First, we want to just thank you so much for your support of the last few years. When we first had our negative pressure HVAC installed in our operatories along with our air filters, we had no idea that we would be catering to such a large and warm community of patients. As more time has passed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a big influx of patients who are “still Covid-ing.” Each of you has had a different set of questions, circumstances, and request that has led us to develop guidelines that will help us provide the highest quality care to you in the safest manner possible. Starting immediately, the following guidelines will be enforced at our practice.
- We cannot open the windows in our operatories. Although intuition might suggest that you are getting good air circulation this way, the open windows negate the engineering that has gone into our negative pressure rooms. Rest assured that each room has one vent that draws air from outside and another vent that ejects the air back outside. An open window interferes with the negative pressure we are creating to keep aerosols out of our common spaces.
- We will not be able to allow patients to bring their own large air filters into our operatories. If you have an air filter that is no larger than a small purse, that doesn’t require a plug to work, and that can be placed on your chest without being in a clinician’s way, that’s fine. Our operatories are small, and having an additional air filter in each operatory creates a crowded and hazardous work environment. We are confident that our negative pressure HVAC and the air filters that are already in the operatories are more than adequate in keeping the air in each room as clean as possible.
- In order to take x-rays, the door to your room may need to be open. We cannot make arrangements in advance to avoid this. We want to make sure you are aware of this before your visit so that you are not caught off guard or surprised. We do feel confident that the negative pressure circulation that we have in place is keeping pathogens and aerosols created in our operatories from entering our hallways and common areas.
- Please do not ask our clinical staff to wear masks that you bring with you. We have carefully selected the Honeywell DF300N95 disposable respirator mask for our treating clinicians to wear at the request of the patient.
- Our guidelines will be kept up-to-date on our website. As we continue to see what works and what doesn’t work, we will continue to update these guidelines. Please come back here to stay up to date.
Again, we want to express our gratitude for choosing this practice to receive your care. We will continue to put your safety and health as a top priority. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or need to book an appointment. Thank you!