Thank you for entrusting Sidney Eye Care Center with your vision care needs. The safety of our staff and patients is our highest priority. We’re sure you’re aware of the constantly changing concerns about the Coronavirus and want to take this opportunity to make you aware of the precautions our office is taking.
Our goal is to ensure a safe and sanitary environment for everyone in our office. If you have symptoms of cough, respiratory distress, or fever, we are asking that you reschedule your appointment by calling 406-482-2609.
We have implemented numerous safety measures at the direction of the CDC, AOA, MOA, and the Richland County Health Department.
We will carefully & slowly resume routine care with the following recommendations:
Due to social distancing, many scheduled exams will need to be rescheduled. We apologize for the inconvenience! Please CALL to schedule eyewear pickup and adjustments/repairs. You must wear a mask (unless a medical condition prevents) to enter our office. If you do not have one, we will provide one for you and kindly ask for you to make a $5 donation to charity. If you have an upcoming appointment, we will CALL to confirm the appointment details.
We will be prioritizing care for the following patients:
Urgent/current eye care need.
Losing insurance benefits.
Willing to have temperature taken upon arrival
Willing to wear a mask/face covering during visit (bring your own or a mask can be purchased at our office for a $5 donation to charity).
Willing to come without companions (except when required to provide care for a minor or those with special needs).
Willing to complete a COVID-19 questionnaire upon arrival.
No recent travel outside of Montana, no known symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19.
We have taken the following physical precautions in our office:
Hand-sanitizing station to use upon entering our facility.
We are limiting patient encounters to every 30 – 60 minutes, and limiting the number of patients in the building at one time.
Only one doctor per day will be seeing patients in the office
Limited number of staff present in the office at one time.
Patients entering the office must wear a face covering.
Suspend all walk-in optical services.
All eyewear repairs/adjustments will be scheduled to allow for social distancing, disinfection in between patient encounters, safe donning of PPE for staff
All staff interacting with patients must wear a surgical mask (at a minimum) or N95 mask depending on the level of interaction provided.
Patients will be screened for illness and exposure when entering the facility
Staff will be screened for illness, temperature and exposure prior to entering the facility daily.
Patients temperature will be taken prior to initiating care.
Patients or staff with temperatures above 100.5 will not be permitted in the facility.
Regularly cleaning and disinfecting door handles, counters, reception room areas, and all spaces where public interaction occurs.
Individual examination rooms are disinfected after every patient exam, including all surfaces, instrumentation, door handles, and equipment.
Uniform scrubs will be worn by all staff with routine laundering required.
Roped off optical and waiting room to control patient contact points. Patients will be escorted into designated areas.
Remove furniture in public spaces to allow for adequate social distancingOptical counters/desks spaced more than 6 feet apartPlexiglass breath shields have been installed at all counters.
Install temporary barriers on pre-testing and specialty equipment to allow staff and patient interaction more safely.
Utilize UV-C disinfection for all frames that are handled prior to re-displaying them.
Utilize hot water and soap to clean all patient frames prior to handling.
Enhance already rigorous daily office sanitation procedures.
Staff will follow CDC return to work guidelines if signs/symptoms of any illness are present.
Staff will follow Governor Bullock’s out of state travel guidelines of quarantine.
Staff will be provided additional paid time off to allow self-isolation/quarantine/resolution of illness as required per CDC guidelines.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Kristin O’Brien, O.D.,
Jared Burd, O.D.,
and The Sidney Eye Care Staff
