COVID

 To our family of patients...and their families, friends, neighbors and co-workers:

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. 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 these agencies so that we are up to date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agency’s recommendations. Prior and at your appointment, please communicate with us if you have tested positive for Covid-19, experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive. You will be required to wear a face mask and sanitize your hands upon entering the office. My entire team, including myself are under strict orders to monitor our own health and for any potential symptoms of illness. We will all be wearing face masks including our front office team. Hand sanitizers are available in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed. Additional safety measures such as new HEPA Air filtration systems have been installed and as we always have, all surfaces are disinfected between patients, instruments sterilized and use of disposables wherever possible. We encourage our patients to come to the appointment unaccompanied. We look forward to seeing you at your next appointment and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (718) 745-4990 or Request an Appointment. We value your trust and loyalty, and we thank you for being our patient. Sincerely, Dr. Richard Romano

To our family of patients...and their families, friends, neighbors and coworkers:

• We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. While we are currently focusing on emergency dental care, we are all looking forward to resume providing preventative, comprehensive and cosmetic dental care.  We will be happy to open our doors for all dental services as soon as the CORVID19 regulations are lifted in New York City.   In the meantime, please know that I’m available to you and your friends and family for dental emergencies.  Don’t hesitate to call the office (718 745 4990) or my cell (917459-6338) if you have any questions.
• When you return to the office you might notice many changes, but 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 these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agency’s recommendations.
• 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.  You will be required to wear a face mask upon entering the office, your body temperature will be registered and we will ask you to sanitize your hands.
•  My entire team, including myself are under strict orders to monitor our own health and for any potential symptoms of illness.  In addition our body temperature will be taken upon arrival at work.    We will all be wearing face masks including our front office team.  Finally, our dental masks offer extremely high levels of protection against the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses and my treatment team will also wear plastic face barriers.
• You will also find hand sanitizer in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
• You may see that our reception room will no longer offer magazines, coffee, cell phone chargers and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.  We have instituted a physical barrier by the reception desk to allow for social distancing.
• New HEPA Air filtration systems have been installed.
• All surfaces are disinfected between patients, instruments sterilized and use of disposables wherever possible.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. We have marked our floor to facilitate this task that might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment. We therefore ask you to come to your appointment unaccompanied. 
• “Car to Chair Protocol “We are asking patients to call us at 718 745 4990upon reaching the office (preferably from their car) so that they can be escorted as soon as the previously appointed patient is dismissed and the office is sanitized.  We are also allowing more time between appointments to minimize waiting times and to allow for extra infection control measures.
• So that we can maximize patient treatment time, we ask that all questions regarding insurance, payment options and financial arrangements be discussed by phone prior to the appointment. 
• Credit card information will be accepted by phone in order to reduce handling other forms of payment
• We are planning to add additional office hours to care for and complete interrupted treatments, schedule all new patients who are eager to start treatment and schedule hygiene and periodontal re-care appointments.  As soon as we are given the go ahead to reopen fully, we will follow up with further communication. 
• 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 patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (718) 745-4990 or visit our website at http://www.drrichardromano.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. Richard Romano