We look forward to your upcoming visit to the Hypospadias Specialty Center and PARC Surgery Center!

We hope you have been healthy and safe.

Our main priority is to provide the best possible care for your son, in the safest environment possible.

This message is to acquaint you with our new policies and practices designed to achieve these goals.

First, it is our aim to have no person enter our facility who has coronavirus. This is not only for your and our health, but also because the virus has effects in children which could affect wound healing.

Before your visit

Our nurses will be calling 2 weeks before your visit to review the recent health of everyone in your household and their contacts. If anyone has had symptoms which could be from the virus, we will ask that person and your son be tested.

We strongly recommend that your household quarantine for 2 weeks prior to surgery. That includes avoiding all activities outside your home which are not absolutely necessary. For those which cannot be avoided, we strongly recommend that you wear masks the entire time, stay at least 6 feet from everyone else, limit your time in any room or building to the minimum possible, wear gloves, and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. We specifically ask that you not go to restaurants, barber shops, movies, or stores during this time.

The day before surgery

You will need to arrive in Dallas no later than the morning before surgery, and drive straight to Realtime Laboratories, 4100 Fairway Drive, Carrollton to test you and your son. This lab is nearby, and their trained technician will perform the nasal swabs (not the more painful nasopharyngeal swab) outside, at your car. This must be done by 1pm to ensure we have results the same day.

Please call 972-243-7754 to arrange a time for testing and the lab will tell you their process, including payment for the tests. The Federal Government has declared you will be reimbursed by your insurance company.

You may choose to arrive earlier and have testing done 48 hours before the operation. Patients having surgery on Mondays must have their testing done between 8 and 9am Saturday morning. Our testing must be done no earlier than 48 hours beforehand at Realtime Laboratories. Tests you might have had done elsewhere will not substitute for this testing. We cannot perform any surgery without these results.

Then please proceed to your hotel or AirB&B. Dr Snodgrass or Dr Bush will contact you for another telemedicine consultation later in the day to discuss the test results and plans for surgery. We ask that you not come to the facility after being tested.

The anesthesiologist will also contact you the evening before surgery.

The day of surgery

We must ask that only one caregiver accompany your son to PARC Surgery on the day of his operation. Please notify us when you arrive by calling 469 249 9000, ext 1 and a nurse will meet you at the entrance. She will provide you a mask. We ask that you wear this at all times inside the facility.

If your son is old enough to wear a mask he will need to do that too. If he is younger, we ask that you consider some cloth covering which he might allow. We understand if he refuses.

You and your son will be escorted together to a private family waiting room. This room will only be used by you, and will be fully sanitized before your arrival. There will be an iPad in the room which we will use to assist communications and limit face-to-face interactions. Please feel free to bring your personal laptop.

The nurse will do a final review of recent symptoms, take your temperatures, and weigh your son. The anesthesiologist will perform his examination. When he completes that, he will take your son to the operating room. You will be with your son the entire time from when you arrive until the moment he goes to the OR. This is exactly the same process we used before the pandemic.

While he is in surgery, the nurse will discuss postoperative instructions with you in detail by telemedicine.

After the operation, Dr Snodgrass and Dr Bush will talk with you via telemedicine to explain what we did and what to expect. You will be with you son as soon as he is waking up.

The care of your son and our communications with you will be exactly as it was before the pandemic, except that we will need to limit face-to-face contact as much as possible - for your and our safety.

Our safety precautions

Before you arrive, and after your leave, every area you enter will be sanitized.

All the surgeons, nurses, and secretaries have their temperatures checked each day. Coronavirus testing is done frequently on a regular schedule, and as needed for any possible symptoms. We maintain physical distancing, wear masks at all time, hold our meetings by Zoom, and sanitize our hands frequently. All our staff are following the same recommendations made to you, limiting exposure outside their homes and wearing masks, avoiding physical contacts, and washing their hands when they must be outside.

Last minute changes

The coronavirus health situation is fluid, and subject to unforeseen changes at any time. We are monitoring developments and recommendations from heath authorities constantly, and intend to notify families of any changes to these processes as soon as possible.

Please inform the office of your departure date and time if you are traveling here, especially if you are flying, so that we can reach you on short notice if the need arises.

We hope to not inconvenience anyone during the pandemic. Please understand if we have to change plans and reschedule surgery if developments in the Dallas area make that necessary, or if you or your son have a positive test or fever or other symptoms which are worrying for infection the day of surgery.

Please stay in contact with us as the date for your son’s surgery approaches, so we can work together to make your visit safe, and successful for your son! You can contact the office if you have additional questions.