Bradford’s Dr. Leann Ng of Be Well Chiropractic Health & Wellness Centre didn’t need to keep her clinic open during the province’s state of emergency, but she knew just how crucial it was for her clients who suffer from severe pain to have treatment available to them.
She noted that there are not many chiropractic clinics in the area open besides her, and is proud to be able to help her clients in need.
On a regular day, the clinic offers chiropractic treatment, registered massage therapy, naturopathic services, accupuncutre and physiotherapy.
But with the closure of non-essential businesses, client volume has dropped 90 percent and she has had to lay off most of her staff. She is currently only open for urgent care chiropractic appointments only.
How does she categorize what’s urgent and what isn’t?
Ng said it all comes down to a client being able to function properly.
“Let’s say if they (clients) miss their monthly appointment and they regress, then that’s considered urgent to us, because you don’t want to go backwards,” she explained. “I chose to be open for my patients, because there would be nowhere else for them to go."
She said at the beginning of the pandemic, she said a lot of clients were calling to cancel their appointments and her client volume dropped by 90 percent, but as the weeks went on, the pain became unbearable for them and were calling back to book urgent appointments.
“They couldn’t walk, they were stuck or they had headaches,” she described. “A lot of people couldn’t function.”
She said back pain is one of the issues she sees most, noting it is the #1 disability in the world. “It’s quite prevalent,” she said.
“That’s why I chose to stay open because I knew this (lockdown) was going to last more than a few months,” she said, assuming patients would need treatment before COVID-19 restrictions lifted.
Ng is not the only front line worker in the family, her husband is a paramedic, and the couple have two young children together. There are some days where she has to bring them along to the clinic if he is also working. Like most other families with children, they are doing their best to balance family life and work at the same time.
With government assistance, Ng was able to hire back some of her staff to work a few days a week, which she is thankful for.
She also added that she has gained some new patients to her roster due to being one of the few chiropractic clinics in the area still open. “I do have some new patients that really need the care,” she explained.
Ng has implemented new safety measures at the clinic so that all clients feel comfortable when receiving treatment. Prior to any appointment, she has a list of pre screening questions she asks all patients, including a symptom checklist.
“Right away we implemented masks,” she added, noting that any patient without a mask is provided one at each appointment. Ng also wears disposable gloves when treating her patients.
“I run through a lot of gloves,” she said.
The nature of her work involves a lot of close contact, so keeping herself and her patients protected is of utmost importance.
“For a healthcare practitioner, we need to implement physical distancing and the only way we could do it is with physical barriers (masks, gloves),” she explained. “I am trying to do what I can for my patients."
Anyone looking to book an appointment with Ng is encouraged to call the clinic at 905-775-2323.
