5/14/2020
Dear Patient:
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. On May 5, 2020, Governor Tim Walz signed Executive Order 20-51, which “will allow hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and clinics — whether veterinary, medical, or dental — to resume many currently delayed procedures” effective starting May 11, 2020. So we are writing to inform you that we officially re-opened on Thursday, May 14.
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), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and the Minnesota Board of Dentistry. We follow the activities of these agencies so 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 agencies’ recommendations.
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:
- Before your next appointment, please update your Patient Forms online at edenprairiedentalcare.com. Your information will be sent to our office with secure encryption. It will take about 10 minutes.
- Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions 24 hours before your appointment.
- When you arrive at our clinic, call our front desk (952-941-2810) and someone will meet you at your car. We will ask you the screening questions again, take your temperature, and provide you with a mask (your own mask is acceptable; we will provide one to you, if needed).
- Before you enter our reception area, please make sure your mask is on, and that you use the hand sanitizer in the foyer.
- You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys, and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- We will allow greater time between patients to limit the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
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 952-941-2810.
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. Kirk A. Dickey and Team