HospiceCare has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic for several weeks. As this situation continues to evolve we will continue to be the same compassionate and caring medical providers that we have always been. The health and safety of our staff, patients and community are our highest priority and HospiceCare is committed to actively taking all necessary precautions to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 (coronavirus) including:
- Providing Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommended screening for all patients with HospiceCare and complying with recommendations from the CDC and local Health Department offices in our region to implement the latest guidelines for screening, isolation, and testing.
- Strongly encouraging everyone to prepare for the next phase of this crisis, which will likely involve both community transmission and state/local government actions, such as school closures or movement restrictions. While the overall risk of transmission remains low, we recognize that the risk is increasing and recommend taking preventative measures to ensure safety.
- Planning for the possibility of staff members being required to work from home/limiting traffic through the HospiceCare offices and facilities, thus decreasing the risk of transmission.
- Working directly with other healthcare organizations as well as regional and national public health entities. We will continually reassess the situation and adjusting our strategy accordingly.
What kind of precautions should I be taking?
Beyond travel restrictions, the best preventative measures to take are the same as with the common cold or the flu:
- Wash your hands frequently (after traveling on public transportation, before and after eating…).
- Cough/sneeze into your elbow, not your hand.
- Arrange with your manager to work from home or take sick time as appropriate, if you have symptoms.
See more: CDC Prevention Guidelines (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html)
Specific information regarding program responses is listed below:
In-Home Hospice Program:
- We are asking staff to perform a COVID-19 screening on all home patients based on CDC guidelines:
- International travel within the last 14 days to countries with sustained community transmission.
- Signs or symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as a fever, cough, and sore throat.
- In the last 14 days, has had contact with someone with or under investigation for COVID19, or are ill with respiratory illness.
- Had contact with someone residing in a community where community-based spread of COVID-19 is occurring.
- Screenings will determine staff’s need to take temperatures and donning of personal protective equipment (PPE).
- For more information, please contact your case manager or call:
- HospiceCare Main Office at (304) 768-8523 or (800) 560-8523
- HospiceCare Greenbrier Valley Division, Lewisburg at (304) 645-2700
Inpatient Hospice Facilities:
Hubbard Hospice House, Hubbard Hospice House West, and Peyton Hospice House
While patient-care and patient and family satisfaction are a primary concern, we believe it is appropriate to limit visitors to our inpatient facilities at this time. Those limitations are listed below and subject to change.
- We are asking all visitors to call ahead before arriving at a hospice house.
- No visitors under the age of 13 unless approved on a case by case basis by administration.
- All visitors will be screened using CDC recommendations including asking if an individual has traveled out of the country or to an infected area and if he/she had flu like symptoms.
- All visitors will be subject to a temperature check upon entrance to the building.
- We are asking visitors to limit themselves to immediate family, however, we are aware the closest family a patient has may not be a blood relative.
- For more information, please contact the in-patient facility directly:
- Hubbard Hospice House, (304) 926-2200
- Hubbard Hospice House West, (304) 414-5170
- Peyton Hospice House, (304) 645-2700
Long-term Care Facilities and Nursing Homes:
- HospiceCare is following the protocols prescribed by each facility where our patients reside; currently most nursing homes are only allowing RNs access.
- For more information, please contact our Long-term Care Team at:
- HospiceCare Main Office at (304) 768-8523 or (800) 560-8523
- HospiceCare Greenbrier Valley Division, Lewisburg at (304) 645-2700
Bereavement
- Contact staff in our Wallace Grief Support Center at (304) 768-8523 or (800) 560-8523 for information about support groups and individual grief counseling.
Volunteers
We will be prohibiting all volunteers from providing direct patient care/interaction for the time being. Volunteers will only be allowed at our Main Office to perform administrative tasks.
- For more information, please contact our Volunteer Department at (304) 768-8523.
Our management team will continue to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak and make necessary decisions to protect the well-being of our patients, families, volunteers, and colleagues.
For more information on how to respond to COVID-19, please visit:
WVDHHR – WV Department of Health & Human Resources
https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx
NHPCO – National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization
https://www.nhpco.org/coronavirus
CMS – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-16-hospice.pdf