January 8, 2021:
Please see below for updates related to COVID-19:
TESTING:
- REMINDER: all staff who are seeing patients need to be testing weekly.
- Our test results are coming back in 24-48 hours.
EMPLOYEE HEALTH SCREEN:
- REMINDER: all staff must complete the Daily Health Check prior to EVERY shift. Full compliance is required. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwZUyva2hiTy00WSLF2qVWIvB8skD13E9O5geCO09vJjXXZQ/viewform
FIT TESTING:
- All hospice and pall staff should have been fit tested by this time. If you are among the 15 employees who have not yet scheduled your fit test, you will hear from your manager.
- Those who need to be retested using the bitter solution are being contacted now that we have received the solution.
- PACE staff will be next for fit testing and will be notified regarding next steps.
- PAPR training began this week for individuals for whom PAPR use has been indicated.
VACCINE UPDATES:
- If you are patient-facing staff and haven’t filled out the county survey, please do so as soon as possible: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Phase_1_COVID-19_Vaccination_Notification
- If you have already filled out the form above, be sure to check the email you used in the form, including junk and spam folders.
- Partners at Avista, BCH, and LUH have been reaching out with additional doses.
- Here is an official email from Kaiser regarding how they are handling and prioritizing their vaccine supplies: Kaiser Permanente Colorado is currently providing the COVID -19 vaccine for individuals in Phase 1A and Phase 1B (above the dotted line). We will continue to vaccinate the additional populations in Phase 1B as the State of Colorado allows. Gov. Polis had directed the prioritization of Phase 1B above the dotted line before we can begin the vaccination of those in Phase 1B below the dotted line. Members interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should: 1. Fill out the COVID-19 Vaccine Sign-up E-visit at kp.org/covidvaccine; 2. Or, complete a short questionnaire by calling 1-844-951-1932, beginning Jan. 11. Upon completion of the e-visit or questionnaire, members will be placed in the first-come, first-served wait list for the vaccine based on eligibility. This approach will enable us to get members and non-members scheduled promptly when eligible according to the state guidelines. We strongly encourage members to use one of the above options to register for the vaccine, due to the high call volumes in the Appointment and Advice Contact Center. In the coming weeks, Kaiser Permanente members will be outreached by text, email, or phone with information about how to request a COVID-19 vaccine. I have received many questions regarding what proof will be needed to prove eligibility for the vaccine. At the present time we are requesting an attestation to the individual’s eligibility. We continue to follow the guidance of the CDPHE and suggest if you have questions as to your employees’ particular eligibility classification that you visit the CDPHE website: https://covid19.colorado.gov/for-coloradans/vaccine/vaccine-for-coloradans or call them directly at (877) 462-2911. Given the limited national supply of the vaccine, we appreciate your setting the expectations to your teams. This will likely take several months to obtain enough vaccines to immunize those presently eligible in Phase 1A and 1B. As vaccine availability increases, we will update kp.org/covidvaccine with information. We greatly appreciate your patience as we are anxious to provide the vaccine as soon as possible.
- This is a paraphrased email from a frontline staff member at TRU: I got my 1st dose at Kaiser as a member but learned that you DO NOT need to be a Kaiser member to schedule the vaccine. You just need to be a healthcare worker or over 70. You need to call the main number, know that the hold time can be long (an hour or more) but when you get through, you can make an appointment.
- Some FDA recommendations regarding the vaccine regimen put forth by NHPCO: Ideas like cutting dosages in half or skipping the second shot have been floated to accelerate U.S. distribution of the COVID vaccine. But FDA officials say that deviating from the tested and approved protocols could undermine the vaccination efforts. On January 4, National Public Radio (NPR) reported The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning health care workers that any changes to the authorized dosing schedules of COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered significantly place public health at risk and undermine “the historic vaccination effort to protect the population” from the coronavirus pandemic. The first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are approved to be delivered within a 21-day window, while the Moderna injections should be spread over 28 days. When given at those intervals, both vaccines are about 95% effective, according to the respective drugmakers. But the FDA has heard suggestions that the number of limited doses could be stretched by cutting them in half, extending the length of time between dose s, or mixing and matching vaccines in order to immunize more people against COVID-19. (Romo, 1/4) CNN also reported that anyone who receives the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine must get two full doses, two top US Food and Drug Administration officials said Monday, January 4. They also dismissed other ideas for stretching the vaccine supply and said people who are speculating about the possibility of making do with just one dose or cutting doses in half are misinterpreting the data. (Fox, 1/4)
- CDC’s 8 things to know about the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/8-things.html
HEALTHY FAMILIES WORKPLACE ACT:
- All staff members received an email from Deborah Layton-Root on Thursday, December 31 about the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA), which requires Colorado employers to provide paid sick leave to its employees effective 1/1/2021. Please contact Deborah by email with any questions.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Healthcare Workers Support Group: HeartLight Center is offering a support group for Healthcare Workers the second Thursday of the month. Anyone providing healthcare or working in a healthcare setting is invited to attend. Register here: https://heartlightcenter.org/index.php/online-registration/
- Healing Stories Circle: In Our Work and In Our Lives – A Program for Hospice and End-of-Life Caregivers – Saturday, January 16, 2021, 9:30am – more information here: https://heartlightcenter.org/index.php/healing-stories-circle/
THANK YOU:
- The One Voice Children’s Choir covering “Good Job” by Alicia Keys as a tribute to COVID-19 heroes: https://youtu.be/NkDNp4ATCso
- Thank You Healthcare Workers: A video from Rotary District 5450 members (our district) thanking healthcare workers for all they’ve done during the COVID-19 crisis: https://youtu.be/2Axl4ZpiN5A
Thank you for all of your hard work,
Jim
