Important Information Regarding COVID-19
In recognition of ongoing news reports and the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus, we realize our patients have questions. As dedicated health care professionals, we want you to know that we remain as diligent as ever in protecting the health and safety of our patients and staff. Our practice strictly adheres to and exceeds the standards for infection control by wearing personal protective gear, using hospital-grade disinfectants, practicing the latest sterilization protocols, utilizing single-use disposable materials, and more. Every effort we have in place is to ensure the safety of our patients and staff. We want you to know that we are monitoring this situation very closely, and we will keep you updated regularly.
Symptoms of coronavirus are reported as flu-like, with varying degrees of severity. While we do not know everything about this virus to date, individuals who are elderly and/or immunocompromised appear to be the most at risk of a severe infection. To ensure your health and safety, and the health and safety of everyone at our practice, please reschedule your appointment if you or a member of your household has a cough, fever, and/or flu-like symptoms. In addition, please reschedule your appointment if you have traveled to any areas within the past 14 days that are at high risk for contracting the coronavirus.
As we work on getting our staff back to full capacity, please bear with us for any delays you may experience when scheduling your next appointment. In the mean time, we would like to share with you some of the changes you may notice when it is time for your next visit. For example:
- Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
- We encourage you to come alone to your appointment. For minors, we ask that only one parent come to the appointment with the child.
- We will take your temperature when you arrive and ask you to wash your hands thoroughly when you enter the office.
- Please always wear a face mask to your appointment and keep it on your face covering your mouth and nose, except when we are working on you.
- All of our staff will be wearing masks, including our front desk team. Please keep in mind that it may be harder to hear conversations. We will do our best to communicate clearly while keeping your privacy in mind.
- Sneeze guards have been installed at the front desk to add an extra layer of protection to you and our team.
- You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- We have installed HEPA filtration units throughout the office.
- We will be using a High Volume Evacuation (HVE) system to minimize the creation of aerosols in the office.
- You may want to bring a small throw blanket with you as we will keep the temperature in the office quite low. (The extra protective wear our team is wearing will be quite warm.)
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
We thank you in advance and extend our gratitude for your understanding and cooperation. Together, we can help keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office, and one of our staff members will be more than happy to assist you.
Please view and share our latest COVID-19 Symptom Comparison Chart with your friends and family.
For further information, including measures to keep yourself healthy, visit the following links:- Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention.html
- Symptoms: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/symptoms.html
- Steps When Sick: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/steps-when-sick.html