Welcome

11/11/20

I just realized that my last couple of emails didn't post here, for whatever reason. My apologies for not noticing sooner!

 

Due to skyrocketing positive COVID case, I remain closed for the indefinite future. I have been following the advice of many experts in my field as well as virologists unrelated to massage therapy, and their consensus is clear: it is nowhere near safe to return to giving or receiving massage here in southeastern WI. When the time comes that it is safe to reopen, I will be in contact with everyone. Until then, all I can do is wait and make sure I have everything I need in order to safely reopen when the time comes.

 

Please help me reopen soon by wearing a mask, keeping physical distance from other people that don't share your home, washing your hands, and staying home as much as possible. The main reason I have not been able to work since March(!!) is the fact that so many people refuse to take this seriously. I would REALLY like to get back to work, but I cannot safely return with numbers this high and continuing to rise. 

 

5/15/20

I've got to be honest.
I'm struggling. 

So, as everyone is surely aware of by now, the Shelter in Place order was fully lifted this past week, effectively plunging the state into chaos. At least, plunging business owners who work "up close and personal" with people here in Wisconsin into chaos. The order was lifted with no guidelines left in it's wake. No phased reopening, contingent upon criteria signifying a statewide lessening of infection being met. No plan for what will happen when cases surge again. No consequence if a business decides to reopen without doing anything whatsoever to keep your customers safe (looking at you, Wisconsin bars & taverns). As of right now, it is all being figured out at the county level, by the health department... and plenty of business owners are ignoring the county health departments based upon the WI Supreme Court's ruling potentially superseding the county health department. 

It's a total mess.

I have been writing and deleting, writing and deleting, writing and deleting all day, trying to figure out how to explain my concerns and decisions on re-opening. The short answer? I am not going to be re-opening anytime soon. I am going to continue to work on articulating the longer answer as to WHY I am not reopening right away and promise to send it out as soon as I possibly can.

I have disabled online scheduling for the time being, as I do not have a clear enough idea of when I will be reopening just yet. I had been hopeful that it would be early June but as of right now, I cannot say. I suspect that infections within the state are going to surge, making massage even more unsafe, which is likely to extend the amount of time I remain closed.

In the meantime, while I work on organizing my thoughts into an email that won't be 5,863 pages long, I encourage you to check out the following links. None of them are overly long. Each has really important information to consider about returning to massage as a consumer AND as a practitioner. 

Hanna Hulett, LMT shares many of the same concerns on reopening that I do. This is the letter she sent to her clients explaining why she wouldn't be reopening in "phase one" of Oregon's re-opening process. One of the biggest differences is that her state actually issued guidelines for massage therapists. Wisconsin has not. Our national professional organizations have made issued guidelines fairly similar to oregon's though, and her concerns regading them echo my own.

Cal Cates from Healwell wrote an open letter to massage therapy consumers, which I will share here. She also wrote another great piece explaining the curent vacuum of leadership massage therapists are facing all over the country. You read it here. Since the blog posting, our national organizations have stepped up a bit... but it is still largely a hot mess. AMTA refers to American Massage Therapy Association, if anyone reads the article and is a bit lost at first

Tracy Walton wrote this comprehensive piece on why we shouldn't be rushing back to work, which is mentioned in one of the Healwell blog posts linked above. Tracy is a leader in the massage industry. She is well known for writing textbooks, speaking at conferences and teaching physiology, pathology, and oncology massage. When she has something to say, it's worth listening to.

Here are all the links in cut/paste form, if you prefer that. 
https://www.hannablissmassage.com/post/why-i-m-choosing-not-to-reopen-my-massage-therapy-practice-in-phase-one?
fbclid=IwAR3aj5FoomfPngDpX2UCayq4QrRaAw8cXj5ClwYXVd8q1d20TThTBhc83-I

https://www.healwell.org/blog/an-open-letter-to-massage-therapy-consumers/

https://www.healwell.org/blog/worst-game-ever/

https://www.tracywalton.com/an-open-letter-about-re-opening-to-massage-therapy-employers/

I will be checking back in as soon as I can. Feel free to email me with any questions you may have in the meantime! 

Stay safe out there!
Amy

 

******************************************************************************************************

As I'm sure everyone is aware, Governor Evers extended the Safer at Home order though May 26, which means another round of cancellations is going out. As with the last announcement, I will be canceling through the end of the month & reevaluating then. Schools are officially closed for the duration of the school year, so I am assuming I will be, too.

As the situation changes, I will be in touch with further updates. I am happy to keep my office closed as long as it takes to ensure the safety of all my clients, as well as the safety of myself and my own family.

I know that everyone's lives have been turned upside down over the past few weeks. I know it's boring. I know that after weeks of homeschooling people need massages. I know that after weeks and weeks of being trapped in your house with your kids and your spouse and no time to yourselves and so. much. talking. that people need an hour or two of quiet (and a relaxing, silence filled massage somewhere in the middle of that hour or two) more than they ever have before. Myself included! I know that an awful lot of people are ready to get out of their house and do something... ANYTHING so that life can feel nomal again. Spring is in the air and people are ready to come out of hibernation.

But it's just not time yet.

So... we wait a little longer and see how things look as we get closer to the end of May, and we adjust as necessary. It's hard, I know, but the more we stay home, the faster we can move past this phase and start moving to the next. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone again as soon as it's safe to do so!

Amy

*******************************************************************************************************

Checking in with an update as well as some information & resources I wanted to share with everyone.   First off, the biggest news. As of yesterday, the the governor put out a new order changing the date for school to resume from April 6 to "for the duration of the public health emergency." Meaning? I am now closed indefinitely. My guess is that I will be down for a minimum of 8 weeks, however some reports are saying it could stretch well into the summer. I'm hopeful that as time goes on and our understanding of transmission grows, that there may be a possibility that I re-open before schools do simply based on the small number of clients I see per day vs the large number of people congregating in schools. For the time being, however, that is not an option. I will stay in touch and update everyone as the situation changes, but for now I will be canceling all appointments booked through the first week of May & will continually reassess and update as new information becomes available.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For the first day of spring, this weather is pretty disappointing. I know I can't be the only person who has been counting the days til spring arrives, looking forward to getting outside after the long, dreary winter we have had. Guess we will have to wait a few more days.Until then, if you're ready for a break from social media or you've already gotten caught up on all your shows after a Netflix marathon & don't know what to do next, this website has compiled a great list of free resources. Free classes you can take, books you can read, museums & parks that do virtual tours, concerts, mental health resources and more. Worth bookmarking & coming back to later, if nothing else. https://chatterpack.net/blogs/blog/list-of-online-resources-for-anyone-who-is-isolated-at-home?fbclid=IwAR1760C0cjpec6ssc93pOaCighRb9h1D071-pyveUmpMdK2ym6q-17UAKx0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also important to note, as of right now, there seems to be no plan to delay our primary voting on April 7th. Most people are aware of absentee voting by mail being an option if you do not want to venture out into the crowds. I just read about another option for voting without the crowd and wanted to share that here as well. I don’t want to vote by mail, but I also don’t want to go out on Election Day in case there are big crowds. Are there other ways to vote? Yes. You can cast an in-person absentee ballot at your local clerk’s office. Each city, village and town in Wisconsin is responsible for setting the dates and hours of in-person absentee voting for their municipality. To find the dates and hours for in-person absentee voting where you live, check your municipal clerk’s website or call their office.  Here is the link to the full article: https://www.wpr.org/qa-how-vote-mail-wisconsin-april-7-election ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hey You: It's OK to Grieve the 'Small' Things You've Lost During the COVID-19 Outbreak https://themighty.com/2020/03/sad-about-first-world-problems-covid-19/?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=in-story-related-link&fbclid=IwAR0YHjVYL3RgI2ZC3q9P1QpKy2xhVnWN0TpL2ZEej8xQhVnJYuWHn7TlTHo

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13 Corona Myths Busted by Science https://www.livescience.com/amp/coronavirus-myths.html?fbclid=IwAR2CEtRlR5zjdgmPr-BYtQDzH_wOeKCmJBTlNmZfwMWN2KG96b_jGMlQDCs

 

COVID-19 CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear Clients,

After careful consideration of all the information we currently have about the coronavirus and the CDC recommendations to prevent its spread, I have decided to temporarily shut down my practice at least through March, and possibly longer depending on how events develop.  

After watching the 8pm press conference regarding the second case diagnosed in the City of Milwaukee (as well as the rapid escalation of diagnosed cases in the state), I really feel this is the most responsible way to approach the ever-changing situation. I certainly don't want to help this virus spread. I also want to do everything I can to minimize exposure for my elder and/or immune-compromised clients, as well as protect myself and my own family from unnecessary possible exposure. 

I will be back in touch again soon, when I know more about when I can reopen.  For now, I am booking appointments in April but will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as necessary. 

I hope you are well, and stay well!  Let me know if you have any questions.  

All the best,
Amy Courville, LMT