As of: 03/18/2020

Information on TBVME's Response to COVID-19

In the wake of the Governor’s Emergency Declaration, TBVME will be waiving some continuing education requirements during the emergency and staff has moved to working remotely.

For any license renewals occurring during the emergency declaration period, continuing education requirements will be waived. We understand that due to the cancellation of conferences and meetings, the requisite number of hours may be difficult to obtain and thus waiving the continuing education requirement for all license renewals for as long as the emergency declaration continues.

The statute and rule on telemedicine allow for veterinarians to provide care via telemedicine to existing patients. However, a veterinarian client patient relationship may not be established solely through telemedicine. There is no written guidance on how often a veterinarian must see an animal to maintain the valid client-patient relationship. During these times, we encourage our licensees to use their best judgment and use telemedicine where they can to meet the needs of their clients and patients.

In addition, to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and based on the latest recommendations from the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), TBVME has moved to remote operations at least through March 30. This means that our offices will be closed to the public, and we will not be offering in-person scheduled or walk-in appointments.

During this time, our staff will work diligently to ensure that all operations of the agency continue uninterrupted during this period of remote operation.
We encourage our members to stay up to date on the latest news about the virus and necessary safety precautions by visiting the DSHS website. The TBVME Board and executive leadership will continually assess the situation before determining when to reopen the agency to the public. We will actively update our website and social media feeds as the situation evolves.

 

FROM: THE PET LOSS CENTER

Dear Veterinary Partner,

As a follow-up to the communication that was sent out on Friday, March 13, 2020 (communication can be found here) we wanted to share operational changes that will go into effect immediately. These changes will support our operations while following the recommended social distancing guidelines presented by the CDC.

In order to further protect our veterinary partners and employees we are temporarily altering the following procedures:

  • During pick up to reduce contact between clinic staff and our drivers can we ask that  clinics verify that all signatures are on Trusted Journey (TJ) forms prior to pick up. While this is not a new procedure we ask that you ensure this protocol is followed for everyone's safety. This will prevent us from having to ask for them to be signed and contribute to social distancing efforts. 
  • Upon delivery we will not be requesting signatures as usual. Our drivers will request a verbal verification of the packages delivered and notate the paperwork accordingly. This will help eliminate the exchange of pens and paper between people.
  • During this time, we are suspending all viewing and witnessing until further notice.
  • There have been requests for digital examples of the urns available, please find a PDF version of our Memorialization Options Placemat here.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your Account Manager directly.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Peter A. Gudmundsson
CEO
The Pet Loss Center

 

As of: 03/13/2020

We continue to closely monitor the situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19)

CTVSEH is Medium Exposure

Risk Medium exposure risk jobs include those that require frequent and/or close contact with (i.e., within 6 feet of) people who may be infected with SARS-CoV-2, but who are not known or suspected COVID-19 patients. In areas without ongoing community transmission, workers in this risk group may have frequent contact with travelers who may return from international locations with widespread COVID-19 transmission. In areas where there is ongoing community transmission, workers in this category may have contact be with the general public (e.g. in schools, high-population-density work environments, and some high-volume retail settings).

Here at CTVSEH, we plan to increase daytime/nighttime cleaning of high-traffic and frequently touched surface areas, including:

  • Doorknobs (will be wiped down 3-4 times per hour; ALL door handles inside and out)
  • Appliances (e.g., microwaves, refrigerators and coffee machines)
  • Conference room and break area chairs
  • Stair handrails
  • ALL exam rooms will be getting a FULL wipe down after EVERY appointment, no exceptions.

There are also ways we can help protect ourselves and one another. The easiest and most effective way to reduce the spread of infection is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and throughout the day. Other ways to minimize the risk of any respiratory infection include:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick
  • Stay home when you are sick
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces

As more information becomes available, we will share updates with you. Thank you for your dedication to our patients, clients and team members during this uncertain time. Your expertise and compassion will be extremely appreciated in the weeks to come.

 

Client Care:

Since it has been shown that the COVID-19 virus can live on cash for a period of time, the following should happen.

  • We should have a box of gloves up front near the checkout areas. 
  • Before taking cash or a credit card from a client, gloves should be put on being sure not to touch your face while wearing the gloves
  • Use wipes or hand sanitizer to wipe down the Credit Card machines hourly to minimize spread from one client to another
  • We need to have Stylus up front for clients to use to sign on tablets with them being wiped after each use along with the tablet case
  • You should advise clients that we will not be taking any personal items for pets during this uncertain time. That we do have blankets and cuddle items for them.
  • Wipe down clip boards and pens after use for registration papers or any other papers by any and all owners.
  • Have some small and large baggies up front to use for pill bottles being brought in with the pets. Have the owner put bottles in the baggie.  

 

Clinical and hospital team members:

*If clients are sick with a fever and/or respiratory symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing) and

Their pet needs attention:

  • They MUST call ahead so we can confirm that their pet needs to be seen by the

emergency service, and to give them instructions on how to proceed.

  • If it is determined that pet needs to be seen immediately, we will ask that

someone else who is not showing any symptoms bring the pet to the hospital on

their behalf.

  • If our doctor determines that the pet needs to be seen immediately and no one

else can bring the pet in for them, we will give them a phone number to call

when they arrive at the parking lot. They NEED to be asked to Please wait in their car and do not enter the hospital.

  • We will meet them at the car to assess the pet, bring the pet inside for an exam

and then we will call when the exam is complete. (**We are NOT to use anything of the owners. NO collars, leashes of any kind. Make sure to use 2 slip leads on all dogs, no exceptions!! Cats, make sure we wipe down the handles on the carrier and that it is properly latched prior to removing it from the vehicle!!)

 

*If a client is one at risk (elderly or immunosuppressed)

  • They will need to call ahead to let us know that they are coming for an appointment and are

at a higher risk so we can minimize their social exposure.

  • Please ask them to call once they’ve arrived for their appointment. We will gladly come to their car to bring the pet inside or we can take them directly into a freshly wiped down

exam room without having to touch any door handles or be around others in the

lobby.

  • If they do want to wait in the car, we can call them or come out to the car with the pet

once the exam or appointment is complete.

 

New Policy for Inpatient Visits 

  • We must immediately restrict visits to hospitalized patients. The only patients

that can receive visits are those that are critically ill AND hospitalized in the ICU

and whose owners do not have any respiratory symptoms.

  • NO personal items can be retained with the pet while hospitalized, including

blankets, toys, collars, leashes, etc. Please do not allow any items of the pets or owners left in the hospital. The owner needs to remove the leash and collar for our team members as we will place one of ours on their pet.

  • We will use medications from within our hospital to give to pets to avoid

multiple persons from handing pill vials that any owner might have already for the pet.

If there is a special medication that we do not carry, we will ask that the vials or

containers be placed in a plastic baggie handled by one of our team members

that we will label. Our team will then use a new pair of gloves any time we have

to handle the bottle.

  • Please ask that all clients use the sanitizing agents at the front desk upon arrival as needed.
  • We ask that everyone practice ‘social distancing’ and maintain a distance of 6 feet from others, and refrain from shaking hands.