Dear Patients,
It’s been said that many the great adventure films of John Ford have a common storyline- a bad guy rolls into town who threatens the existence of peaceful folks who are quietly going about their daily lives. What makes these films so stirring is watching the heroic process of ordinary people rising to the occasion. The populous awakens and develops the resolve to do what is necessary to defeat the bad guy and restore peace and normalcy to the village.
This is the script for what all of us must now do. We need to strive collectively to protect ourselves from the bad guy and, to the degree possible, gradually restore normalcy to our lives.
After closing our doors to all but emergencies over the past month, our office is planning to reopen slowly and carefully, while exercising every available precaution to protect the health of both our patients and our staff.
Here is a summary of the step-by-step approach we will be taking to maximize safety.
Scheduling an appointment:
Patients who call for an appointment will be screened by our staff for history of COVID exposures, any symptoms suggestive of COVID disease and nursing home residency. Patients who have positive histories on any of these issues will be asked to postpone their visits. These patients will not be able to make an appointment until one month later, after the clearance by one of our physicians following a repeat telephone interview.
Before entering the waiting room:
All patients with appointments will be greeted outside our office entrance by one of our staff. Negative pertinent histories will be again confirmed, and temperatures will be checked by an infrared screening device. Patients who pass this review will be allowed to enter the waiting room after putting face masks and medical gloves. Patients and visitors who arrive without a face mask will be given one. We will also supply gloves.
Before being seated in the waiting room:
A staff member will open the office entrance and check to be sure there is sufficient space for physical distancing before the patient enters the waiting area. If not, patients will be asked to wait at least 6 feet apart outside the office door. If there is insufficient room to allow proper distancing immediately outside our office, our staff will take cell phone numbers. Patients will be asked to wait in their car until they can be called and asked to return to the office. This will be done as soon as sufficient waiting room space is available.
While in the office:
All seats inside our office will be spaced not less than 6 feet apart. Only one visitor accompanying the patient will be allowed in the facility, although we will encourage patients who are comfortable entering alone to do so. All of our staff and the doctors will be wearing a face mask and medical gloves. Effort will be made to bring patients into individual exam rooms as quickly as possible. These rooms, door handles, the arms of chairs, examination equipment and all other surfaces will be cleaned with disinfectant before each patient enters the room. New gloves will be put on by doctors before each patient is examined. After the exams are completed, patients will be guided to the check out area, where physical distancing will continue to be maintained and patients will then be ushered to the exit.
All of us at the Colvard-Kandavel Eye Center are dedicated to providing our patients with the highest level of care. Each morning, every one of our staff will go through the same rigorous screening as our patients. Those of you who know us well, know that we do care deeply about every one of our patients and every member of our staff. Working together we will rise to this challenge. We will defeat the beast and, hopefully, sometime in the coming months all these precautions will become unnecessary. But until then, you have our assurance that we will do everything possible to protect the health of our patients and our staff.
With Warm Regards,
Michael Colvard MD
Rom Kandavel MD
Lisa Lintz MD
Steven Yoon MD