The spring of 2020 has been a time of unprecedented upheaval for all of society. Anxiety has become even more prevalent than before, even for those with no history of mental illness.
We at Alchemy Wellness have worked diligently to adapt the business to best protect the public while still taking excellent care of our patients. Outlined below are the measures we are taking to balance the interests of the greater public health with the necessary mental health treatment of our patients.
Masking up
Our staff wears either surgical masks or fitted N95 respirators while in the clinic and treating patients, since we cannot perform our jobs while maintaining social distancing.
Regular clinic hours
We’ve resumed our regular clinic hours. We are now open five days per week, on Mondays through Friday.
Decreasing foot traffic in clinic
We have taken several measures to decrease foot traffic and exposure to others. We no longer allow visitors to enter the clinic, and ask them to wait outside in their cars during patient infusions. We do not use our waiting room at all, and immediately take patients back to their private treatment rooms.
We have also paused our third-party housekeeping service, as there is potential for transmission of the virus from another facility. We are cleaning the office ourselves, both between patients and between days that we are open.
Staggering appointment slots
We’ve implemented a policy of staggering all appointments, which decreases people walking through our hallway at the same time. This way, we can support social distancing among our patients.
Exclusively telephone consultations
We are only offering telephone consultations for the foreseeable future. Our schedule is flexible, to accommodate patient and loved one availability, so that anyone supporting your treatment can be included in the conversation. We know that support is important when struggling with depression and anxiety, and we want to incorporate your family or friends, in an effort to serve you best.
Continuity of care for patients from other ketamine clinics
Recently, a large chain of ketamine clinics along the east coast closed without warning. Many patients were left without access to their records, or the regular booster infusions that they need to maintain the benefits of their initial series of ketamine infusions. These patients are understandably distressed, in light of that unexpected change combined with the current changes caused by the coronavirus. We are happy to help these patients with a free telephone consultation and booster treatments.
We urge you to do your part, by social distancing and taking all precautions you can to stop the spread of COVID-19. Please wash your hands, cover your sneezes, and only go out when you have to. Together, we will get through this very challenging time.
Rachel Featherstone is a nurse practitioner practicing at Alchemy Wellness, the newest ketamine clinic in Richmond, Virginia. Her professional focus is on the intersection of reproduction, sex, and mental health. She is a proud graduate of Frontier Nursing University, where she studied women’s health. When she’s not reading journal articles or kayaking, she’s spending her time resurrecting the Greater Richmond Maternal Mental Health Coalition.
