If you or anyone in your family is concerned about COVID, do NOT go to the Valley Chiropractic…read moreWellness Center. I was a patient there for a short time years ago, when Dr. Scott was still at the clinic, but I would now give it less than one star if I could.
I made an appointment there a few days ago because my regular chiropractor isn't available this week and I have a very painful pinched nerve in my back. NOBODY there was wearing masks or gloves. When I saw this I should have just turned around and walked out, but I was desperate to get my pinched nerve treated... and also I was stunned and in disbelief to see this IN A HEALTHCARE FACILITY, and that caused me to doubt myself. Maybe there's NOT a statewide mask mandate right now?? Maybe they're ensuring that everyone has been vaccinated?? But no. They didn't check my vaccination status nor anyone else's that I saw. They didn't check anyone's temperature. They chirpily informed me that "masks are optional."
I was uncomfortable enough in the waiting area where I could stay at least six feet away from everyone, but then the chiropractor's assistant took me back to a tiny exam room and had me put on a hospital gown, and started scanning my spine with some kind of machine. She had no mask on. We were only about 2 feet apart, if that, in a small enclosed space. I got more and more anxious. Finally I told her I was uncomfortable, explained why, and asked her to put on a mask. She looked at me like I was asking her to tap-dance naked. She reluctantly acquiesced and went to go get one, but never returned. I waited and waited.
Finally Dr. Colin Derieg came in, also without a mask, and thrust his hand at me to shake. I asked if he could please wear a mask, and he said he wouldn't be wearing one, and asked if I wanted to continue. I said I wanted to continue if he would put on a mask, and he reiterated that nobody at the clinic would be wearing one; they don't require it. I asked how can he run a business like this?? People are in and out of the clinic all day! They don't ask whether anyone's been vaccinated! It only takes 5 minutes of exposure to the delta variant to get it! Isn't there a statewide mask mandate?? He said "because there's no science behind masks." I thought OH MY GOD. I said "I have to leave." He said "okay, fine" and stalked out, leaving the door wide open (and me still in the hospital gown). I shut the door, quickly put my clothes back on, and got out of there.
So I never got my adjustment and I am still in pain, and on top of that have now potentially been exposed to COVID. I'd been planning for months to travel this weekend to see my family, and now after having been so careful, I may have let myself be exposed. If they had told me over the phone about their nonexistent precautions, I could have made an informed decision and decided not to go. Or they could have simply followed state and CDC guidelines. But instead they treated me as if my concerns are ludicrous.
My husband was worried that the staff might not be vaccinated, so today he called (on the pretext of making an appointment) to ask about their COVID protocols. They evaded his question about their vaccination status (which tells us they AREN'T vaccinated), and then they actually LIED TO HIM and CLAIMED THEY ARE WEARING MASKS. I am so shocked and outraged. This goes beyond "lying by omission" by simply failing to notify clients about their policies. They're actually LYING about their precautions. This could literally put vulnerable people's lives at risk.
So again, if you or anyone in your family is even slightly concerned about COVID, please find a different chiropractic clinic and check in advance about what precautions they take. This clinic isn't trustworthy. I would never send anyone I care about to Dr. Colin Derieg at the Valley Chiropractic Wellness Center.