Big safety changes are afoot at Knollwood Hospital for Pets, dear friends & family. After listening to Gov. Pritzker & our state’s top physician Dr. Ngozi Ezike deliver their COVID-19 reports the last few days, after listening to clients from many walks of life describe what's happening to improve safety at their places of work, & after meeting last Friday to hear the safety concerns of our own staff, we will move to "curbside service" starting on Monday, April 20, 2020.
Our hospital will be OPEN for business just as before, but will be offering ONLY curbside service until COVID-19 illness rates decline significantly in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kendall, Kane, & Will counties.
How long will this last? We wish we knew. But right now, all we know is that if we ALL work together to minimize everyone’s exposure, the COVID crisis will be over sooner than if we all continue to expose each other. If we had to guess, we’d say that based on current projections, we’d foresee curbside service lasting until late May.
How will this work? For that, we actually have a darn good plan! That’s because we’ve listened to, and learned from, other area hospitals that closed to everything but curbside service weeks ago. Special thanks go to Dr. Ashley Rossman in Glenview for her suggestions, and if you want MORE details, see the handy little card we’ll bring to your car at each curbside visit -- it’s reproduced at the bottom of this message.
We will meet you at your vehicle when you notify us that you've arrived, we will confirm what you are here for, & we'll bring your pet into the hospital while you remain in your vehicle.
We'll examine your pet, confirm & discuss medical plans & treatments, get your OK for anything we do before doing it, & return your pet to your vehicle upon completion of all agreed-upon veterinary services.
We'll also collect payment at your vehicle, & return with receipt and any needed meds for you.
It wasn’t easy to come to this decision, because we love seeing each and every one of you. (To be truthful, we’ve been in mourning ever since social distancing happened and we had to stop with the hugs!) But it’s the safe and responsible thing to do, for the safety of your family as well as of ours. We’d never forgive ourselves if one of you got sick after being at our hospital. We also know that if a single one of us gets sick, we won’t be able to help any clients at all because ALL of us will be under home quarantine. Please stay well, stay safe, practice social distancing, wash and sanitize hands often, wear gloves when shopping and don’t dig around in purse, wallet, or pockets while wearing them. Wear your freakin’ mask!! Yes, we know they’re not comfortable - we wear them 10+ hours a day to help keep you safe. You can do it, too. Remember that if you’re a fast walker or run for exercise, your new social distance is at least 15 feet, not 6 feet. Remember that there’s a whole big beautiful world out there that isn’t impacted by COVID, and it will still be there when this is over. If you garden, you know this. If you’ve ever watched your dog or cat go nuts watching a squirrel or a bird, you know this. And for sure, if you’ve ever dodged a skunk, you know this! So, dodge the COVID skunk too, as best as you can...and we’ll deliver that hug just as soon as it’s safe to do so. We GOT this! - Dr. M and all of us at Knollwood Hospital for Pets
