Monitor phone calls and email briefings from your state and local health department. Then, navigate current information at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) webpage. The CDC offers strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in multiple settings, including vaccines and treatments. This is your most important source for the latest guidelines, checklists, videos, strategies for responding to supply shortages, links to cases, deaths, and testing data, as well as COVID tracker tools down to the county level. State Department of Health websites can be accessed from the tracker map. The CDC’s live and recorded trainings can be very helpful, as well at their Clinician Outreach and Community Awareness calls. Beware of imitation websites.
If you have not already done so:
Prepare to Care for COVID-19: Get your practice ready has practical tools for clinicians to use to care for patients.
All health facilities should take all steps possible to stay prepared for COVID-19 as outlined by the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/healthcare-facilities/steps-to-prepare.html
Conduct a self-assessment of infection control practices using the CDC tool appropriate to your setting. https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/infection-control-assessment-tools.html
Communicate with staff regarding use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This link provides comprehensive information related to PPE and its use for COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/index.html
CDC Emergency Operations Center: for emergency or urgent patient care assistance (not intended for us by general public)
24/7: 770-488-7100
COVID-19 Vaccination Resources https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccination-resources.html
HHS offers a resource exchange for healthcare emergency preparedness with sample tools, plans, best practices and more: https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/COVID-19. Search the Technical Resources available for your topic. Specific tools are also grouped by setting.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides a compendium of resources related to the COVID-19 situation at https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/technical-resources/44/coronaviruses-sars-mers-and-covid-19/27. Resources at this site assist in planning for infection-related emergencies of all types and remind users to also remain current with CDC directives.
Emergency Operations Plans, Tools and Templates https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/technical-resources/84/emncy-operations-plans-emncy-management-program/1#plans-tools-and-templates-eop
Also, go to the Public Health Emergency website of the US Department of Health & Human Services (www.phe.gov). At the very minimum, download and use the COVID-19 Healthcare Planning Checklist. This checklist identifies activities that various healthcare settings may undertake to prepare for, respond to, and be resilient in the face of COVID-19.
Comprehensive resources and information/links for health care organizations have been compiled by The Joint Commission (TJC) and can be accessed at https://www.jointcommission.org/covid-19. This information is pertinent to ALL HEALTHCARE SETTINGS and is open access for all Joint Commission members AND non-members. Read and share as appropriate.
Refer to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration for infection prevention and control references, work environment, and training considerations related to COVID-19 at https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/controlprevention.html#health as needed.
All healthcare facilities should take all steps possible to prevent the spread and manage the COVID-19 pandemic as outlined at World Health Organization: Coronavirus Information Page with specific guidance provided at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
For a fact sheet on the regulatory flexibilities and other actions CMS is taking to help healthcare providers and states respond to and contain COVID-19, please visit:
https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid19-emergency-declaration-health-care-providers-fact-sheet.pdf
COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers
https://www.cms.gov/files/document/summary-covid-19-emergency-declaration-waivers.pdf
Review Disaster Plan/Emergency Management Plan, Infection Prevention and Control Plan, and Crisis Management Plan to ensure all aspects of response are leveraged.
Maintain frequent contact with community partners. Designate a specific person to maintain current, updated call trees and emergency phone lists that have current contact phone numbers for staff, physicians, and key stakeholders.
National Council for Behavioral Health https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/covid19/
Provides behavioral health concern management and links to CDC information
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/coping.html
Provides resources, including things you can do to support yourself, resources for parents, and responders (including people who have been released from quarantine).
https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness
Provides behavioral health resources, service locator related to behavioral health needs related to disasters including helpline:
1-800-662-HELP (4357) SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders
Tool to use for End of Life Discussions. https://theconversationproject.org/covid19/
As Communities look to open up, this provides guidance on when Home Health and Hospice can resume full care in the LTC communities https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-30-nh.pdf
(April 30, 2020): The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued another round of sweeping regulatory waivers and rule changes to deliver expanded care to the nation’s seniors and provide flexibility to the healthcare system as America reopens. These changes include making it easier for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to get tested for COVID-19 and continuing CMS’s efforts to further expand beneficiaries’ access to telehealth services.
CMS, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also issued critical recommendations to state and local governments, as well as nursing homes, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. The recommendations build on and strengthen recent guidance from CMS and CDC related to effective implementation of longstanding infection control procedures. Click here to continue reading the press release.
COVID-19 Long-Term Care Facility Guidance (PDF) (4/2/2020)
We recommend ALL senior or vulnerable population settings, including assisted living, independent living, group homes, personal care homes and residential living centers follow the Revised Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus in nursing homes from CMS. This guidance prohibits most visitors and suspends communal dining and/or other communal activities. The CDC recommends all individuals maintain a 6-foot distance from other individuals. In semi-private rooms, we recommend you move all beds and chairs apart to maintain as much distance as possible between roommates.
Additional resources include:
Taking Reasonable Efforts to Prevent COVID-19 From Entering Your Assisted Living Community (as of March 9, 2020)
Includes templates for letters to families, residents and employees and other resources.
General guidelines for high-risk groups
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html
https://www.argentum.org/coronavirustoolkit/
LeadingAge Texas https://www.leadingagetexas.org/general/custom.asp?page=CoronavirusResources
LeadingAge https://leadingage.org/coronavirus-resources
OSHA and Protecting Workers from Exposure to COVID-19
Infection Prevention and Control Plan
Infection Prevention and Control Plan (Ambulatory Care)
Large Facility Pandemic Influenza Plan Sample
Managing the Media in a Crisis
COVID-19 Alert for Assisted Living Residents
COVID-19 Alert for Independent Living Residents
COVID-19 Resource for Home Health and Assisted Living
Coronavirus 2019 and Pandemic Planning Whitepaper
Video Message from OmniSure President - addressed to our Partners/Brokers
Emergency Operations Plans, Tools and Templates
https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/technical-resources/84/emncy-operations-plans-emncy-management-program/1#plans-tools-and-templates-eop
Refer to HHS Emergency Management and Incident Command System planning resources at
https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/mscc/handbook/chapter1/Pages/emergencymanagement.aspx#1.3.1
Incident planning and resource guides with self-assessment checklist for infection Control incident
https://emsa.ca.gov/hospital-incident-command-system-incident-planning-guides-2014/
Infection Control Tools to implement standard and transmission-based infections for health care settings.
https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/tools/index.html
Infection Preventionist Job Description Template
https://apic.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IP-Job-Description-web-version.pdf
CHECKLISTS:
California Hospital Seasonal Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Checklist (updated 2/2020; includes COVID-19 resources and links)
https://www.calhospitalprepare.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/influenzapandemicchecklist.pdf
Interim Healthcare Coalition Checklist for Pandemic Planning National Healthcare Preparedness Programs (NHPP). Fall 2013. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/hpp/reports/Documents/pandemic-checklist.pdf
PLAN:
Pandemic Influenza Plan
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/pdf/pan-flu-report-2017v2.pdf
Current directives for management of patients experiencing COVID-19, COVID-19 testing, admissions, staff experiencing COVID-19/return to work, vaccinations, CMS surveys, re-opening and visitation guidelines, PPE, cross-training of staff, and other related information are available at Preparing for COVID-19 in Nursing Homes | CDC.
National-Strategy-for-the-COVID-19-Response-and-Pandemic-Preparedness.pdf (whitehouse.gov) January 2021.
Patient Consent forms
Fact sheets – patients/families
Fact Sheet for Patients, Parents and Caregivers EUA of Bamlanivimab for COVID-19
Fact Sheet for Patients, Parents and Caregivers EUA of Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab for COVID-19
Fact sheets – health care providers
Fact Sheet For Health Care Providers Eua Of Bamlanivimab
Fact Sheet For Health Care Providers Eua Of Casirivimab And Imdevimab
Fact Sheet For Health Care Providers Eua Of Bamlanivimab And Etesevimab
Pharmacy techs/interns and vaccines prep-act-guidance.pdf (hhs.gov)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) authorization including retired health care professionals, veterinarians, podiatrists, respiratory therapists, and supervised health care professional students to administer COVID-19 vaccine can be found at https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/legal/prepact/Pages/PREP-Act-Guidance.aspx
Risk management support provided by OmniSure Consulting Group, LLC is neither intended for nor should be construed as legal advice, and it is not intended to replace legal advice.
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