Dear Clients,
With the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring COVID-19/Coronavirus as a pandemic and the recent national declaration of state of emergency, to safeguard the health of our clients, our clinicians and community at large, and contribute to the overall containment of the virus, the Hope Center for Wellness will transition all our therapy sessions to video sessions effective immediately until further notice. This was not an easy decision to make but made with careful consideration through clinical guidance, research and recommended best practices.
Although our office building management and Hope Center management have taken extra precautions and cleaning measures, there is no guaranteed safety for patients and office clinicians. In addition to hand washing and other personal hygiene measures, social distancing is recommended to slow down transmission rates. This is particularly important to reduce infection and transmission and very important on population level because it will protect vulnerable populations and avoid overwhelming our healthcare system. In participating in this measure, we are collectively taking an active and responsible role in managing the pandemic.
Due to our experience with TeleMental Health, we feel confident that the quality of our services and therapeutic interventions will remain. We are grateful to be able to leverage technology during this uncertain and difficult time. TeleMental Health will allow us to continue meeting and work on our therapeutic goals without exposing us to additional risk. TeleMental Health is offered through a HIPAA compliant and secure platform and is very user friendly. The basic requirements for clients are to have access to a computer with video/auditory capacity or a smart device (phone or tablet) and meeting in a private and confidential space.
Some of you have already experienced participating in video sessions. For others, this will be a new experience. We thank you for adjusting to this temporary way of delivering services. In our practice, we follow the TeleMental Health guidelines created by the American TeleMedicine Association, the Mid-Atlantic TeleHealth Resource Center and the National Association of Social Workers.
In the coming days, your therapist will follow-up to provide more guidance and step-by-step instructions to telehealth. We will be providing more clinical hour options to accommodate possible changes in appointment times should you desire to move your appointment to a time where you can ensure having access to confidential and private space from home or office. Our client cancellation policy remains to cancel or reschedule 24 hours prior to session.
Thank you for your continued trust. Together, we can work towards a healthy community. Wishing you continued safety and health.
In Solidarity,
Cheryl Aguilar, LICSW, LCSW-C
Founding Director and Therapist
Hope Center for Wellness, LLC
202-508-3673 | [email protected]