CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 UPDATE
Dear Patients,
During this time of the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, Strull Oral Surgery will remain open and follow guidelines set forth by the Center for Disease Control, to help limit the spread of this virus. All health care providers are being asked to postpone all elective procedures. This means we will be treating patients on an emergency basis for essential treatment only.
Our primary goal and mission is not only the care of our patients and communities, but any patient. If you are experiencing a dental/oral surgery emergency, such as pain, swelling, infection or trauma, please feel free to contact us. By doing our part, it will allow us to treat dental emergencies and relieve the burden this places on hospitals, emergency departments, primary care offices and immediate care centers, thus saving these valuable resources to allow them to treat patients with the COVID-19 virus and its complications.
We have also had to implement some changes to our practice. As we all know, this situation is changing, and our office policies may continue to change as well. These policies include but are not limited to:
- If you must have someone escort you to your appointment, please only bring one person with you. Extra people will be asked to wait outside the office.
- Unless a child is a patient, please bring no children.
- Please refrain from touching your tooth or mouth or removing any dental appliances.
- All patients and anyone coming with the patient will have their temperature checked.
- If you have a cough, shortness of breath, fever or think you may have been exposed to a virus, please let us know before you enter the office
Please be assured that in addition to our standard disinfection and sterilization procedures, we are constantly disinfecting all of the common areas frequently throughout the day.
We thank you for your cooperation and thoughtfulness to keep our patients, staff, families and you safe.
Dr. Jim and Dr. Greg, Patsy, Karen, Dana, Jennifer, Jade, Bonnie, JoBeth, Tessa, Maegan, Jo and Shannon
ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURES
We have reinforced our already comprehensive Infection Control procedures with our team members, which include frequent handwashing, use of clean masks and gloves, and disinfecting all surfaces in the treatment rooms and reception areas. We are also taking the following additional steps:
- Increasing the frequency of thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas of the office
- Instructing team members to stay home if they’ve traveled to high-risk areas or if they have any COVID-19 related symptoms
- Removing communal items that may be touched by multiple people throughout the day such as our coffee station and magazines
NEW OFFICE PROCEDURES
We will continue to provide essential treatment for patients who need ESSENTIAL dental care. Any appointments for non-essential treatment, including hygiene appointments, will be rescheduled.
We will be taking the following precautions to protect your safety along with the safety of our team members while the pandemic continues:
- Our protocol for check-in will change during this time: A team member will greet you at the door to verbally check you in and take your temperature using a temporal (forehead) thermometer.
- Once in the practice, a team member will ask a series of questions to assess your risk level of exposure to COVID-19. You may be asked to reschedule your appointment if you are determined to be high risk.
- Guests accompanying patients to their appointments will be asked to stay outside of the practice. Exceptions will be made for children and patients needing assistance. In these cases, each patient will be limited to one guest.
- We highly encourage calling the practice prior to arriving during this time. All appointments should be scheduled in advance.
Here’s how you can help:
- Please arrive at your scheduled appointment time. Do not arrive early.
- If you do have a short wait time before your appointment, please practice social distancing in the waiting area by maintaining a minimum of six feet between yourself and other people.
RESCHEDULING
In the event you wish to reschedule an appointment, including non-essential appointments, we are happy to help. Please consider rescheduling if any of the following apply:
- You, or anyone in your immediate family, have traveled from/through China, Japan, Iran, South Korea, Europe or an area in the U.S. with a significant number of reported COVID-19 cases within the last 30 days
- You, or anyone in your immediate family, have had known exposure to COVID-19
- You are experiencing any flu-like or COVID-19 related symptoms (fever, persistent cough, shortness of breath)
The safety of our patients, team members and community are paramount. As the Coronavirus pandemic evolves, we will continue to actively monitor the local situation and follow CDC recommendations.
We are hopeful these proactive changes will contribute to helping our community get past the Coronavirus situation soon. We are committed to serving our community and are here to help.
