Yes we have been for several months now. We have locked down our facility to where all enter through one door, except the delivery people. Everyone who comes
in gets a temperature taken and asked if they are experiencing any symptoms, and if they are not wearing a mask they are asked to perform hand hygiene, grab a mask and don it. The employees are responsible to keep track of their own log paper and are required
to get their temperature taken when they enter the building prior to clocking in, and after their shift on their way out the door. We have had to man the station with staff, but eventually we will be finding a permanent position for this. Patients or their
escorts are signed in with a security log on who they are, who they are with and a phone number and then when we have to do positive tracers we know who the potential contacts in the lobby could have been at the same time frame from when the patient is registered
til when the patient leaves. This has been super helpful when reporting to the health department.
Anyone with a temperature is asked leave and call their manager and the sick line for employees. and the symptoms mean they need to check in with Employee Health
to see if they need to be excluded from work. For patients or visitors who are not here for an ER visit are asked to go to their car and call their provider. If they were here escorting a patient they are asked to wait outside.
The temperature taker also will collect forms when filled out and put them in interdepartmental mail to employee health, where I check them over for issues (have
had people reporting symptoms and still working, or temperatures and still working.. then they were out for an extended period of time) and give them a new form when their form is filled.
We had a lot of pushback about the one entrance, about the universal masking, and the people having to keep their record log with them. Works out that we have
had less potential for contact with COVID-19 positive patients with universal masking, one entrance and exit has been easier for staff once they are used to it, and easy to get information out to people better if there are any updates, we did not keep the
employees logs in a book for them at the table because it “is a HIPAA violation” to have everyone have a chance to look at anothers log while waiting in line, so most staff got used to keeping the log with their car keys while working and then with their hospital
badge when they leave for the day. Some staff complained about universal masking before we had it going. Now that we are all masking they ask when they can take them off for good! Never happy, but it seems to work so far, and we feel better about it.
Tara
Tara Lee Dockery, IP, MT(ASCP), BS
|
Infection Preventionist and Employee Health
Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinics
174 1st Ave North
|
P.O. Box H
|
Ilwaco
|WA
|
98624
Phone: 360.642.6307 |
Cell : 509-760-7397 |
Fax: 360-642-6309
|tdockery@oceanbeachhospital.com
From: MCOH-EH [mailto:mcoh-eh-bounces@mylist.net]
On Behalf Of Lisa Foster
Sent: Tuesday, June 2, 2020 1:27 PM
To: mcoh-eh@mylist.net
Subject: [MCOH-EH] daily symptom checks
CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
Hi all,
I think everyone is doing daily symptom checks and attestations on hospital employees. I am wondering if anyone is checking temperatures when
staff enter their hospitals for the day/shift.
Thank you
Lisa
Lisa A. Foster, MS, ANP-BC
Director, Employee Health
Lahey Health
25 Mall Rd
Burlington, MA 01805
781-744-2865
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