A Short, Busy Month at the Clinic

December 12, 2019 BY Renee Limon

December is a short month around here, but that doesn’t mean there is a shortage of activity! Read on to find out what we’re up to and to hear about some of our plans for the new year.

Winter celebrations

This past Saturday we gathered as a company to make merry at our annual holiday party. It’s always fun to see one another outside of the clinic, in our fancy clothes and with our partners, and to have ample time to talk about our families and holiday plans, enjoy good food and drink, laugh and connect. The raffle at this year’s festivities was epic, and we share in the joy of Lauren’s big win.

AAC demonstration and AAC evaluations

Last Friday, Sarah arranged for Jason from the Center for AAC & Autism to present a demonstration of LAMP Words For Life. It’s an application that some of our clients use to communicate. According to our clinicians, it was super informative and very interesting. We enjoy inviting guests to our clinic to share knowledge, expand our understanding and increase ways we can improve service to our clients. We are excited to start offering AAC evaluations in January!

 

Give project

Kim is heading up our holiday Give project. As we did last year, we’ve sponsored a family from Michelle’s Love, a local nonprofit that supports single parents undergoing cancer treatment. This year we are paired with Jennifer and her 15-year old daughter Reyna, hoping to shower them with gifts in the coming weeks. The clinic is the collection point for the company’s generosity. Next week, you’ll find us playing the role of elves, wrapping gifts in our spare moments. Who knew? The majority of our clinic staff love wrapping.

New insurance in January?

Please update the front desk staff with any insurance changes in the new year. We are in the Blue Cross, Moda and PacificSource networks for speech and OT. We are a contract provider of speech for Kaiser (by referral only). All other insurance plans are out of network.

Our first parent/caregiver gathering in January

Mark your calendar for our first Parent and Caregiver Meetup on Friday, January 24, from 4-5:30 pm. It’s a free, informal hangout with snacks and drinks. Childcare will be provided. Sign up so we know how many to expect. We’re looking forward to it!

Winter break

Our clinic will be closed from Tuesday, December 24 through Wednesday, January 1. Quite a few clinicians have extra days they are taking off in December and the first week of January, so please check-in at the desk, where we have a comprehensive list of everyone’s days off. We can arrange subs or add in makeup sessions in the next few weeks.

Snow days ahead?

Inclement weather may soon be upon us. We most often follow the decisions of Portland Public Schools, but not always. We strive to make a decision as early in the morning as possible. We always change our voicemail message first thing, so calling the clinic and listening to our voicemail greeting is the best way to find out if we are open, closed or delayed due to inclement weather. We also do an update on our Facebook page and the clinic page of our website.

Whew! That was a lot of things. Most importantly, sending heartfelt wishes to you and yours for a joyful holiday season.