COVID-19 Patient Notice

Dear Patients,

I hope this message finds you and your families well in this challenging and unprecedented time. I am writing to inform you that Park Avenue Medical Center remains open, as it has since the beginning of the pandemic, in order to ensure that all our patients continue to have appropriate access to care and to help relieve the burden on our hospitals. I wish to thank our talented and dedicated staff, whose special efforts have allowed us to keep our clinic open and do our part during this historic crisis.

We are monitoring continuously the latest COVID-19 guidelines issued by public health and governmental bodies, as well as the wider medical community. If you have not visited the clinic since the beginning of the pandemic, please note the new policy and procedures we have adopted to maximize patient safety:

● Everyone entering the clinic must wear a mask at all times on the premises, even in the restrooms
● Patients must come into the clinic unaccompanied, unless the patient is a minor
● All patients are asked to sanitize their hands before proceeding through check-in
● Before entering the treatment area, all patients are: (a) screened for fever and (b) asked to report potential exposure to COVID-19
● Patients with a fever or potential exposure to COVID-19 must wait in a separate area from other patients
● Our office hours have been adjusted to limit the number of patients in the waiting area, targeting a maximum of two at a time; we ask that all patients respect the timing of their appointments so we can maintain this target
● Enhanced sanitation procedures have been put into place throughout the facility, and all exam chairs and other exam room equipment are sanitized after each patient is seen
● All clinical staff use the double-mask system (N95 mask inside, surgical mask outside), as well as additional PPE

While the pandemic is foremost in all our minds, I also want to remind you that we are in the middle of a full-blown grass and weed allergy season. Even if you have been spending most of your time indoors during the outbreak, pollen can still affect you—and will likely affect you even more as we gradually re-open our businesses and increase outdoor activities.

Taking care of sinus and allergy problems is especially important now, as patients with underlying upper respiratory issues such as asthma, allergies, and bronchitis tend to do more poorly when they contract COVID-19. Also, coughing and impaired sense of smell are symptoms that sinus & allergy patients share with COVID-19 patients. If you develop any of these symptoms, please seek medical advice and care as soon as possible.

Lastly, I wished to let you know that telemedicine consultations are now available for the patients who are unable to visit our clinic. Please feel free to schedule a telemedicine appointment in the same way you would a regular office visit.

Please continue to take all possible precautions for yourself and your families, despite the effort and difficulty of doing so. I look forward to helping you in any way I can during this period, and to seeing all of you on the other side of this historic challenge.

Best wishes,
Jeffrey M. Ahn, M.D.
Director | Park Avenue Medical Center, New York
Associate Professor, Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine