UPDATED 06/10/2020
Impact of COVID-19 PANDEMIC and our plan to re-open
Dear Patients,
We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. As many of you are aware we were forced to temporarily shut our doors due to the pandemic. Because of our close proximity to the epicenter of the pandemic we were strongly urged to close by Centers for Disease Control and Department of Health. General closure guidance was also issued by NYS Governor’s office and the OSHA.
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 follows 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.
In order to maintain strictest infection control protocols we will be slowly reopening our schedule. Due to national shortage of personal protective equipment we will primarily be focusing on urgent care and major restorative work. We will not be providing regular dental hygiene in the first several weeks of reopening due to safety concerns related to the spread of corona virus through aerosols generated during dental cleanings.
You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff.
For example:
Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment. A credit card will also be required to schedule an appointment. This will aid us in collecting co-payments, deductibles and other patient balances at the time of your visit.
You must wear a mask when you enter our facility. The mask must remain on at all times unless otherwise instructed by the dentist or staff.
Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
A quick health check will be conducted. We will measure your oxygen saturation levels and body temperature.
We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
We have reduced the capacity of our waiting area. For the time being we ask you to come to your appointment by yourself. If you are coming with a family member, they will be asked to wait in their vehicle or outside.
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 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 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 718-424-7100
We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
ALLIANCE DENTAL CENTER
8411 NORTHERN BLVD
JACKSON HEIGHTS NY 11372
718-424-7100
