Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1273352
13 INFECTION CONTROL Pennsylvania orders stricter COVID-19 protections for hospital workers By Molly Gamble P ennsylvania's state health secretary issued an order June 9 requiring all hospitals to better protect staff from COVID-19. "I have heard from nurses and staff, and this order responds directly to many of their safety concerns," said Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, MD. The order requires hospitals to develop, imple- ment and adhere to the following measures by June 15: • Notify staff who have been in close contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case within 24 hours of the known contact; provide instruction for quarantine and work exclusion. • Provide testing for symptomatic and asymp- tomatic hospital staff members who have received notice of a close contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case upon request. • Equip staff with nationally approved respira- tors when staff determine the mask is soiled, damaged or otherwise ineffective. • Require universal masking for all individuals entering the hospital facility, except for peo- ple for whom wearing a mask would create a further health risk, or individuals under age 2. In addition to medical staff, the measures apply to staff members in therapeutic services, social services, housekeeping services, dietary services and maintenance. n 6 ways hospitals can prepare for another COVID-19 wave By Mackenzie Bean T he pandemic's first wave has provided valuable lessons for hospitals to refine their processes and improve preparedness if another wave occurs, according to ProPublica. Here are six lessons hospital leaders and health experts shared with ProPublica: 1. Rely on widespread testing to quickly spot a COVID-19 resurgence. Early detection is a crucial part of containing the virus's spread. 2. Stock up on personal protective equipment and other supplies now. North- well Health has spent $42 million on PPE alone during the pandemic. In early February, the New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based health system purchased $5 million in supplies and medical equipment, which "turned out to be a wise move," Senior Vice President and Chief Public Relations Officer Terence Lynam told ProPublica. 3. Have the flexibility to quickly move staff members and equipment from one virus hot spot to another. is was a major lesson for Northwell, which brought in 500 temporary nurses to help with COVID-19 care. Mr. Lynam said the system should have brought in these nurses at least a week earlier than it did. 4. Determine how to care for patients who don't have COVID-19 and are afraid of contracting it at a hospital. "We have to have some sort of a mech- anism by which we can offer people assurance that if they come in, they won't get sick," Ashish Jha, MD, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute in Cambridge, Mass., told the publication. 5. Provide mental health resources for front-line staff members, some of whom have witnessed an unprecedented amount of death. 6. Develop protocols to allow hospital visitors. Most hospitals banned visitors during COVID-19 surges to limit the virus's spread. However, strict no-visi- tor policies may have produced other unintended consequences, according to Robert Wachter, MD, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. "We didn't fully understand how important that was for patients, how much it might be contributing to some people not coming in for care when they really should have," Dr. Wachter told ProPublica. n Some Florida hospital staff not wearing masks, visitors say By Gabrielle Masson S ome visitors in June alleged that not all staff were wearing face masks at Bradenton, Fla.-based Manatee Memorial Hospital, according to NBC's WFLA-TV. Lakesha Williams said she was shocked to see "at least 20 people without gloves or without masks on just walking through the hospital" when she was visiting the intensive care unit June 15. Ms. Williams told WFLA-TV that she was concerned about the virus spreading inside the hospital. Ms. Williams added that she had to wear a mask, gloves and other gear while visiting. "I think the staff should be wearing masks just like every- body else, especially if they are dealing with different patients," visitor Colleen Wiggs told WFLA-TV. WFLA-TV contacted the hospital about concerned visi- tors and policies in place. Manatee Memorial Hospital's CEO, Kevin DiLallo, told the network that "face masks are required to enter the facility." n