The risk presented by COVID-19 caused us to close our office from March 16 to May 24. Now that we are reopening, what are we doing to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors, staff, and the general public?
At Vernon Denture Clinic, we have implemented a variety of risk mitigate principles and measures. To maximize safety, we are taking a layered approach, with multiple measures in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.
Here are some of the IPAC measures that our patients will encounter when scheduling and attending appointments at Vernon Denture Clinic.
Screening
- Patients are screened for COVID-19 symptoms and risk of exposure prior to appointments and when they arrive for all appointments. If a patient presents any of the following risks of infection transmission, their appointment will be rescheduled:
- they report any symptom consistent with COVID-19
- they are waiting for the results of a laboratory test for COVID-19
- they have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or been asked to self-isolate by any governmental health agency
- they have travelled outside of Canada within the past 14 days
- If a patient brings someone with them to their appointment (caregiver, family member, etc.), that person is also screened and their contact information is recorded for contact tracing purposes.
- Staff are screened daily for COVID-19 symptoms and risks of infection transmission. If any staff member feels unwell before the start of their workday, they are advised to stay home.
Scheduling
- We advise all patients to arrive on time for appointments, and ask early arrivals to wait in their vehicles until we are ready for their appointments.
- We have scheduled more time for each appointment, to ensure sufficient time for disinfection before and after we see each patient.
- We have also scheduled more time for certain procedures, to compensate for the additional disinfection time and processes required in our lab. This may mean that repairs may not be able to be completed in a single day, or that relines may take more than one day.
- We are discouraging drop-ins and require patients to schedule appointments for any services, including repairs.
Social distancing
- A plexiglass safety shield has been installed at our reception desk.
- We have staggered appointments, to enhance our ability for social distancing within the clinic.
- Our waiting area has been reorganized to ensure adequate social distancing.
- That being said, we actively discourage the use of our waiting area unless absolutely needed. Patients will be asked to wait in their vehicles until we are ready for their appointment. Once inside the clinic, patients will be taken directly into an appointment room.
- Friends and family should remain outside the clinic, unless you require an escort for physical or medical reasons.
Hygiene and PPE
- Patients are asked to remove gloves upon entry to the clinic, to reduce the risk of unintentional cross contamination from outside sources into our clinic.
- Hand sanitizer must be used by all persons who enter the clinic.
- Face masks must be worn by all persons inside our clinic. Masks will be provided to patients who do not have their own, for use while they are inside our clinic.
- Patients will be instructed to use an oral pre-rinse at the start of each appointment, before treatment starts.
- We ask patients to use electronic methods of payment (Visa, MasterCard, or e-transfer) whenever possible, rather than by cash or cheque.
For a complete overview of our clinic’s IPAC measures, please visit https://vernondentureclinic.com/patient-safety/