Services and Policies | PALM Health

Services and Policies in the Coming Weeks

Dear Members,

There is much anticipation in our community about the easing of restrictions for the stay at home order, and we have begun making plans for PALM’s future. It is important to me that you feel well informed about how we plan to continue serving our members while keeping our community safe.

First, I want to express how much we miss having you all at PALM! Our entire team is eager to see you on a more regular basis. We have deeply appreciated hearing the positive feedback from those who are experiencing success in maintaining or improving their health over these last two months. Together we have navigated the unknown and found new and creative ways of engaging and supporting each other. This experience has helped us deepen our awareness of the close-knit community to which we all belong and the importance of cultivating resilience to endure the unexpected.

As many of you have heard, beginning May 18, both the city and the county of St. Louis will allow for certain businesses, excluding gyms and spas, to reopen, with strict operating guidelines. My top priority is to remain steadfast in protecting the health of our members and employees. Accordingly, please find below key updates regarding several areas of our business, which include the St. Louis County guidelines as well as our internal best practices.

Services Available as of May 18

PALM is offering select services in person: medical appointments on an as-needed basis, chiropractic, acupuncture, salt room sessions limited to one person/family, BioMat, PEMF mat therapy, cryotherapy, IV nutrition, and COVID-19 antibody testing in addition to other blood work.

The PALM Café will remain dedicated to serving take-out to members and the local community for the time being.

We will continue to add more live class offerings each week, and will maintain our virtual fitness, coaching, nutrition, and stress management services, biweekly webinars on various COVID-related health topics, and launch additional initiatives to support you while these distancing measures stay in place.

Since the types of businesses allowed to reopen on May 18 do not include spas and fitness centers, we will await the County’s updates before making any changes to our current operations in those areas. As soon as we have more guidance on when gyms and spas will be approved to reopen, I will reach out with PALM’s plan.

Operating Hours

We are going to maintain our current operating hours from 8:00am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday, for the remainder of the month of May. We hope to expand these hours in June if the restrictions on gyms and spas are eased.

Standards and Policies

Face Masks: One of the standards for St. Louis businesses is that all employees must wear a face mask. PALM Health will require all employees to wear a face mask when on-site unless they are working alone. PALM will also require all patrons to wear a face mask when on-site. This is both to prevent the spread of germs transmitted via droplets during respiration, and also to limit touching one’s face, particularly the nose and mouth. These measures are known to be effective in reducing the transmission of viruses. At PALM, we have been and will be adhering firmly to these guidelines, so please ensure that you are wearing a mask while inside the building. We are providing surgical masks to all employees and members who arrive without one, as well as selling reusable cloth masks.
Physical Distancing: PALM will also continue to enact policies for social distancing by limiting the number of people permitted in the building at any given time and establishing an operating flow designed to enable maintaining a 6 ft distance from other individuals when at PALM Health. We have also supported social distancing by making other significant changes: creating virtual options for many services; building an online library of on-demand classes; offering front door pick-up for products, supplements, and café orders; moving employees to work-from-home status when possible; limiting on-site services such as salt room treatments to single-person and single-family sessions; and setting tape markers six feet apart in areas that people would otherwise tend to gather. Moving forward, we will continue our virtual service offerings and stagger any in-person appointments. Our team is also working hard to ensure we maintain a minimum of six feet between individuals wherever possible.
Sterilization: PALM will continue to be vigilant about disinfecting all surfaces that may be frequently touched by employees and clients, such as computers, keyboards, countertops, doorknobs, toilet handles, and other high-touch surfaces. PALM also has a new team member, a ROBOT named PALMER, that sterilizes the building at night though a powerful UV light disinfection system!
Handwashing: Employees are required to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water between clients, and at least every 30 minutes. They are vigilant in upholding this responsibility.
Work from Home: Employees will continue to be encouraged and provided the tools to work from home when possible.
Employee Screening: Employees are screened daily for symptoms of COVID-19 before entering the building.
Employee Wellness: We will continue to offer our employees support and tools to stay well, such as free stress management workshops, wellness therapies, and classes, to maintain their health and provide ongoing support to our members.

Please also be sure to care for yourself and take advantage of the new tools for engagement we now offer. As mentioned, this includes virtual classes and services, such as personal training, nutritional counseling, coaching, meditation, and stress management.

Should you have any questions about PALM’s current offerings or policies, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or a member of PALM’s navigator team.

I want to personally thank you again for your dedication to PALM and your patience, support, and optimism as we all work to keep our community thriving and ready for what’s next. I am confident that we will emerge with new resilience and strengths as individuals and as a community.

My best to you and your families,