COVID-19 Update
August 23, 2021
In compliance with the governor’s mask mandate, all clients and staff will be required to wear masks at all times in the building, regardless of vaccination status. If you are feeling ill or have been exposed to COVID, please call to change your appointment to telehealth.
August 2, 2021
Due to the recent increase in COVID cases in our area, the contagious nature of the new variants, and breakthrough cases in those already vaccinated, our staff has re-instated mask wearing. For clients, masks are highly recommended in all waiting areas and will be required in group settings for the time being. As a healthcare organization, we are committed to the safety and well-being of our community, our clients, and our employees. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, we ask that you change your appointment to telehealth. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
July 22, 2021
Masks are encouraged but not required.
April 23, 2021
Our staff, the majority of whom are fully vaccinated, remain committed to the safety and well-being of all who enter the building. Temperature checks, masks, and socially distant seating (whenever possible) are in place.
Our services offered are currently a hybrid of telehealth and in-person, based on client/clinician preference and insurance coverage. Please be advised that at some point in the future, your health insurance carrier could change their stance on telehealth parity and no longer cover Zoom sessions with your clinician.
IOP has fully returned in person without incident. Appropriate precautions are in place, especially in our dining area.
Outpatient groups are either virtual or in person, depending on the nature of the group, number of attendees, and participant/group facilitator preference.
We appreciate your understanding over the past 13 months and for the foreseeable future. If you have any questions or concerns, they can be directed to our practice manager or clinical director.
September 28, 2020
We are pleased to announce that we will be returning to in-person IOP as of October 1st!
Just like our transition back to in-person appointments in the office, we are taking several precautions (see our last update for more information!) and clients will be screened as they come in each day. We are requiring clients to wear masks and socially distance, and have set up appropriate precautions so that we can have a safe and effective group and meal group experience.
Following protocols respectfully and working together to ensure both client and staff safety is paramount to being able to effectively transition back to in-person services. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we navigate these unprecedented circumstances. We are excited to be able to start resuming some sense of normalcy in how we deliver our care. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our clinical director, Kendra Wilson.
August 31, 2020
Dear Valued Client,
This will be a fairly lengthy update to let you know about our intentions to begin offering some in-person services effective September 1, 2020.
Starting this month, each clinician will be offering limited in person sessions. Your provider(s) may or may not have availability to accommodate you in person and will therefore also continue to offer tele-health. We are transitioning slowly and minimizing daily client volume to help decrease exposure risks.
Beginning October 1, 2020 (provided there is not an uptick in COVID cases), availability for in-person services will expand. When you schedule appointments for the winter quarter (October-December), please discuss with your clinician and the administrative staff your preference for being seen in-person versus virtually. Again, availability is different for each clinician and we cannot guarantee that you will be able to be seen in-person.
Alternatively, you may also continue to be seen via tele-health if you desire to remain being seen virtually or if we cannot accommodate you in person. This will also be dependent upon your insurance company continuing to cover this service. Please note, each insurance plan is different and coverage for tele-health is subject to change in the future. If you have questions about this, please contact our administrative/billing staff. You can also elect to self-pay if your insurance company terminates coverage for tele-health.
Our office has done extensive preparations and will be following stringent protocols in light of the pandemic. We have taken the advisement of the Joint Commission, Centers for Disease Control, and the Department of Health and Human Services into account. Prior to being seen in person, you will be asked to read and sign our COVID-19 Informed Consent (which follows). Each time you come in for services, you will be asked a series of screening questions and have your temperature taken. Per our state requirement, you will also be asked to wear a mask at all times. If you do not have a mask when you enter our building, admin staff will provide you with a disposable one. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, we ask that you change your appointment from in-person to tele-health.
Our office is taking the following precautions to protect our clients and help slow the spread of the coronavirus:
- Office seating in the waiting rooms, group rooms, and in therapy/testing rooms has been arranged for appropriate physical distancing wherever possible.
- Our staff and clients wear
- Our staff maintains safe
- Restroom soap dispensers are maintained and everyone is encouraged to wash their
- Hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is available in the therapy/testing rooms, the waiting rooms, the group rooms, and at the reception counters.
- We schedule appointments at specific intervals to minimize the number of people in the waiting room.
- We give clients the option to wait in their cars or outside until their appointment time.
- Credit card pads, pens and other areas that are commonly touched are thoroughly sanitized after each We will continue to use the credit card on file as the main form of payment in order to minimize contact with administrative staff.
- Physical contact is not permitted.
- Tissues and trash bins are easily accessed. Trash is disposed of on a frequent
- Common areas are thoroughly disinfected throughout the day.
- Our office is professionally cleaned on a regular basis.
Following protocols respectfully and working together to ensure both client and staff safety is paramount to being able to effectively transition back to in-person services. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we navigate these unprecedented circumstances. We are excited to be able to start gradually resuming some sense of normalcy in how we deliver our care. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our practice manager, Sarah Snyder.
July 21, 2020
Dear clients and community,
Chrysalis has decided to wait to see what develops with the announcement about going back to school before we make a decision about returning to the office and what that will look like. The form that returning to school takes will dictate many clients’ and employees’ schedules and may bring changes that we do not want to try to anticipate.
That said, we really do miss seeing you in the office. When we do return, we will be asking everyone to wear masks in public spaces and whenever social distancing cannot be managed appropriately. Our office is set up to be an intimate and comfortable safe space, and as such most of our offices do not meet the social distancing requirement to be six feet apart at all times.
We do plan to continue providing tele-health services as long as possible, even if clinicians do return to the office for some in person sessions. We continue to abide by Joint Commission standards, which have not changed. We still feel that tele-health is more conducive to a productive therapeutic relationship than wearing masks. Being able to see the emotions on each other’s faces is such an important aspect of our work together.
We urge you to continue to connect with your therapist and/or dietitian for support. Tele-health options include phone or video sessions. We are also offering our outpatient groups via Zoom, in addition to virtual Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP) and our psychiatric nurse practitioner. Please stay safe and well and know that we are here to help!
Our priority is the safety and well-being of clients and staff and we seek to minimize the impact of COVID on our community by continuing to adhere to best practices laid out by the Joint Commission. Our admin team is still operating and can assist you in your scheduling needs. We continue to accept new clients. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 910-790-9500 or email administration@chrysaliscenter-nc.com. We will look forward to seeing you in person in the future, but until then we are committed to offering high quality virtual individual, group, and IOP services.
We are all in this together and hope to continue to provide services that will help you get through these difficult times.
June 22, 2020
Dear clients and community,
We miss you so much! As much as we would like to go back to in person visits as soon as possible, out of an abundance of caution, we are going to continue tele-health through the end of July. We know that there are a lot of opposing views out there, but with the recent uptick in the number of cases in Wilmington and the surrounding areas, we intend to continue tele-health sessions as long as possible before returning to the office.
As you may know, we are Joint Commission accredited and are required to abide by their standards, which have not shifted: both clients and staff would be required to wear masks in the building. Our office is set up to be an intimate and comfortable safe space, and as such most of our offices do not meet the social distancing requirement to be six feet apart at all times. We feel that tele-health is more conducive to a productive therapeutic relationship than wearing masks. Being able to see the emotions on each others’ faces is such an important aspect of our work together.
Mental health services are considered essential and we could not agree more! We know these are uncertain and challenging times and urge you to continue to connect with your therapist and/or dietitian for support. Tele-health options include phone or video sessions. We are also offering our outpatient groups via Zoom, in addition to virtual Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP) and our psychiatric nurse practitioner, Celeste Shamel. She is now offering tele-health sessions and accepting new patients. Please stay safe and well and know that we are here to help!
Our priority is the safety and well-being of clients and staff and we seek to minimize the impact of COVID on our community by continuing to adhere to best practices laid out by the Joint Commission. Our admin team is still operating and can assist you in your scheduling needs. We continue to accept new clients. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 910-790-9500 or email administration@chrysaliscenter-nc.com. We will look forward to seeing you in person in the future, but until then we are committed to offering high quality virtual individual, group, and IOP services.
June 1, 2020
Valued Clients and Community,
As we reach the third month of the COVID-19 crisis, we want to update you with our plans. Right now, we do not intend to return to the office through the month of June. We will continue tele-health for the next 30 days and then re-assess. As a Joint Commission (JC) accredited facility, we are required to follow their guidelines, not just those of the state Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The current recommendation of the JC is to continue tele-health services as long as possible. If anyone comes into the office, both clients and providers have to wear cloth masks. It is unclear how long this mandate will stay in place, but we think that tele-health is more conducive to effective therapy than everyone wearing a mask would be! We want to provide the best possible experience for our clients and believe that this is the most viable option at this time. We will continue to follow the changing rules and recommendations and inform you if anything changes.
Our priority is the safety and well-being of clients and staff and we seek to minimize the impact of COVID on our community by continuing to practice social distancing for the near future. Our admin team is still operating and can assist you in your scheduling needs. We continue to accept new clients. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 910-790-9500 or email administration@chrysaliscenter-nc.com.
May 7th, 2020
To our Valued Clients,
Thank you for your adaptability and patience as we’ve transitioned to telehealth over the past 6 weeks. Although shelter in place will be lifted this Friday, our office will remain closed for in-person visits through the end of May. Insurance companies are still allowing telehealth without restrictions for the remainder of the month; we intend to benefit from their flexibility by continuing to provide therapy via video or phone to ensure everyone’s safety. We hope to protect our clients and staff and do our part to “flatten the curve”. In addition, we do not feel in-person visits while wearing masks is conducive to effective therapy.
Chrysalis is delighted to be offering a 4 week wellness workshop for frontline workers. For county, state, and New Hanover Regional Medical Center employees, this will be FREE with your insurance benefits. We are excited to offer support and care for those most impacted by COVID in their workplace.
Stay safe and be well!
April 4th, 2020
To Our Valued Clients,
We will continue to remain closed for in-person sessions throughout the duration of the shelter in place order. Mental health services are considered essential and we could not agree more! We know these are uncertain and challenging times and urge you to continue to connect with your therapist and/or dietitian for support. Telehealth options include phone or video sessions. We are also offering our outpatient groups via Zoom, in addition to virtual Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP). We are excited to welcome a new addition to our staff- our psychiatric nurse practitioner, Celeste Shamel. She is now offering telemedicine sessions and accepting new patients. Please stay safe and well and know that we are here to help!
Stay well and be safe!
March 26, 2020
Dear Valued Chrysalis Client,
As many of you know, we have successfully launched telehealth over the past week and a half and are now offering phone or video sessions in addition to virtual groups and virtual IOP. In light of the current circumstances, we are electing to remain closed through April 5th at this time. We will continue monitoring the situation and make decisions on a week by week basis about re-opening the practice to clients for in person sessions. Our number one concern is the safety and well-being of clients and staff and we seek to minimize the impact of COVID on our community by practicing social distancing for the near future. Our admin team is still operating and can assist you in your scheduling needs. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 910-790-9500 or email administration@chrysaliscenter-nc.com.
Stay well!
March 20, 2020
We are now offering all appointments through online or telephone sessions. This is for all existing clients and new clients. Contact our office at 910-790-9500 or email administration@chrysaliscenter-nc.com to schedule your appointment.
March 17, 2020
Our leadership team has come to the decision to end in-person office visits effective close of business today, through the end of the month. We want to ensure the well-being of all clients and staff and minimize the impact COVID-19 has on our community. Effective 3/18/20, all individual counseling and nutrition appointments will be offered via telehealth. This is temporarily being allowed by all insurance companies in light of the current situation. We hope to add video conferencing capabilities in the very near future, but due to the unprecedented demands on the servers of the various telehealth platforms, this option is not fully functional at this time and therefore we will be conducting therapy via telephone only to ensure uninterrupted care free from technical glitches. For now, all outpatient groups and IOP services are suspended until our HIPPA compliant virtual platform is more sound. We will inform you as that occurs.
We understand that this is an anxiety provoking time and we are committed to helping you through it. We will periodically add updates to our website and social media and will have administrative staff working remotely to answer your calls and emails.
Our administrative staff will be contacting you to discuss the logistics of this change in delivery of services (i.e. you will be expected to electronically sign a telehealth informed consent) and answer any questions you may have. Your regularly scheduled appointment(s) stand and your clinician will look forward to talking you then.
Thank you for your patience during this ever-evolving situation. We hope you stay well and will look forward to being able to connect again in person.
March 14, 2020
To our Valued Clients:
In light of the recent concerns over COVID-19, we wanted to assure you we are committed to the safety and well-being of all our clients and staff. To that end, we are following CDC recommendations regarding sanitation and taking all precautions necessary. As a Joint Commission accredited facility, we have infection prevention protocols in place and hope to maintain a germ-free environment. Everyone that enters our building is expected to abide by our protocols.
If you or someone you live with is experiencing symptoms, please contact our office to determine if telehealth services are an appropriate option for you. We offer a confidential and HIPAA compliant platform for telehealth should you need to utilize this service.
As of now, we are operating on a normal schedule for all services. We will continue to monitor the situation and abide by all recommendations by the CDC and government officials.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call our office at 910-790-9500 or email administration@chrysaliscenter-nc.com
Thank you for your understanding and cooperating during this time.