RESPONDING TO COVID-19
KEEPING YOU SAFE IS OUR FIRST PRIORITY
We have learned a lot since the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic. First and foremost is the need for constant vigilance in monitoring every detail of daily life in our facility to protect residents and rehab patients.
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WHAT WE ARE DOING
FEDERAL and STATE GUIDANCE: Our nursing, dietary, housekeeping, and laundry departments follow all guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH)—to the letter. New information and new insights into the virus come out daily. We stay on top of it every day.
PRIVATE ROOMS: All new patients are admitted into private rooms with private bath and shower. Private rooms are an essential feature of any plan to mitigate the risk of infection. Per CDC and RIDOH guidelines, all unvaccinated newly admitted patients must complete a 14-day quarantine.
TESTING: New residents are tested on days 1, 3, and 5 upon admittance to the facility. Any resident or staff member exhibiting symptoms is tested immediately. Test results are disclosed as soon as available to families and residents in the event of any positive cases, and overall current numbers are summarized again in a weekly letter. Procedure for any positive results in the building are followed according to the updated CDC and RIDOH guidelines.
VACCINATIONS: We encourage everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated. Residents and Staff were first offered the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in December, 2020.
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PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE): All staff members are provided with a complete and ample supply of masks, gowns, face shields and other PPE. Residents and rehab patients are provided with masks and other appropriate PPE as needed. The facility is also investing in specialized equipment to sanitize and reuse masks to protect against the possibility of any future PPE shortages.
ENVIRONMENT: Our housekeeping staff works tirelessly to clean and disinfect every inch of our facility. We use state-ofthe-art Electrostatic Disinfectant Spraying technology, environmentally safe and EPA registered. All common areas are aggressively sanitized using enhanced cleaning protocols with particular attention to vital high touch points in common areas. Resident rooms are cleaned and sanitized with extra attention to resident personal items and high touch areas. All linens and personal clothing are washed in accordance with Health Department and CDC guidelines.
STAFF SURVEILLANCE: Staff members are screened daily for symptoms before starting work. Testing is available in-house and those not feeling well are directed to stay home. Vigilant use of PPE, good hand hygiene, and social distancing are practiced throughout the workshift.
To learn more about our services and how we are dealing with COVID-19, please contact our admissions department by calling (401) 765-2100 or write to Admissions@WHRCare.com.