COVID-19 UPDATES

To all clients and consumers of services at Columbus Speech and Hearing Center: 

UPDATE 5/28/2020

Audiology Department Updates

Our offices open for scheduled appointments only May 11, 2020.

Columbus Speech & Hearing is taking precautions to ensure a safe environment for all patients, visitors, and staff.

Please Reschedule your Appointment if:

• You have a temperature of 100.4 or greater, cough, trouble breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, chills, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhea, or loss of smell or taste.
• You traveled internationally, or to an area of High COVID-19 Infection activity within the past 14 days.
• You been in close contact or live with someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

We will be completing a COVID-19 screening questionnaire on all patients upon arrival.

All patients and visitors will be required to wear a mask when in the facility.

We will be reducing and staggering the number of patient appointments to allow proper maintenance of social distancing.

We ask that you please not enter the building until your exact appointment time. This will ensure that the building is clear and safe for you to enter. Please come alone to your appointment, except when necessary for interpreters, guardians of minors, or others needing assistance.

All of these guidelines are in addition to the rigorous disinfection and sterilization processes that we have always used.

Speech Department Updates

On Monday, June 8th the speech department are reopening for in-clinic speech services.

All clients currently receiving teletherapy speech services will continue with teletherapy services at this time.

We are excited for the opportunity to once again expand our services to better serve our clients and the community.

Learn more about our reopening speech services.
Review our reopening guidelines.

Please call 614-263-5151 or email speech@columusspeech.org for more information.

American Sign Language Class Updates

Our American Sign Language courses remain online. To register for upcoming courses visit https://columbusspeech.org/american-sign-language-classes/

PAST UPDATES

UPDATE 5/12/20

UPDATE 4/6/2020

Audiology Department Updates

Our audiologists remain available to assist you in a limited capacity should you need an urgent hearing aid service.
If you feel you are having an urgent issue with your device please call either 614-261-5452 or 614-261-5451. You may also email by replying to this message. Our staff is checking voicemails daily and will return calls within 24 hours.
If you find yourself in need of batteries or supplies, please let us know! We have a large stock of items and are happy to assist you in getting what you need from the comfort and safety of your home.

Speech Department Updates

Last week we rolled out teletherapy with our school contracts.
Monday, March 30 we began reaching out to our individual and group therapy clients to schedule teletherapy services with our wonderful clinicians.
We strive to continue to provide excellent speech services to all of our clients and their families. By providing the option of teletherapy we can help our clients continue to make progress toward their speech and language goals.
You’ll be hearing from us soon.

American Sign Language Classes Updates

Our ASL classes have migrated online!
Social distancing has most of us feeling stir-crazy. If this is you, consider enrolling in our upcoming ASL 1 course! You’ll learn a new way to communicate and make some friends along the way.
You can view course registrations here.

UPDATE 3/19/2020

Our audiology department remains open to address urgent items. These are scary times, and not being able to hear would only add to the burden of confusion, fear and social isolation that can occur. We feel it is imperative to remain open to serve the needs of those with hearing loss. At this time we are not accepting walk-ins and will see patients by appointment only. Our hours will be reduced, so please call to find out when we are open.

We continue to clean and sanitize to ensure the safest environment for our patients. Our staff is taking extra precautions as advised by the CDC and we ask that our patients do the same. If you are sick, or have been in contact with someone who is sick, please reschedule your appointment. It is recommended that all patients check their temperature at home before arriving at Columbus Speech & Hearing for their appointment. If your temperature is 100.4 or higher, or if you are coughing, please call and reschedule your appointment.

Our speech clinic is closed at this time. Columbus Speech & Hearing has suspended in-person speech therapy services. We are working diligently to offer telehealth speech therapy services. We will be in contact with our speech therapy clients and families about this option as soon as possible. If you are interested in continuing your therapy via technology please call us.

   ORIGINAL POST 3/12/2020

The security and safety of employees, clients, students, and volunteers at Columbus Speech and Hearing Center is our highest priority. In light of recent news regarding COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) being present in Ohio, we want to share with you the steps and procedures we are taking to keep everyone safe and put your minds at ease. 
  
In the interest of public health and safety, Columbus Speech and Hearing Center is taking the following measures: 
  

• All offices and services will operate typically. We recognize that information and the situation is evolving rapidly and we continue to monitor information as it becomes available.
• Enhanced environment cleaning procedures are being implemented at our facilities.
• We will follow the lead of national, state, and local public health authorities and implement recommended proactive strategies in all of our spaces as necessary. We will closely monitor the health of all employees. Any employees showing signs of illness or reports of feeling ill will be asked to stay home.
• If you are a client of Columbus Speech and Hearing Center, we hope you will keep your appointment.  However, in the event you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms (notably fever, cough, and shortness of breath) we strongly encourage you to stay home and take good care of yourself. 

We will remain attentive to the changing conditions and will make further decisions providing updates as necessary. Please remember to follow the precautions and preventive measures as recommended by the Ohio Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control: 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Please stay home when you are sick