Column: Veterans Home Took Proper Precautions
Oct 8, 2020
Protecting Hawaii Seniors Together
Long Term Care Communities Need Support
The health and well-being of our residents is always our number one priority. That is why we have taken historic action to safeguard those in our care from the COVID-19 pandemic. As our health care heroes continue to battle on the front lines to care for vulnerable seniors in Hawaii’s nursing homes and assisted living communities, we need public health officials, community leaders and family members to work with us to help protect our seniors and stop the spread of COVID-19.
How We’re Fighting
COVID-19 presents an unprecedented threat to those living in long term care communities. Research from Harvard and leading universities shows that once the virus is spreading at a high rate in a community, it is extremely difficult to prevent outbreaks in long term care settings.
That is why we have taken swift and decisive action to do everything we can to keep our residents safe. Our staff have worked day and night to protect those in their care.
Steps We Have Taken
- Provided intensive company-wide trainings at least weekly, since March, on COVID prevention, CDC recommendations, regulation changes, PPE utilization and isolation of COVID once it enters a facility;
- Established hand hygiene stations at facility entrances;
- Suspended outside visits and group activities
- Retrained staff on proper infection control techniques such as hand washing
- Ensured staff were equipped and using personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Educated employees on signs and symptoms of COVID and directed to not come to work if ill;
- Educated employees on prevention of transmission, including social distancing, hand hygiene and proper PPE when at work or off work;
- Conduct frequent symptom checks of residents
- Perform symptom checks for staff every time they enter a facility
- Initiated temperature and symptom screening of staff and residents;
- Established COVID isolation units within buildings with known cases
- Partnered with local health agencies to conduct facility-wide testing
- Frequent testing of residents and staff
- Provided electronic devices to support and facilitate telehealth visitation with providers;
- Remained in near constant contact with state and county health officials to coordinate our response and resource allocation;
- Developed a detailed COVID response checklist to guide the facilities’ COVID response;
- Implemented all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other health agencies to protect their residents.
Community Needs
Now is a time we should all be working together to save lives. The enemy is COVID-19, and the nurses and doctors working on the front lines to defeat it need the support of public health officials, government leaders and the community at large to help residents.
Show Your Support
As long term caregivers and residents battle COVID-19, your kind words and messages are more important than ever. Use the below form to show your support for these brave men and women.
Contact Us
To learn more about our communities, don’t hesitate to contact us by filling out the form below.
Please call our Alert line to report any unethical concerns or improper conduct. You can safely report any concerns or violations anonymously, 24/7 through our confidential Alert line number: 877-874-8416.
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