05/05/2020
COVID 19 UPDATE:
We pray this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy during this unique and challenging time.
As a valued member of our practice, we appreciate the trust you place in us and want to inform you about how we are addressing the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. We are closely monitoring events in our local community and continuously updating our policies and protocols.
Please know that our office is following all recommended guidance from public health authorities, including best practices for hygiene, infection control and medical professional team health. Our highest priority is to keep all of our patients and staff as safe as possible. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it's both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe. Our office exceeds infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies' recommendations.
You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We will begin scheduling patients patients for appointments starting on May 11th. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. Due to the need for changes including the additional use of CDC and OSHA recommended personal protection equipment (PPE), there is a $15 PPE fee per appointment. Here are some examples of our changes:
o We will be asking several screening questions at the time of scheduling and confirming your appointments. Please be patient with our staff as this screening is crucial to ensure the appointment can be kept with the safety of everyone involved.
o We have provided hand sanitizer that we ask you to use when you enter the office.
o You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines and books since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect. Our waiting room will also have minimal chairs in order to maintain social distancing guidelines.
o Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. This will result in longer appointments which also allows for extra safety protocols to be accomplished. Unfortunately, that might mean that you're offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment; therefore, we thank you for your patience and understanding.
o We will do our best to allow greater time between patients, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time. We ask for patients to wait in their cars or outside the office if you are early or we are not ready to bring you back. You will also notice clear barriers we have installed on the reception area. There will be floor markings and signs posted reminding everyone of the proper direction in which to walk.
o All our staff will be screened daily and will have masks on at all times. We ask for our patients to were their masks unless otherwise directed by our team.
o Your temperature will be taken prior to being brought back to the operatory.
o When providing dental care, we will use a small rubber blanket (rubber dam) whenever possible to greatly reduce any chance of contamination.
o As always, any object or instrument that comes in contact with the doctor or the patient during any procedure is either disposed of or sterilized.
o As always, high speed suction is used for all procedures requiring a dental drill.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (772) 220-7555. Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
Sincerely,
Dr. A Jaffe, Dr. Giol and staff
