The following is a high-level overview of the additional precautions that Assisting Hands Home Care Richmond (“AHR” of the “Company”) is taking relative to providing Home Care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. These protocols will stay in place until no longer required by the CDC.
Agency Monitoring
- Stay appraised of CDC guidelines (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html)
- Stay appraised of OSHA guidelines (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/)
- Stay appraised of Virginia Department of Health guidelines (https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/)
Changes in guidelines will be evaluated by the Company for whether or not AHR protocols need to be updated accordingly.
Caregiver Training
Provide updated training to our Caregivers covering the following topics:
- Hand hygiene
- Infection prevention and control practices
- Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Infectious or communicable diseases
In addition to our normal training all of our Caregivers are required to complete COVID-19 specific training prior being put on any shift, whether or not COVID-19 is present.
Caregiver Screening
Prior to every shift Caregivers are required to electronically verify:
- They have been present anywhere with known cases of COVID-19 (other than the client with COVID-19 that they are providing care, if applicable)
- Have come in contact with anyone who has been infected with COVID-19 (other than the client with COVID-19 that they are providing care, if applicable)
- Are displaying any of the symptoms of COVID-19
Caregivers that answer “Yes” to any of the above situations are prohibited from caring for clients who have not been diagnosed with COVID-19 until they have been sufficiently quarantined or otherwise cleared by the appropriate medical professional.
Caregivers providing care for clients diagnosed with COVID-19 or in a post diagnosis quarantine period will have their temperature taken immediately prior and after each shift by AHR personnel to monitor for signs of COVID-19 infection. If AHR suspects that a Caregiver has contracted COVID-19 the Company will follow the required CDC / VA DOH reporting guidelines as well as any required quarantine periods.
PPE Utilization
The Company will provide the Caregiver all of the necessary PPE to perform their duties to protect themselves as well as their clients. All PPE will be sourced, inventoried, controlled and distributed by the AHR home office to ensure that it is properly tracked, stored, sanitized and destroyed (if required) so that COVID-19 will not be further spread through its use.
- Non COVID-19 Clients
- Surgical masks
- Gloves
- COVID-19 Clients
- N95 / KN95 Mask
- Face Shields
- Isolation gowns
- Gloves
For COVID-19 cases a properly trained AHR employee with meet the Caregiver at the client’s place of residence to provide new PPE and remove old PPE so it can be properly sanitized or destroyed.
Client Screening
AHR will continuously screen our clients to determine if they have potentially been exposed to COVID-19. This screening will be performed prior to initial on-boarding and by the Caregiver at the end of each completed shift (recorded electronically)
- If the client is being discharged from a medical facility then AHR will require written confirmation from the appropriate medical professional addressing whether or not the client has COVID-19
- If they do not have COVID-19 then our normal protocols / precautions will be utilized
- If they do have COVID-19 then our COVID-19 protocols will be utilized
- New Clients not being discharged from a medical facility and/or existing clients will be screened to determine if;
- They have been present anywhere with known cases of COVID-19
- Have come in contact with anyone who has been infected with COVID-19
- Are displaying any of the symptoms of COVID-19
- Any new / existing client answering “Yes” to any of the above situations, the client may be required to complete a COVID-19 test (administered by qualified medical personnel) to determine if they have contracted COVID-19. Any client who cannot / will not complete a test will be subject to our COVID-19 protocols until they can be cleared by the appropriate medical professional
Any clients diagnosed with COVID-19 will be reported by AHR following the required CDC / VA DOH reporting guidelines.
Other
For situations where COVID-19 protocols are required to be put in place, AHR will require a different rate schedule and shift requirements to be put in place with the client in order to account for the additional costs to provide Home Care services (PPE, additional training, supplemental protocols, etc.) and appropriately compensate our Hero Caregivers during this time.
If you have any questions or need any additional details please do not hesitate to call us (804) 500-9787 or email us at [email protected] so that we can answer any of your questions. Our goal is to continue to provide enhanced Home Care services during this extraordinary time. Thank you and please Stay Strong, Safe and Healthy!