Dear Patient,
We hope that you and your family are well and safe. We appreciate your continued trust in our practice and team. We wanted to take a moment to update you on the procedures we have put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic to make our facility a safe place for our patients, staff and physicians.
We are currently open as per the governors order 145, to perform elective procedures in addition to emergencies.
Throughout the years we have always exceeded the standards set forth by the CDC and OSHA. We will continue to monitor their most recent recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic daily and make sure that we have exceeded those recommendations as well.
Our patients and team are and will remain equipped with the proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and advanced technology to maintain the lowest risk potential for any community transmission of COVID19.
We have taken several steps to enhance the environment and safety of our practice. Some of those steps are as follows;
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Screening and testing
- All patients who walk into the office will be issued a mask that remains on throughout the period of time they are in the office unless they are being actively worked on.
- All patients are pre-screened with a questionnaire recommended by the CDC.
- Patient, Doctor, and staff temperatures are recorded on a daily basis. If any patient or staff member reports signs or symptoms they will be asked to stay home and away from the practice until properly tested.
- Patients are recommended to arrive 5 to 10 min prior to their appointment to allow for proper screening. Only the patient will be allowed in the office unless an adult requires assistance or a child under the age of 18 who must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Upon calling for an appointment, if a higher risk patient is identified, special accommodations will be arranged.
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Engineering
- We have placed medical grade air purifiers throughout the office. All purifiers have H13HEPA filters. The air purifiers are strategically positioned in every single operatory, the hallways, administration wing, and the waiting room. The purpose is to improve the air quality throughout the entire office and add an additional layer of protection by constantly moving air through medical grade filters.
- The HVAC systems are used to enhance air quality as well by keeping fans on fresh air all the time. The air turnover in the office is on average every 15 minutes. All operatories are given ample time for air exchange after every use before it is made available for the next patient.
- Our HVAC system is managed by a professional service routinely to assure that filters are changed more frequently especially during these times.
- All the operatories are sterilized and sanitized with medical grade solutions, all surfaces are wiped down thoroughly. Furthermore the operatories are treated with hypochlorous acid foggers. The doors are closed and the hypochlorous acid is allowed the proper time to sanitize the entire space
- We added another layer of protection by placing UV lights in every single operatory to kill surrounding bacteria and viruses. The UV light units are activated during turnover time as the rooms are allowed ample time to sterilize and sanitize in between patients.
- High-volume suction systems are implemented in all operatory rooms to effectively remove potential aerosols from the surgical site.
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Safety Protocol
- The office has always been maintained by a professional cleaning service; in addition, it is continuously being cleaned throughout the day with CDC recommended disinfectants.
- All door handles and commonly touched areas are cleaned every hour with a strong disinfectant.
- 60% of our waiting room chairs have been eliminated to allow for safe distancing in the waiting room.
- In an effort to bypass the waiting room all together, we are scheduling 30% less patients per day and per physician. In addition to asking patients to wait in their cars upon arrival, they are called in to the office and escorted in the operatory suite directly once we are ready for them.
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
- Our doctors and surgical staff are issued disposable gloves, gowns, face shields, and proper N95 masks while working on every patient.
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Appointments
- All patients are scheduled by appointment only. We are allowing a greater period of time between patient appointments to allow for proper social distancing and sanitizing protocols to be carried out effectively and efficiently.
Our highest priority is to keep all our patients and staff as safe as possible. If you have any questions about this notification or your upcoming appointment, call us at (201) 337-9496.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be your premier practice and to serve your needs and your loved one’s. We are here for you and hope you remain safe and healthy.