Aesthetics Professionals Get Ontario Approval To Restart

Yes, we are back! The Government of Ontario has given regulated medical aesthetics professionals the green light to reopen, effective immediately. The announcement comes with guidelines on opening gradually with strict safety measures.

A document from the Ministry of Health entitled Operational Requirements for Health Sector Restart details support for the gradual restart of all non-essential and elective services carried out by Health Care Providers (HCPs). This includes all regulated healthcare professionals in medical aesthetics, physiotherapy and dental clinic.

Click here for the PDF on the Ontario Requirements.

The document includes many must-follow conditions for opening and operating a safe practice.

For example, the government urges that “where possible, HCPs are encouraged to limit the number of in-person visits for the safety of health care providers and their patients. The purpose of this is to support physical distancing and minimize contact of persons who may have COVID-19 with health care settings (i.e. other HCPs and patients) as much as possible.”

The document goes into detail on the importance of attention to safety issues such as:

  • Risk reduction
  • Protective wear
  • Virtual assessments
  • Patient screening
  • Infection prevention and control
  • Cleaning and disinfecting
  • Distancing of staff and appointments
Also Read Tracey’s Blog on Returning to Work: Being Ready Means Being Safe

 

The government is asking healthcare providers to carefully assess which services can or cannot be done safely and create protocols based on individual risk management.

For example, at TH Medical Aesthetics we will doing our consultations online and in-person will not be doing be offering PRP Treatments or dermal fillers around the mouth when we reopen next week.

The document advises that “HCPs are in the best position to determine which services can continue to be offered remotely (virtually) and which services can safely resume in-person, assuming  the necessary  preconditions  as set out in this Operational Requirements document are met.”

“The gradual restart of services should be carried out in coordination with, and adherence to guidance from, applicable health regulatory colleges.”

I think we can speak for everyone in our professional industry in saying that we are very happy about going back to work!

And no doubt our patients will be thrilled, too!

You all deserve congratulations for doing such a commendable job of working together to combat the coronavirus.

The pandemic is not quite over, so please maintain that same commitment to safety and good health.

 

It should be noted that the Ontario government’s restart for regulated health care professionals does not include operators of hair stylists, estheticians, nail techs and spa operators.