Physical Distancing:
- Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet between each other.
- Leadership has been investigating the cause of team member cases and discovered that many team members let their guard down when taking breaks, communicating in team rooms, and in handoffs.
- Pay attention to posted signage in all common room/break room/conference room areas that specify the number of people who can safely meet in those areas.
- Use repurposed conference and meeting rooms for team member breakrooms during the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Proper PPE and Hand Hygiene:
• Masks significantly reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and are required in all VCU Health owned and leased facilities. Masks must be worn so it completely covers the nose, mouth and chin.
• If you see a team member not wearing a mask and you’re comfortable, please point either to your mask or respectively ask them to keep themselves and others safe. Masks are available at every entrance screening station.
• Recent epidemiologic, virologic and modeling reports support the possibility of COVID-19 transmission from persons who are presymptomatic or asymptomatic (Furukawa et.al, 2020); because of this, all team members must remain vigilant about protecting themselves and each other at all times.
The best steps we can take include:
o Wearing a mask,
o Washing hands frequently, and
o Keeping social distance, especially in congregate spaces such as breakrooms, team workrooms, and nursing stations
o Encourage staff to take breaks in an outdoor setting, if possible.
o Maintain vigilance when outside of the VCU Health environment, as well.
Presenteeism:
• Our actions impact a population greater than ourselves. If a VCU Health team member gets COVID-19, we face our own illness but also may be the source of spread to other team members, as well as our patient population and our own families and friends.
• Every team member is responsible for their own health. If you’re feeling sick, please stay home. If you are at work and start feeling bad, you should go home and contact your doctor or Employee Health Services. We often feel responsible for the jobs we do and are worried that if we are sick, someone else has to do our work. However, during this time it is particularly important to avoid coming to work if you are feeling ill.
• We are all in this together – together we can slow down the spread of COVID-19. It is a shared responsibility to keep everyone safe.
Antidiscrimination Act:
• VCU Health System will not discharge or in any way discriminate against a team member that has exercised rights under the safety and health provisions of this standard, Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia; and implementing regulations under §16VAC25-60-110 for themselves or others.
• No team member will be discharged or discriminated against for voluntarily providing PPE if such equipment is not provided by VCU Health System and the PPE does not create a greater hazard to the team member; or create a serious hazard for other team members.
• No team member will be discharged or discriminated against for raising a reasonable concern about COVID-19 infection control to the VCU Health System, other team members, or publicly through print, online, social, or any other media.
Notification and Location of Positive Employees:
• There has been a significant increase in the number COVID positive VCUHS healthcare workers in July, with an average of 7 per week.
• VA law requires that all employees who may have been exposed be notified of any positive employees in the work location within 24 hours of positive test results. ADA law requires identity of the positive employee be confidential.
• The COVID Notification Team will contact staff who worked in the same location and at the same time as the positive employee to determine risk for exposure.
COVID-19 Exposure Risk Categories:
(Does not replace red, yellow, or green zones)
Very High Risk Exposure: hazards or job tasks in places of employment with high potential for employee exposure to known or suspected sources of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (e.g., laboratory samples) or persons known or suspected to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including, but not limited to, during specific medical, postmortem, or laboratory procedures:
1. Aerosol-generating procedures* (e.g., intubation, cough induction procedures, bronchoscopies, some dental procedures and exams, or invasive specimen collection) on a patient or person known or suspected to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus;
2. Collecting or handling specimens from a patient or person known or suspected to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (e.g., manipulating cultures from patients known or suspected to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus)
• Employees within this category include Respiratory Technologists, any team members caring for COVID-19+ patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures, OR team members, North 9 Team Members, and ICU team members
*Aerosol generating procedures include intubation, non-invasive ventilation, open suction (i.e. Trach, oral, Yankeur), nebulizers, high flow nasal cannula, bronchoscopy
High Risk Exposure: exposure risk hazards or job tasks are those in places of employment with high potential for employee exposure inside six feet with known or suspected sources of SARS-CoV-2, or with persons known or suspected to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that are not otherwise classified as very high exposure risk.
• Employees within this category include Clinical team members. Due to potential movement of COVID-19 positive patients throughout VCUHS (i.e. Radiology), we are not always able to isolate patients with COVID-19. Thus, this group can also include EVS, nutrition, engineering, and other employees who may work on a clinical floor where COVID-19 positive patients are located.
Medium Risk Exposure: exposure risk hazards or job tasks are those in places of employment areas, which have a concentration of undifferentiated patients undergoing evaluation or as inpatients. For example, many outpatient clinic areas, and hallways in most inpatient care areas.
• Employee within this category include any other employee within the hospital who works outside of clinical patient care areas.
Low Risk Exposure: exposure risk hazards or job tasks are those in places of employment areas with no COVID-19 patients and other common areas within the hospital or clinics. For example, these areas include the cafeteria, the gift shop, One Capitol Square and Gateway lobby.
• Employees within this category include anyone working from home or in non-clinical care setting (i.e. offices).