During this very difficult time of uncertainty, one thing remains the same – the strength of our community.
Like many of you, our thoughts and prayers are with our neighbors, family and friends who may have lost someone they love or who may be battling this virus themselves. This is a difficult time for all of us and I think most have experienced or at least witnessed things that perhaps a year ago we could not have imagined such as the loss of life, unemployment rates this high, and a pandemic that may very well permanently change our lives.
Perhaps it should permanently change the way we live? Perhaps the silver lining in all of this will be that once the fierce grip of this pandemic has softened, we will emerge having learned some valuable lessons that from those lessons will come positive changes. I teach my children that every loss or failure is an opportunity to learn, and that with determination, perseverance and some conviction we can emerge stronger and better than ever before. This is certainly one of those situations.
At a minimum, I think it already has given us an opportunity to reflect and think about how we live and the choices we make. The COVID-19 crisis has caused an unprecedented level of emotional, social, financial and physical stress for the nation as a whole.Despite the immense stress, and in the face of overwhelming odds and adversity, I’m inspired by, and grateful for, the bravery and courage of our front line health care providers and other essential workers that are helping us all get through this crisis.
This pandemic has made us think and act in the best interest of our neighbors, friends and family. This pandemic, like many crises before, has made us think about our neighbors’ situation and what they may be going through, and most importantly how we can help.
My company, ProFysio Physical Therapy, is, fortunately for the patients we serve and our team members, deemed essential and continues to operate with limited hours and the implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended best practice. However, like many small businesses, we are combating an unfamiliar foe in COVID-19 and have been faced with some hard decisions and certainly the financial and emotional stress of a difficult situation and an uncertain future. My partner and I work tirelessly every day to ensure that we deliver needed treatment for our patients and keep as many of our team members employed as possible. And despite all of this, we continue to think of our neighbors and those that have paid the ultimate price and how our trials and tribulations pale in comparison.
Although our situation may be challenging at this time, we recognize that we are still fortunate in many ways and that frankly there are many facing graver challenges and circumstances that need our help. A commitment to our community has always been a core value at ProFysio. Every year we fundraise and coordinate food and toy drives in collaboration with nonprofit organizations to have a positive impact on our community. Just this week, ProFysio made monetary donations to local nonprofit organizations that serve our most vulnerable neighbors, because no one should go hungry.
What’s next? At ProFysio, we are busy planning for a bright future for the patients we serve and our team members.We are embracing this time to plan and implement permanent changes that will ensure the safety of our patients and the longevity and viability of our company.For example, we are actively working on enhancements to our telehealth systems so that when our patients can’t come to the office for any reason they can have access to their Doctor of Physical Therapy and receive treatment via smartphone, tablet or computer.
We’ve never been a practice that overbooks patients so while other companies may struggle to avoid overcrowding in treatment areas this will not be a problem for us. Nevertheless, we are working on new access features and scheduling models that will provide even more space between patients and appointments. As a company we have always had very short wait times because we understand how important and valuable your time is. But now, in order to reduce the amount of people in reception areas and increase convenience, we’ll be implementing new technology, convenience and self service features to nearly eliminate any and all wait times and the potential for the transfer of germs and bacteria.
Some believe that this is only the first wave of COVID-19 or that it may only be the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately I don’t have a crystal ball. But what I do know is that if we continue to consider, care, advocate and act in the best interest of our fellow human being and that if we choose to learn and change from this experience we will emerge stronger and wiser than before. That’s the approach we are taking at ProFysio.