Coronavirus (COVID-19) Preparedness Plan for Employees and Patients

At Brookdale, the health and safety of our community and our employees are our top priorities. As you are likely aware, COVID-19 cases have now been reported in Pennsylvania. Considering this recent development as well as the changes and recommendations which are being updated daily from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and recommendations from local public health agencies, we wanted to share information with our staff to keep you informed as well as assuring the measures Brookdale is taking to minimize exposure and risk.  In preparation of any changing measures which may be required, regarding our preparedness and response, we will keep you informed.

In the interest of maintaining a safe environment for our staff, patients and visitors, all open amenities and areas are being disinfected with hospital-grade cleaners daily.  In order to proactively protect against potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus, our cleaning schedule has been increased and additional hand sanitizing stations are being installed.

Brookdale’s Medical and Leadership team will monitor the day-to-day changes and follow-up with the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) or the local health department should there be any exposure of personnel, patients or visitors identified with COVID-19.  

Sincerely,

Amy L. Durham, M.Ed.
Chief Executive Officer
Brookdale

PREPAREDNESS PLAN

Employee Education

• Symptoms of COVID-19:  Fever of 100.4″ F, respiratory symptoms including cough and shortness of breath, and having traveled to a highly contagious area of the virus as well as possible exposure to an infected person.
• Report these symptoms and any exposure risks to the Director of Nursing immediately to prevent the potential spread of the virus.
• Proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  Signage to be posted.
• Proper use of hand hygiene protocols.  Signage to be posted.

Employee Prevention

• Per the CDC, avoid touching surfaces (counters, doors, etc.) when possible, avoid touching eyes, mouth, and face, avoid hugging, shaking hands, and touching one another physically in any way, coughing into sleeve away from another person.
• Masks, gloves, gowns, and face shields will be provided to staff as required.
• All employees should assist with proper hand hygiene, encouraging others to wash their hands, cough into their sleeves, and avoid all physical contact with others.
• All employees will be screened for high temperatures on daily basis by medical staff.

Employee Exposure

• Any employee reporting to work presenting with respiratory symptoms including cough, fever,  and shortness of breath may be asked to leave the facility to prevent possible exposure to others. These employees should follow up with their family doctor, receive testing if needed, and may return when cleared from their doctor with a negative test result.  Keep in mind, cough, runny nose, congestions may not be indicative of the COVID-19 virus.  

Admission Process for Patient

It will be our responsibility to ask the following questions to every potential admission.  Through assessment of these questions, a determination of possible exposure and safety of Brookdale admission will be determined.

• Are you experiencing shortness of breath, cough, fever, runny nose, or any other flu-like symptoms?
• Have you traveled to any high-risk areas in the past three weeks?
• Have you traveled anywhere outside the United States or been on a cruise ship or airplane in the past three weeks?
• Have you been in close contact with anyone who is confirmed to have or suspected of having COVID-19?

Based on the above screening, admission may be delayed or deferred.

Arrival

• Should a patient arrive at Brookdale having signs and symptoms of exposure or of COVID-19, such as recent exposure, recent travel, fever of 100.4, cough, shortness of breath, they will immediately be asked to place a mask on their face and wash their hands and patient will be assessed for additional need prior to entry to the facility.  
• Employees will be required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in order to be in contact with patients showing the signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
• The patient would then be transported to the hospital.
• Patients who are positive to COVID-19 may not be readmitted to Brookdale for at least four weeks and until cleared by a healthcare provider.

Temporary Suspension of Activities

• Visitation
  • Sunday visitation for all patients is canceled until further notice. Continued evaluation will be done to determine continuation as needed based on the status/conditions of COVID-19.
• Open AA Meeting
  • The open AA meeting held on Sundays will be converted to a closed, internal meeting. Family, friends, and alumni will not be allowed to attend during this period. Further evaluation will be done to determine continuation as needed based on the status/conditions of COVID-19.
• Family Program
  • The Brookdale Family Education Program will be canceled until further notice. Further evaluation will be done to determine further cancellation as needed based on the status/conditions of COVID-19.

Additional Precautionary Measures

• Social distancing of patient groups
• Social distancing in the cafeteria for meals
• Temperature Check of employees or anyone entering the facility
• Availability of gloves and masks for employees and patients
• On-going communication to keep our patients and employees informed