COVID Orientation
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Thank you for choosing to volunteer at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital during this time of a world-wide pandemic. Volunteer safety is always of the utmost importance to us. The purpose of this orientation is to share with you several of the precautions that have been put into place for volunteer assignments. Some or all may apply to the area you volunteer in. Training to these precautions will happen in your assignment area. We appreciate the gift of your time and talents! What to expect? The first thing to know is that being IN the hospital as a volunteer is very safe, in that we have precautions in place all day every day • Everyone in the hospital will be expected to wear face masks. o You can wear your own cloth mask and launder it after every shift. o Or we can provide you with a disposable face mask every shift. • You will need to be wearing your badge and mask when entering the building. • Some assignments will require you to wear a face shield or goggles. We will supply these. o The face shields and goggles will be stored in assignment areas in a brown paper bag with your name on it. • Everyone will be screened either when entering the hospital or in their assignment area. • Everyone is asked to maintain social distancing whenever possible. o We promote maintaining a distance of 6’ from another person whenever possible. You will see tape markings on the floor to define this. • Everyone is asked to participate in ongoing enhanced cleaning and hand sanitation. What to Expect: Being screened involves the following: Are you experiencing any of the following? Chill ____ No ____Yes Repeated shaking with chills ____No ____ Yes Muscle pain ____ No ___ Yes New loss of taste or smell ____No ____ Yes Cough ____ No ____Yes Difficulty breathing (new) ____ No ____Yes Sore Throat ____ No ___Yes Headache ____ No ___ Yes Fever (100.4°F or greater) ____ No ____Yes Have you had a known exposure to COVID-19 in the last 14 days? ____ No ___ Yes Anyone screening positive will be sent home and be asked to contact Employee Health. What to Expect : UnityPoint Health - Cedar Rapids ER Safety Measures during COVID-19 Please watch the short video https://www.facebook.com/UnityPointCedarRapids/videos/198341571130280/ What to Expect : Waiting areas: Seating has been rearranged to allow for social distancing and some unit waiting areas are temporarily closed. Cafeteria: . Offer limited menu . Seating has been minimized and staggered Java City: Open Gift Shops: . Limited hours; M-F, 11am – 3pm (hours are subject to change) . Not accepting cash or checks What to Expect : Volunteer hours: . You can now enter your hours for this assignment online through VicNet after you get back home. You have a seven day window to enter hours. Volunteer locker room: . You will be able to use the locker room to store anything you bring into the facility . Nothing will be allowed at your assignment location . Lockers, keys, and hangers must be wiped down with sani-wipes after every use Visitor Guidelines: Visitor Restrictions • Visiting hours are 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Visitors must be screened, have a badge applied and wear a mask or no entry. • Visitors must be in good health. Please do not visit if you have symptoms of respiratory infection. (fever, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath). • Hospitalized patients and ER patients may have one visitor at a time. • Birth Care patients will have one support person. • NICU patients may have one birth parent plus one significant other. • Patients at end-of-life may have visitors assessed on a case-by-case basis. No more than two visitors and maximum of four. • Minors under the age of 18 may have one visitor, parent or guardian which includes our Emergency and Pediatric Departments. • Surgery or outpatient procedure patients may have one visitor. • Patients with an appointment at a hospital-based clinic, lab or radiology may have one person accompany them. Visitor Guidelines: Visitor Restrictions Continued • Visitors must stay in the patient’s room during their visit. However, they may visit the Gift Shop or Cafeteria for needed items. They are asked to either return immediately to their patient’s room or depart the hospital. • No animals allowed except for official service animals. No Visitors Allowed In: • Behavioral Health Unit (2E and 1W only). • No children under the age of 16 (unless extraordinary circumstances). • No visitors in COVID-positive or COVID-pending symptomatic patient rooms. • Visitors who are unable to wear a mask due to a disability are limited to visiting 45 minutes or less. Current Hospital Operations Virtual visits: we are now offering virtual video visits over Zoom to connect patients with their loved ones. Patient Representative is Lorrie Prasil-Holcomb . [email protected] . 319-369-7710 Hospital Services: Operating at 100% . Elective surgeries and procedures began the week of 5/11/2020 COVID-19 unit: 5E is our designated COVID unit. It is currently closed as we are able to manage the healthcare of COVID patients in the units they need to be in. This unit stands ready to be activated at any moment as the pandemic continues. HIPAA/Confidentiality Remember: What You HEAR Here & SEE Here, STAYS HERE! 1. All team members, physicians, and volunteers must only access the “minimum necessary” patient information needed to perform their jobs 2. Never use patient names in public hallways and elevators 3. Always speak in a lowered voice 4. Do not share any COVID-19-related information (number or patients etc.) 5. Always cover patient information when you’re not using it 6. Always shred documents with patient information. Do not place in the regular trash. 7. Do not post anything online in regards to the patients you saw at the hospital, their condition, family members etc. 8. Never take/post pictures or videos while volunteering at the hospital Current Hospital Operations Keeping Volunteers Safe COVID-19 – how it spreads. • The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person: • Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) • Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks • These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs • Studies show that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms • There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) • The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus Isolation Precautions To prevent the spread of infection, some patients in the hospital are under expanded precautions in addition to standard precautions. A sign on the patient’s door indicates that additional precautions have to be observed by staff and visitors when entering the room such as putting gloves, mask or gown. Isolation precaution status is necessary for one or more of the following situations: 1. Patient’s illness is contagious: a. May be spread through physical contact. b. May be spread through the air. 2. Patient’s resistance is low. Individuals entering the room could introduce germs that might be harmful to the patient. COVID Isolation Precautions You may see these new isolation signs on patient rooms. Please do not enter any patient rooms at this time. Expanded Precautions Suspected or tested COVID-19 patients are already masked or hooded during transport. In addition, EVS sanitizes all elevators every other hour, and 3x every night shift. OVERHEAD ANNOUNCEMENT (plays 10am, 2pm, and 6pm) “Attention all Visitors: A Visitor permitted to be in the hospital must stay in the patient room during the entire visit. Once a visitor leaves the patient room, they must leave the hospital campus. We appreciate your cooperation in an effort to keep our patients, our visitors and our team members in the safest possible environment.” Volunteering Your Shift Hand Hygiene Please watch this short video: https://youtu.be/y7e8nM0JAz0 Or search “The Safe Hands Challenge” by the World Health Organization on youtube.com WHY is hand hygiene so important? Proper hand hygiene is THE MOST IMPORTANT means of preventing the spread of infection. WHO must perform proper hand hygiene? EVERY hospital team member, physician and volunteer. Hand Hygiene When using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, remember to sanitize the whole hand including: • Thumbs • Fingertips • Between fingers It is easily accessible in all patient care and public areas of the hospital Hand Hygiene Wash hands with soap and water: • Before and after meals. • After using the washroom. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer: • Before and after contact with a patient or their belongings. • Before and after contact with • specimens or dirty/used equipment or linens. • Before and after using gloves. • After touching any high touch areas such as elevator buttons, handrails, door knobs, counters, phones etc. Masking 1. Wear your mask all the time when in the hospital. 2. Wear your own cloth mask or a mask provided to you by St. Luke’s 3. Do not pull it off your nose. It has to cover your nose and mouth at all times. 4. Clean your hands before putting your mask on. 5. Clean your hands before taking it off and use the elastic/straps to take the mask off. 6. When wearing the mask, don’t touch the front of the mask. 7. If you need to take it off to eat or drink, make sure to put it in a Ziploc bag. 8. Masks dry out skin. Make sure to use a moisturizer in the morning and before going to bed to avoid dry skin.