UNITED, SAFE & CHANGING LIVES
United, Safe & Changing Lives.
UNITED, SAFE & CHANGING LIVES
In early May 2020, ADI and DDS affiliated practices’ began reopening their doors, based on state mandates, PPE Inventory Readiness, and the ability to safely treat patients and maintain practice staff safety. By May’s end, most practices were up and running, and the entirety of ADI’s affiliated practices have been open since July. It was quite a welcome return, as practices were greeted with an influx of patients. “It’s been busy! When we first came back, we hit the ground running. People just couldn't come in fast enough,” said Tina McKibben, Front Desk Associate at the ADI affiliated Monroe, NC location.
McKibben is just one example of the many employees at ADI practices throughout the country who experienced a quick return from patients. Thanks to the Support Center at Affordable Care who were at the ready, listening, learning and acting with purpose, practices have been able to supply the great demand.
The Support Center came together for the sole purpose of outfitting their colleagues, dental assistants, lab technicians and dentists alike, with the equipment, protocols and support necessary to create and maintain a safe and ready environment. “It’s nice to have a support system that you already know you can trust...who provided a backbone of what to do...who did their best to get the most accurate information to relay to us,” said J. Stuart Williams, DDS, Practice Owner in Monroe, NC.
McKibben echoes Williams’ sentiments. “They just had everything in place for us. They crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s. All we had to do was come in and implement,” McKibben recalls, “We were all set and ready to go with our gloves, our plexiglass barrier, our masks.”
Cleanliness at the forefront; a standard operation, something to be expected of a healthcare facility. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ADI and DDS affiliated practices have enhanced their sanitation procedures. “We are more alert...meaning that we pay attention to every little detail...where patients sit, what their hands have touched, making sure they have a mask on at all times....We change our gloves periodically and sanitize every pen, every clipboard, every chair...it’s a very very clean environment,” said Stephanie Fox, Dental Assistant at ADI affiliated Durham location.
Per ADI’s new practice protocols, patients are now virtually pre-screened in order to provide them with information on the practices’ current safety measures, while also assessing the most effective and appropriate treatments for them prior to their visit. Every effort is taken to provide a welcome environment while limiting a patient’s time spent in the practice, thus keeping capacity at a minimum and everyone’s well-being a primary focus.
Today, practice staff and patients alike can expect the following:
● Mandatory Face Coverings at all times
● Ample PPE Inventory including Surgical Masks, Full Face Splash Shields, Eye Protection, Surgical Gowns/Lab Coats and Gloves
● Expanded Sanitation Procedures with the strict use of EPA Cleaning Agents
● Daily Health Checks including disclosure questionnaires and temperature readings
● Repositioned waiting rooms that meet social distancing guidelines, including the removal of reading materials, toys and other communal materials
● Amended Patient Scheduling Templates
● Plexiglass protective barriers at reception (recommended)
ADI strives to provide a safe environment for each and every person that enters each and every practice. This remains just as true today as it did upon ADI’s founding in 1975. The longevity and credibility that Affordable Dentures & Implants maintains, due to its team of highly skilled and attentive healthcare professionals, is credited for the swift return of dental patients to the operatories. Our front-line colleagues, those who change countless patients’ lives every day are the ones to be commended, for they are the ones who make all of this possible.