5/21/2020
Dear Friends,
We hope you and your family are in good health and have stayed safe during this COVID-19 pandemic. Our community has been through a lot over the last couple months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your health and safety. Starting June, we will be available to see dental emergencies, patients who require essential dental treatment, and limited cleanings and checkups. In addition to prescreening our patients, we have revamped our workflow and office infrastructure to minimize person to person contact. We will reduce the number of patients seen per day and will schedule longer times for each procedure. No more than two patients at a time will be seen in the office. All of this is to provide optimal social distancing and infection control, a top priority for our practice. In order 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.
Changes you will see to better protect our patients and staff include:
• We will ask you COVID-19 screening questions when scheduling your appointment and you will be asked to complete a screening form in the office.
• Patients will be required to wear a face mask before entering the office and asked to utilize hand sanitizer upon entry into the office and again right before leaving.
· Each patient will have their temperature taken with a non-contact temporal scan thermometer.
• Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, beverage cups, children’s toys and so forth. Such items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. This may mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment and we may ask you to wait in your car after checking in.
• 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 office at any one time.
· We implement the lowest aerosol-generating armamentarium and utilize high velocity evacuation.
· We will place even more protective barriers throughout the operatory which will be all changed between every patient.
· As usual, surfaces will be rigorously disinfected and wiped down after every patient.
· Staff and doctors who are involved with direct patient treatment will be utilizing all CDC recommended PPEs such as N95 masks, face shields, body gowns and surgical caps. All Staff will have their temperature taken before start of the day and at midday.
With all these safeguards in place and with additional office improvements, we feel confident that we can continue to provide excellent care to our patients in a safe clinical environment. We look forward to seeing you again and welcome any questions you may have. To make an appointment, please call our office at 510-526-1757 or visit our website at www.northberkeleydentalarts.com. Thank you for being our patient. We value your continued trust in us and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
Sincerely,
The Doctors and Staff at North Berkeley Dental Arts