Dentists respond to allowing non-emergency medical procedures

With the governor's announcement that non-emergency medical procedures will now be allowed to resume May 1, some local dentists have mixed feelings.

Medical providers are weighing in on brown's announcement.

Kezi 9 news reporter emma jerome is live at a local dentist's office whose owner says she's not going back to business as usual on may first.

Terri baarstad is the primary dentist and owner of smile alive dentistry here in crescent village.

She told me she has mixed feelings about the governor's announcement.

On one hand she says they are doing everything they possibly can to protect the emergency patients they are currently seeing, using masks, face shields, screening patients in their cars, and only working with a select number of staff to let the ones she temporarily had to furlough collect their unemploymeny benefits, but she also said if only some practices reopen and others stay closed - it could affect her client base negatively baarstad, owner, smile alive dentistry "i don't think there will be enough patients who want to come in right now that we can bring everyone back.

We're making calls to the patients seeing how many people.

We - i have a lot of patients right now with urgent needs - they're not true emergencies, but they're urgent... things that are bothering them and those will be our first people to get in obviously" she says they have only seen around 30 patients since shutting their offices she also said if offices elect to open in full - it might push some of her clientele to switch providers if she isn't one of them looking forward she says if they can't get the personal protective equipment they need, they won't open, though right now she says her supply is stable.

She says the earliest she would open is may 4th, but only if she can do so safely as to protect her staff and her patients - in order to keep western oregon strong reporting live in eugene emma jerome kezi