Dear Friends,
We hope this letter finds everyone healthy, happy and preparing to ease back into regular routines. We are beyond ready to get back to work and see everyone’s smiles in person! Much has changed since we saw you last. We are all still coming to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic and events triggered by it. Everyone on the planet has been affected in some way by this historic event. We want to update you on our office, its measured re-opening, and the steps we are taking to ensure we do everything possible to keep our patients and our team healthy.
While our office has been closed, Dr. G and our team have spent significant time and effort on deciding the best practices to resume delivering orthodontic care. Since we understand that oral and nasal transmission of the virus is the largest concern, and this is the area where we are working, some changes to our care delivery are necessary. The scientific information is continually changing, and we remain committed to staying as up-to-date as possible.
We will begin reopening on Wednesday, May 13th, slowly at first and then with some increases over following weeks. We will be following rigorous scheduling protocols and office measures to ensure the safety and well-being of you, our patients, and the team members at Griffin Orthodontics.
We ask for your patience. We had to cancel over 1000 appointments during this closure, and we know that there is a strong desire to get your treatment back on track as soon as possible. We will eventually, but it will not be as efficient as we are used to in our office. This benefits everyone. We will have to be very firm in our processes and procedures. They have been well-thought-out and reviewed countless times by Dr. G. and our team members.
We are rescheduling patients on a “first-canceled-first-rescheduled” basis, which is fair and efficient. Our office procedures have temporarily changed and will include the following:
Appointments/Scheduling:
- If you have not heard from us to reschedule an appointment then please call or text our office to get something scheduled.
- Observation/recall appointments are likely to be pushed out further than the originally-planned return date.
- We have decided to extend our office hours and days when we are seeing our patients to help manage everyone in a safe way. The points outlined below will lend clarity to this decision.
- Emergencies will continue only to be defined by pain or bleeding. For now, broken brackets do not constitute an emergency and will be repaired at your next scheduled appointment. When you are contacted to schedule and know of a loose bracket, kindly let the scheduler know so that we can be better prepared.
- If a patient presents with an undisclosed loose bracket, you may be asked to return at another time to have the loose bracket repaired.
Visits:
- When you arrive for your appointment, please stay in your car. Please text our front desk at 414-328-0704 upon your arrival and we’ll inform you when we are ready for you to enter the office.
- Only the patient that is being treated will be allowed to enter the office. The only exception for this will be for very young patients, or those with special needs. Of those, only one parent/caregiver may accompany the patient. To respect social distancing, we’ve decided that absolutely no other family members or friends will be allowed inside.
- Please bring your own mask and wear it to your appointment. Federal guidelines for social distancing and wearing masks in businesses continue, so bring the mask you have been using. If you do not have your own, you may purchase one for $2 cash; however, personal protective equipment supplies are dangerously low. If we run out, we will have to close the office again until the supply chain is back to normal.
- Your temperature will be taken by staff using a touchless thermometer. If your temp is above 100.4 degrees F, you will be asked to leave and not return for the specified 14-day self-quarantine requirement.
- A simple questionnaire assessing your contacts, travel, and well-being will be asked of all persons entering the office. Any question indicating recent exposure to someone with COVID-19 or having signs and symptoms of the same will be asked to leave, and not return for the specified 14-day self-quarantine requirement.
- Maintain the 6-foot social distancing guidelines when in the office.
- The tooth-brushing station will be closed. Please brush before your appointment if at all possible.
- The patient restroom will be closed, so please prepare for that before arrival.
- Patients will rinse with an antimicrobial mouth rinse for 30 seconds at the chair.
- Patients will be seated in the treatment areas at appropriate distances apart from one another to maintain social distancing, which contributes to the limitation of the number of patients we are able to see per day.
- We ask for understanding while we will try to address all of your treatment needs during your visit. Individuals with multiple broken brackets may not have everything completed during this visit due to strict scheduling times.
- At the completion of the appointment, the patient will be escorted by a team member to the door. We’ll text you soon thereafter with treatment updates and an opportunity to schedule the next appointment.
- You’ll also notice other changes made throughout the office to comply with the newly-extended guidelines to our personal protective equipment (PPE). These are to ensure the health and well-being of our patients and our team.
Team:
- We will take the temperatures of every team member, including your doctor, immediately upon their arrival to the office, as well as after lunch. Any team member at 100.4 degrees F or above will go home.
- Every team member will answer the health questionnaire that our patients are required to answer, and will do so every day. If any questions disqualify the team member, they will be sent home following the same procedures we are asking our patients to follow.
We are so grateful for every one of our patients, and this time away has only served to make us even more thankful for each of you. You are the life-force of our practice, and this is why we are taking your safety VERY seriously. We would ask for your patience and understanding. Expect that your treatment progress has been delayed, as has your estimated completion time. We wish that were not the case, but it is. Please forgive us as we are focusing on getting each of you back on track while not exposing our team members or patients to unnecessary risk.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email our office.
Warmly,
Dr. Griffin and Staff
Forms:
Please download the Informed Consent and Health Survey from the home page on our website www.griffinortho.com and text your completed forms to 414-328-0704 prior to your visit. If you are unable to do so prior to your visit, it will limit how we will be able to help you when you arrive.
