COVID-19 PRACTICES & GUIDELINES
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Dear PATIENTS, FAMILIES, and CAREGIVERS, Thank you for allowing us to care for you and your loved ones. We want you to know that our commitment to pro- viding you with trusted care continues to expand. Access to quality care and the assurance of safe practices in care provision are imperative, so read below and please let us know if you have any questions. As you are aware, COVID-19 continues to persist in our community. Four Seasons closely monitors this situation each day to ensure we are aware of the most recent updates and guidance from organizations such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as statewide and local health departments. Our staff are trained to strictly follow a number of day-to-day practices to prevent any type of illness, including respiratory infections, such as Influenza and COVID-19, from spreading. In addition to Four Seasons’ actions to keep you and our teams safe, below are the practices we recommend as the best defense in preventing any illness from spreading: • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alco- hol if soap and water are not available. • Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands. • Cough and sneeze into a tissue or inner elbow and wash your hands after as soon as possible. • Avoid contact with people who are sick, if able. • Stay home and away from others if you are sick. • Keep frequently used surfaces, such as bathroom sinks, toilets, kitchen counters, doorknobs and phones/com- puters, in your home clean and disinfect at least daily or more if needed. As always, our intention is to maintain excellent patient care and communication. Any future updates or changes that may impact you or your loved one will be communicated by your care team. If you have any questions or concerns about what we are doing as an organization regarding COVID-19, please feel free to contact the office via phone at (828) 692-6178. Sincerely, Dr. Millicent Burke-Sinclair, Ed.D, MBA, MLAS, SPHR®, SHRM SCP President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ruth Thomson, DO, MBA, HMDC, FAAHPM, FACOI Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elaina Honeycutt, DO, HMDC Hospice Medical Director Rikki Hooper, MBA, MLAS, MSN, FNP, ACHPN, NE-BC, FPCN Chief Clinical Operations Officer Sue Ann Hamby Vice President of Quality and Organizational Development
IMPORTANT INFORMATION & POLICIES
General Guidelines for Emergencies in the Home (Weather emergencies, explosions, power outages, water outages, sheltering-in, other disasters) • Keep emergency phone numbers by phone. • Locate First Aid kit and instructions. • Confirm fire extinguisher is in date. • Locate flashlight, batteries, candles, and matches/ lighters. • Have three days of food or water. • Place important papers in a safe, protected place. • Gather glasses, dentures, medicine, and clothes. • Have vehicle serviced and filled with gas. • Follow recommendations of local authorities. • Be prepared to leave quickly. Develop an evacu- ation plan for fire that includes how to evacuate those who need help to walk or are confined to bed. • Plan ahead in case of a situation or disaster that requires the patient to leave the home. • Develop a plan for where the patient may be moved to and have a backup plan in place in case the pri- mary plan is not an option when a need arises. • Decide specifically who will do what and be sure to communicate the plan to everyone involved. • If a crisis occurs, call 911. • Call Four Seasons to ask about possible emergency respite for the patient. Fire Safety • There should be at least one functioning smoke detector for each level of your home. EMERGENCIES & DISASTERS
• Make sure all pathways are clear. NEVER BLOCK AN EXIT. • Fireplaces and space heaters should not be left unattended while in use. Weather Emergencies Tornado Safety • In the event of a tornado move to the lowest level or basement of the home. • If there is no basement, move to an interior room or hallway that does not have windows. • If the patient is unable to leave their room or go to another level of the home, they should be moved towards an inner wall and covered up with blankets. • Close all blinds and drapes in the room to aide in reducing flying glass if the window(s) break. Electrical Outage • Call and report problem to the electric company. • If using an oxygen concentrator, switch to back-up oxygen tanks. • Notify staff at Four Seasons so that we can alert the oxygen company to provide additional oxygen as needed. Water Outage • Call the water company. • Use bottled-water for drinking if available. • Restrict use of available water.
866.466.9734
FourSeasonsCare.org
FourSeasonsCare.org
866.466.9734
Four Seasons
Four Seasons
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