Covid-19 Letter

June 2, 2020

Dear Halfmoon Family Dental Patients,

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few 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 safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice 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 the agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

  • Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
  • Patients must be wearing masks upon entering the office. Your temperature will be taken before entering the main office. Patients with a temperature above 99.5 will be asked to reschedule.
  • Patients will be asked to sign their patient screening forms.
  • We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
  • You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s books and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
  • Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. You will be asked to stay in your car and call us at (518)348-1999 when you arrive at the office. We will give you a call back to let you know when you can enter the building for your appointment.
  • We will be reducing the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

Some other changes that we have made to ensure your safety:

  • Barriers have been erected at the front desk to create separation with the reception area.
  • Reception area magazines and other items which may harbor germs have been removed.
  • Chairs have been moved at least six feet apart, couches have been marked with X’s to keep people apart.
  • Tape has been placed on the floor at check in/check out counters to maintain the six feet distance.
  • Enhanced barrier protection and infection control procedures in all treatment areas.
  • UV treatment lights have been installed in the air handlers which serve the entire building.
  • New furnace filters have been installed which have a much higher MERV rating than previous filters.
  • Individual air purifiers with HEPA filters and UV lights have been placed in all operatories and the reception area.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patent, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (518)348-1999 or visit our website at www.halfmoonfamilydental.com.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gary Swalsky and Team