Horizon Family Eye Care and COVID-19: What this means for your upcoming visit.
As an essential care provider, our team has chosen to remain open for the urgent care needs of our patients throughout this unprecedented time. As of 05/18/2020, we have expanded our services to once again include routine vision and optical services. We are using a modified patient encounter strategy that strives to minimize the risk of contracting coronavirus. For more information on coronavirus and its effect on our state, please visit the Virginia Department of Health.
Please know that the safety of our patients and staff is our primary concern. With this in mind, we have made the following changes in our office protocol:
- For all non-essential services, we are following Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Recommendations Re-opening Facilities to Provide Non-emergent Non-COVID-19 Healthcare: Phase I. In response to and in compliance with this CMS guidance, we have developed a reopening protocol. Our protocol has also been made in accordance with the American Optometric Association (AOA) guidance on Optometry Reactivation Preparedness found here and CDC clinical preparedness found here.
What this means for your visit:
- We are seeing our patient’s one at a time which allows us to sanitize our office to the best of our ability between each patient. This does not confer a zero risk environment, but it is the most we can do to ensure your safety, as well as ours.
- Anyone presenting to our office with a temperature will be sent home immediately, except in the case of true ocular emergency. Additionally, we ask that anyone who has come in contact with someone who shows any symptoms of illness reschedule their visit by 2 weeks.
- We will wear a face mask or covering throughout the entirety of patient care and we require the use of a face mask or covering by our patients to limit our exposure to each other.
- All visitors will be instructed to wash their hands or use an appropriate hand sanitizer on entry. Staff members will also wash their hands prior to all patient interactions.
- We request that you come alone to your visit, unless a guardian or caregiver is needed.
Please also know that:
- Our staff members include a licensed Doctor of Optometry and a licensed Registered Nurse. As experienced essential care providers, we are already accustomed to caring for and cleaning after our contagious patients.
- We have read the Virginia Department of Health document, Information for healthcare Providers: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions, which carefully outlines Coronavirus FAQ’s and serves as a basis of understanding for what the disease entity is, what its clinical features are, and appropriate quarantine and self-monitoring recommendations.
- We will undergo symptom screening and a temperature check at the start of our day. We will go home, self-quarantine, and get tested with confirmation of negative status prior to returning to work.
- We strongly encourage you to stay up to date on important information in your area. Please be mindful of your situation and the risks involved with exposure to new places or people.
Thank you for your time in reading this! If you have any questions or concerns, please call our office at 434-296-2020 or email us at hello@horizon-family-eye-care.websitepro.hosting.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
