Holiday season COVID protocols

It occurs to me that there is a whole set of new patients who started coming to Flying Turtle Healing Arts since June who have never seen the lower half of my face. So here’s what I look like without a mask, in case anyone out there is curious. (I am the less furry creature on the left.)

Thank you so much to everyone for cooperating with our pandemic safety protocols and being vigilant about rescheduling appointments when waiting for results of a COVID test and/or contact tracing. I greatly appreciate the caution especially now that case numbers are rising again.

With the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I am asking those who will be traveling or seeing family and friends whom they are not in regular contact with to please get a negative COVID test 3-5 days after possible exposure or quarantine for 14 days before coming back for an appointment. I do plan to stay open because our family is not gathering in person or traveling, and I will likely stay within my quarantine pod consisting of husband and dog for the forseeable future.

While I am confident that the safety protocols in place for mask-wearing, handwashing, cleaning, and disinfection are enough to prevent the spread of the virus within the clinic, I will have to shut down if any patients inform me that they have contracted or come into contact with someone with COVID-19. All the practitioners in Suite 300B are self-employed micro-businesses that have neither paid leave nor entitled to unemployment, so quarantining for two weeks and initiating contact tracing can be done, but it will be a financially and emotionally brutal exercise that we would all very much like to avoid.

Thank you again for your understanding and help in keeping everyone healthy and safe. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Be well,
Fannie

P.S. If you haven’t decided what to do for Thanksgiving, check out how seven COVID19 experts are celebrating next week.


Use up your FSA funds

With only six weeks left in 2020, if you have some money left in your Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs) that cannot be carried over to the new year, consider using it towards acupuncture, cupping or herbs. It turns out that a lot of families had budgeted for medical visits and other expenses that did not occur due to the pandemic. The clinic should be open for the rest of the year (unless the state shuts down again) so feel free to use the 24/7 online calendar to book appointments at your convenience.


Insurance coverage update

As people pick their health insurance plans for the 2021, please note that Flying Turtle Healing Arts is an in-network provider of acupuncture services for the following:

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
  • Allways Health Partners
  • Cigna

Patients who have not been in the clinic for a while or expect to change policies in 2021 will need to re-enter their insurance info using this link before your next appointment so that we can continue to bill your insurance carrier.


Referrals generated $100 to fight cancer

As most of you know, when people spread the word about Flying Turtle Healing Arts, I used to give out $10 Starbucks gift cards for every patient referral. This year, I am donating the money insteadThe beneficiary of this round of referral bonuses is the American Cancer Society.

The next recipient of donations will be the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK). During the pandemic, there has been a rise in domestic violence as the victims are quarantined with their abusers and have an even more difficult time getting help. ATASK maintains a 24hr multilingual helpline, as well as providing shelter, legal help and other critical assistance regardless of immigration status. Learn more about their work here.


“Share the love” winners

Congratulations to the six winners of our sixth anniversary gift cards! Flying Turtle celebrated once again by sharing the love and giving away $20 gift cards to other local businesses in Davis Square: Dave’s Fresh PastaDakzenDavis SquaredDiesel CafeFlatbread, and Milo’s pick (because he is regularly bribed), Opa Greek Yeeros. Watch how the winners were picked on Instagram.

Please continue to support small businesses in your neighborhood as we head into the winter and help us survive the repercussions of this second wave of the pandemic. Thank you as always for flying with this turtle in Somerville!