In the context of COVID-19, at the Ardentis clinic in Vevey, we were committed to fully assuming our public health mission by continuing to provide care to our patients while preserving their safety and the safety of our staff.
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The COVID-19 experience was a unique, sudden, and unexpected event for everyone. Every day, we had to read, gather information, weigh opinions, discuss, question ourselves, and reconsider our approach. The most unsettling part was moving forward week by week, navigating blindly, all wondering what the outcome of this pandemic would be.
In this context, at the Ardentis clinic in Vevey, we remained fully committed to our public health mission by continuing to provide care to our patients while preserving their safety and that of our team. We limited care to strict emergencies (infections, pain, and trauma) and organized caregiver teams in rotations. Additionally, we ensured continuity of orthodontic care by offering consultations via phone or email.
Thus, we maintained an effective and responsive care service, thereby relieving nearby hospital and medical facilities. We were pleased to welcome and treat many new patients who could not find solutions in traditional structures.
Today, although it is premature to draw conclusions, we can already state that fundamentally, our health safety principles have remained unchanged. Only the constraints related to aerosol management and respect for distancing rules have significantly challenged us.
In hindsight, the most coercive constraint related to COVID-19 is the loss of physical contact with patients: no longer being able to shake hands and hiding our smiles behind masks. This double frustration, lamented by the majority of healthcare staff, is immense, and we all look forward to returning to a less “sealed-off” relationship.
Since April 27th, the resumption of activity has been a very busy period because we had to think about how to best satisfy our patients while observing distancing and aerosol protection rules. After a month, we have been rewarded and our morale is high. For the Ardentis Vevey team, going through a storm of this magnitude has been a strengthening experience, and we come out of it more united and more committed to our mission: providing quality care in a secure context, all within a welcoming and caring environment.
