headache
  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of smell and/or taste
  • Unexplained red, purple, or blue lesions on feet, toes or fingers
• If a private washroom is within the UC Baby office (varies from one franchise location to the next), all touch surfaces will be disinfected between appointments, including taps/sinks, toilet, countertop, door knobs/handles.
• If the washroom at the facility is a public washroom, staff must communicate to building operator that disinfecting practices have to be completed often and regularly on all of the above mentioned washroom surfaces.
• PPE will be available to guests who arrive without non-surgical facial masks. Gloves will also be available to those who request, however, all guidelines above including handwashing must still be followed.
• Hand sanitizer will be available for client use at the entrance, reception desk and in the ultrasound viewing room.
• Physical distancing will be strictly maintained between ultrasound tech and client when possible – before and after the ultrasound session, and physical distancing will be maintained at all times between ultrasound tech and guest, all with the use of clearly marked floor decals indicating 6 feet of distance.
• The office door will remain locked between appointments to ensure that no unexpected guests enter the premises without the screening steps above. There will be a clearly stated message on the outside of the office door to indicate that they must exit the premises and call or text our staff for further communication.
• Adequate ventilation and air conditioning will be provided.
• Used lab coats/gowns will be taken home by the ultrasound tech at the end of the day in a washable laundry bag, and washed in high temperature.

 

** COVID-19 SURCHARGE *

As our UC Baby locations incur additional cost of improved sanitization, PPE, floor markings, plexiglass, and extended time interval between each bookings to protect client’s exposure to others, a decision is made to add $5 for each client as the surcharge of COVID-19. This should appear as a separate item in the invoice and not added as part of the package prices.

This fee should be applied one time for each client. If the client is coming for repeat or second session of her multi-visit package, the fee won’t be charged again.

……………………………………………………………

To our valued clients,

We hope that you and your families are staying safe and healthy during these challenging times. Your safety, and that of your families, continues to be at the forefront of our minds.

Sincerely,
Tina Ureten, MD, RDMS, RDCS
President of UC Baby

 

August 2, 2023