Patient Safety

Hudson Valley Community College's Dr. Robert H. Hill II Dental Hygiene Clinic is now open for dental care in a limited capacity.

Hudson Valley Community College Dental Hygiene Clinic has launched a multi-phased reopening plan following the guidelines set forth from the New York State Department of Health (DOH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This plan will initially limit the number of students, faculty, staff and patients in the building, allowing for maximum social distancing and minimizing risk. We will gradually scale up to full capacity as conditions allow.

As an accredited dental hygiene training facility, infection control has always been a top priority in our clinic. We employ an Infection Control Officer who ensures state and federal guidelines are meticulously followed to protect our patients. Our professional-grade sterilization facilities offer the highest-level of quality control available. Now, we have taken further action to ensure your health and safety by establishing screening protocols for anyone who enters our building, increasing personal protective equipment standards, adding protective shields at all clinic desks, and enhancing cleaning practices.

While things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been a top priority at the Robert H. Hill II Dental Hygiene Clinic. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want you to rest assure that we are committed to keeping you safe and healthy. We look forward to servicing all of your dental hygiene needs.

To learn more about these initiatives and how they may impact your visit to Hudson Valley Community College Dental Hygiene Clinic, please read the details below and visit this site for updates.

Health Screening Efforts

All patients, visitors, faculty, staff and students must follow the Health and Safety protocols outlined on the COVID-19 Info webpage. 

Personal Protective Equipment

Proper PPE including masks, gowns, gloves and safety glasses have always been a requirement for our students, faculty and clinical staff working at Hudson Valley Community College's dental hygiene clinic. We have increased our PPE standards to include head coverings, face shields, ASTM Level 3 Face Masks and N-95 custom fitted masks for greater comfort and protection.

All patients and visitors to our campus should be wearing a mask or face covering at all times unless treatment is being provided.

Engineering Controls

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and keep everyone safe, we have upgraded to using the newest technological air filtration systems. These units are located in each dental operatory and use the combination of advanced chemistry technology, germicidal UVC and HEPA filtration to capture and destroy airborne toxic and noxious gasses, particulates, allergens, bacteria and viruses.

Social Distancing

The reopening of Hudson Valley Community College Dental Hygiene Clinic continues to be done gradually in multiple phases. This has enabled us to maximize social distancing and carefully monitor our progress as we ramp up to full capacity.

Patient entry to the building will be staggered to promote separation and minimize wait times in public areas. Signage has been added to remind people of social distancing, including designated areas to stand in the elevator. We have created designated pathways in certain hallways to keep traffic flowing in one direction and limit close contact.

Our reception areas have been rearranged with fewer chairs that are spaced six-feet apart, when possible, and we’ve removed all magazines and literature. Plexiglass shields have been installed at all clinic reception desks to ensure safe separation in places where distancing might be difficult.

Cleaning Practices

While infection prevention has always been a top priority, we are continuing to take extra precautions when it comes to cleaning our clinical facilities, waiting rooms, elevators, restrooms and other public spaces to ensure everyone’s safety. We are focusing on all high-touch areas and clean multiple times a day to make sure every area is continuously disinfected.

In addition, our dental hygiene operatories are meticulously cleaned after each patient appointment following infection control guidelines. All dental instruments are sterilized and individually wrapped in our state-of-the-art instrument processing facility using professional grade sterilization techniques.

Visitor Restrictions

The safety of you and your loved ones remains our top priority. For the protection of everyone, we are limiting visitors to our patients, patient caregivers and parents or guardians of minors being seen for treatment only.