To Our Valued Patients,
Based on the latest guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on the COVID-19 virus, health care practices across the country are limiting and rescheduling all “routine” care to a later date. As a highly medically oriented office, most of our patient visits would not be considered “routine” and many of our patients are over the age of 60 which is considered higher risk.
In this note, we will share with you changes we have made in the following areas:
- Changes in our appointment schedule
- Screening for patients
- New policies for safety within our office
- Curbside delivery of glasses and contact lens orders
- Waived shipping costs on all contact lens order
- Office sanitation
To ensure we continue to deliver the highest quality health care for our patients in a healthy and safe environment, effective Friday March 20th, our offices will be following the CDC guidelines. Understand these guidelines and our policies may change given the emergency response required to a quickly changing public health emergency.
Beginning Monday March 20th our office hours will change to:
Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Friday 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
This is subject to change during this emergency so please call before coming to the office.
All upcoming appointments will be reviewed by our doctors and staff.
- We will evaluate your need for care as to whether the appointment should remain as scheduled or postponed until after April 20, 2020.
- If the doctor feels your appointment should be rescheduled, you will receive a call from a staff member to ensure you have not had changes in your vision, eye, or health care needs which would recommend we keep your appointment as scheduled.
- If rescheduling your appointment is indicated, we will make an appointment for you after April 20th.
Patient and Staff Safety in our Office
Prior to your arrival:
- We will be confirming all appointments one to two days prior by phone.
- We will interview each patient with the following questions during the confirmation of your appointment AND upon arrival at your appointment:
- Are you immune compromised?
- Have you traveled to out of state, or to any areas with known COVID-19 in the last 14 days?
- Have you had a fever, cough, or shortness of breath in the last 14 days?
- Have you had social contact with anyone with known COVID-19 or other flu symptoms?
If you answer yes to any of the above, the staff will consult with your doctor to decide whether you should maintain your appointment.
Upon your arrival at our office:
- Effective Friday March 20th, the door at our office will be locked during office hours.
- When you arrive for your appointment, we ask that you call, and a staff member will let you into the clinic. The office phone number is (253) 537-7544. The number is also posted on the door.
- We have implemented proper social distancing in the office by removing half of the chairs in our waiting area. We ask patients to sit away from other patients and staff, and not walk around the office.
- We ask that you do not bring friends or family to your appointment unless required for mobility or other valid reasons.
- We will perform a screening of your temperature. Anyone with a fever over 99 will be asked to return to their car and your doctor will make a decision whether to have you enter, or if they can provide a remote consultation via phone, FaceTime, Skype or other means.
Optical and Contact Lenses
As we are limiting the number of people in the office, therefore:
- We will provide curb-side service for eyeglass adjustments, repairs, and pickups when possible.
- Until further notice, all contact lens orders will be shipped directly to our patients at no additional cost.
Office Sanitation and Disinfection
We want to reassure you that Parkland Eye & Vision has always carefully disinfected our office and equipment, and practiced appropriate staff hygiene during our care for our patients. We will be adding the following new policies:
- No food or drink is allowed in the office.
- Beginning last year, we began using hypochlorous acid (Pure & Clean), an alcohol-free disinfectant for both skin and surfaces. We have started asking our patients to use this when they enter our clinic.
- We have a limited supply of Pure & Clean for sale.
At Home
We encourage our patients to follow the measures recommended by the CDC and other public health organizations to remain healthy and safe.
- Practice “Social Distancing” of more than 3 feet whenever possible.
- Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
- Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; ensure you wash your thumbs, between your fingers and under the nails.
- Use effective hand sanitizers.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in your home.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you have any symptoms or are sick, except to get medical care.
- Cover your cough with a tissue and immediately discard the tissue in the trash.
- Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly when handling contact lenses.
- Those who are ill, with cold or flu-like symptoms, should always avoid using contact lenses until they are healthy.
We will continue to update you as this health emergency changes. If you have any questions, please call our staff. Be smart and stay healthy!
The doctors and staff of Parkland Eye & Vision
Phone: (253) 537-7544
Email: info@parklandeye.com
Web: www.parklandeye.com