03/18/2020
Dear patients of Dr. Lindsey Schlepp,
As healthcare professionals, the health and well-being of our patients, staff, and their families has always been and will continue to be our top priority. We are experiencing an unprecedented chain of events in our country and difficult decisions are being placed before us.
After careful consideration, we have temporarily suspended seeing non-emergency patients effective 1:00pm on Tuesday, March 17th, 2020 and are reassessing daily. We are doing our best to “flatten the curve”. At this time, we are performing a deep cleaning of all surfaces and areas. We consulted with medical physicians in facility management positions and came to the conclusion that this was the appropriate action and would allow us to put proper treatment protocols in place moving forward. As previously stated, we follow CDC guidelines daily, cleaning and sterilizing surfaces and equipment using top medical grade antibacterial and antiviral agents after each and every patient—this is not a new protocol for us.
I am constantly monitoring reports from the local, state, and federal governmental agencies. I will update here and we will email and/or text information as your appointment dates approach. We are not going to contact everyone more than a few days in advance because of the constant changes, so please bear with us. Please monitor your missed calls, messages, emails and texts. We certainly want to keep you informed. We will always be available for patients with emergency needs to include:
*severe toothaches (throbbing that prevents sleep or daily functioning)
*swelling of gums, face, or neck
*bleeding in the mouth that does not stop
*trauma (such as broken teeth due to injury)
If you have any symptoms that include fever, cough, shortness of breath, achiness, or fatigue, or have traveled out of the country or to a “hotspot” within the United States, or have had contact with anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms or that has received a positive test for COVID-19, please contact us to reschedule your appointment.
For the foreseeable future, once we reopen the office for elective patient care, this is how we plan to continue to safely see patients in our office.
** Please call the office when you arrive in the parking lot. We will have a staff member meet you at your car to take your temperature and ask a series of questions to determine your risk of exposure to COVID-19. The staff member will be wearing a mask for hers and your protection…this doesn’t indicate sickness, just protection.
**When your treatment operatory is ready, you will be escorted directly to the room without having to wait in the reception area. At the end of your appointment, follow up scheduling and payment arrangements will be taken care of in the treatment room so there will be no need to stop at the front desk. You will then be escorted back to your car.
**Please do not plan to bring any additional family members/friends with you to the appointment. They will not be allowed in the office. The ONLY exception will be one parent of a minor allowed in the treatment room.
**We wanted to make patients aware of our protocol, however there will be no fee charged for cancellations during this time. We want you to have full control in your decisions knowing that we are doing everything in our power to provide a safe treatment environment.
Finally, thank you for your patience and kindness. Help each other. We appreciate you all and want this to be over as much as any of you. This is so hard and emotional and none of us have all the answers.
Much love,
Lindsey Schlepp, DDS
