UPDATED MAY 18, 2020 | A MESSAGE FROM DR. CLAUSTRO
To our dear community of patients, neighbors and friends,
It has been a challenging year for us all and the recently updated recommendations by the CDC are welcome signs of brighter days ahead! As a healthcare facility, our team will always be committed to the health and safety of our patients, our fellow employees, and our respective families.
Effective May 18, 2021, we will continue to request that all patients -- regardless of their vaccination status -- wear a mask until seated in their designated treatment area. Team members will be required to continue to wear a mask when unable to be socially distanced. And because of the intimate size of our reception area, we will continue to request patients stay in their car, call or text us on their arrival, and come up when instructed to help us maintain a well-spaced patient flow through the office.
Due to the high volume of patients who are still ineligible for vaccines, unable to become vaccinated, or who are vaccinated but remain immunocompromised, we hope these simple measures will continue to keep our track record for maintaining a healthy and safe environment for all.
Sincerely,
Joanna Claustro, DMD
COVID-19 PRACTICE PROTOCOLS
Our team has always been vigilant in maintaining Universal Precautions and exceeding OSHA Healthcare Standards. To further reduce the risk of contamination during the upcoming months, our team will be taking the following actions in addition to our usual standards in sterilization and sanitation:
- We will not accept any walk-in patients at this time. If you need immediate care, please call our office and we will make planned accommodations.
- To minimize contact between patients, we ask that you call or text us from your car at 703-406-8600 when you arrive and we will let you know when our clinicians are ready to seat you.
- We ask that companions or family members wait in the car if possible. Exceptions may be made in advance for young children and caretakers — please let us know ahead of time so we can make accommodations.
- Every employee and appointed patient will be screened upon arrival and we reserve the right to reschedule any person who:
- Has a temporal temperature of 100 degrees or greater
- Shows signs of respiratory illness (coughing, sneezing, etc.) or moderate/severe malaise.
- Reports travel to regions deemed “High Risk” by the CDC within the past 14 days
- Reports a positive or pending COVID-19 test result (and has not been cleared as recovered)
- Reports being in contact with persons known or presumed positive for COVID-19
- Reports being in contact with persons with any respiratory illness not ruled out for COVID-19
- Has existing conditions that put them at greater risk of mortality if contracting COVID-19
- Refuses to cooperate with our screening process
- All patients and employees will be required to wash their hands and/or utilize provided hand sanitizer upon arrival and prior to leaving.
- We require all patients to wear a mask while not being worked on by our team and that all outside gloves be removed prior to entering our office.
- All reading material and toys will be removed from the reception area. Please feel free to bring your favorite book, iPad, or cross-word puzzles to keep your mind occupied if needed.
- All clinical areas and instruments will continue to be sanitized and sterilized per OSHA regulations. All shared areas will be cleaned regularly throughout the day with medical-grade cleaners (door knobs, bathrooms, reception counter, etc.).
- To protect our clinicians, additional Personal Protective Equipment will be utilized as they become available to us from our suppliers. We will also limit the use of aerosol-producing equipment when possible.
- To reduce and eliminate aerosols, our clinicians will utilize specially-designed High Volume Evacuation systems during treatment and every room has been equipped with highly-rated HEPA Filtration Units designed to replace air every 12 minutes and kill viruses with UV technology.
- Our team will maintain Social Distancing Practices — replacing handshakes and hugs with waves, elbow bumps, and foot taps.
- We are currently looking into other ways to improve your safety and increase convenience such as virtual consultations, online forms, and text to pay options.
- We are unable to provide masks, gloves, or sanitizing products to anyone for personal use. Anyone found stealing these items will be dismissed as a patient of the practice.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding and cooperation as we strive to conduct business in the safest way possible while maintaining the highest levels of customer service and care. If you have any concerns, you may reach out at any time by phone or by emailing us at [email protected].