COVID-19 Response
COVID Updates in Hayward, California
JANNIC care delivery and response during COVID-19 pandemic
Jannic Health Services is monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak daily, and the health and safety of our employees and clients is our top priority. Our comprehensive Infection Prevention Program provides the highest standards of infection prevention practices as recommended by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our primary responsibility to our caregivers and clients is focused on emergency preparedness, caring for existing clients, accepting new referrals for clients with COVID-19, and following CDC recommendations and the latest travel guidelines protocol to safeguard and support our employees, clients, and community.
COVID-19 Preparedness Plan for Jannic Health Services
Jannic Health Services is committed to providing home care and transportation services with the highest professional, ethical, and safety standards. To ensure we have a safe and healthy workplace, Jannic Health Services has developed the following COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Managers and caregivers are all responsible for implementing this plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential transmission of COVID-19 in our workplaces and communities, and that requires the full cooperation of our caregivers and management. Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of all persons in our workplaces.
The COVID-19 Preparedness Plan is administered by our Executive Director, who maintains the overall authority and responsibility for the plan. However, management and caregivers are equally responsible for supporting, implementing, complying, and providing recommendations to further improve all aspects of this COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. Jannic Health Services‘ managers and supervisors have their full support in enforcing the provisions of this plan.
Our caregivers are our most important assets. Jannic Health Services is serious about safety and health and protecting our caregivers and clients. Caregiver involvement is essential in developing and implementing a successful COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. We have involved our caregivers in this process by requiring them to do the specific task during the course of the day and while on duty.
EMPLOYEE
Temperature
- Always carry a thermometer to take temperature before going inside a client’s home.
- Caregivers are also advised to take their temperature TWICE DAILY, including days when they are not working or visiting the clients.
- Caregivers are required to immediately call the Executive Director if their temperature is 100.4 or higher to receive further instructions.
- Clients are to remind their caregivers to take their temperature TWICE during each shift, with the first reading upon arrival to the client’s home in the morning and the second, at the end of the shift or end of the day. Recording reading in the Daily Shift Report is a mandatory policy of Jannic Health Services.
Ensure sick workers stay home and prompt identification and isolation of sick persons
Caregivers have been informed and encouraged to self-monitor signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The following policies and procedures are being implemented to assess caregiver’s health status prior to entering the client’s homes and for caregivers to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms.
Jannic Health Services has implemented leave policies that promote workers to stay at home when they are sick, when household members are sick, or when required by a health care provider to isolate or quarantine themselves or the member of their household.
Jannic Health Services has also implemented a policy for informing workers if they have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 at their workplace and requiring them to quarantine for the required amount of time. In addition, a policy has been implemented to protect the privacy of workers’ health status and health information.
Washing Hands
Basic infection prevention instruction measures are to be implemented and adhered to at all times at a client’s home. Caregivers are instructed to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water frequently throughout the day, especially at the beginning and end of their shift, prior to any mealtimes, and after using the restroom. All caregivers are required to wash or sanitize their hands prior to or immediately upon entering a client’s home or residence. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdQuPGVcceg
Use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
Caregivers are being instructed to cover their mouth and nose with their sleeve or a tissue when coughing or sneezing to avoid touching their face, particularly their mouth, nose, and eyes, with their hands. Caregivers are expected to properly dispose of tissues in provided trash receptacles and wash or sanitize their hands immediately afterward. Caregivers are also required to take the following precautionary measures at all times in and away from client homes:
- Wear gloves when it is reasonably anticipated that contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials, mucous membranes, non-intact skin, and potentially contaminated equipment;
- Understand that gloves are not a substitute for hand hygiene and washing of hands must be done before donning and immediately upon removing gloves;
- Change gloves and perform hand hygiene during client care if the gloves become damaged, visibly soiled with blood or body fluid, moving from a soiled body site to a clean body site;
- Never to wear the same pair of gloves in the care of more than one client;
- Never reuse gloves after taking them off and
- Immediate disposal of PPE in a plastic bag and then placing it in the trash bin.
Workplace cleaning and disinfection protocol
Caregivers have received education and training to ensure best practices of cleaning and disinfecting routine is being implemented, including a schedule for high-touched areas including bathrooms, laundry room, kitchen, bedroom, and other areas where it is necessary. Instructions on how to properly disinfect surfaces include:
- Disinfecting surfaces and high-touch objects with a regular household cleaning spray or disinfecting wipes or a solution of soap and water in the absence thereof
CLIENT
A lot of us want to keep our elderly parents or grandparents at home. We know that moving out of the home they love is the last thing they want to do – but as a family member, you should ensure their health and safety while you are away at work, on vacation, or attending to your personal needs. It is not a matter of where you can get help, but who you can really trust.
Our primary objective as a company is to provide you and our client with the assurance that your loved ones will be properly cared for and treated as a family. You are, and will be, involved in the care of your loved one and will receive periodic updates on the care and services we are providing and feedback to help us serve you better.
In light of the evolving COVID-19 situation in the US, we understand you, our clients, may have questions about what Jannic Health Services is doing to keep you safe. Please review the frequently asked questions and answers we have put together for your perusal.
What is Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
It is a new Coronavirus that was originally detected in Wuhan, China that has become a global pandemic of respiratory disease spreading from person-to-person. This situation poses a serious public health risk. The federal government is working closely with the state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, as well as public health partners, to respond to this situation. COVID-19 can cause mild to severe illness; older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
What precautions should I take to avoid getting sick:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue.
- Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, especially with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with individuals who are showing symptoms of the illness.
- Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces often.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Wear a mask when running errands or venturing out into the community.
- Talk to your doctor about receiving the annual influenza vaccination.
What is Jannic Health Services doing to keep me safe?
- Jannic Health Services Infection Prevention Program provides the highest standards of infection prevention practices as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
- We consistently educate our clinical staff and provide oversight to ensure that they are following all the recommended standards.
- Our employees are educated not to come to work if they are sick. All employees are now wearing surgical masks and eye protection (goggles or face shields) when providing care to all clients and increasing the level of personal protective equipment when required in accordance with Jannic Health Services‘ protocols.
- Jannic Health Services‘ employees are provided with education and support to recognize signs and symptoms of COVID-19, persons at risk, and measures to take when caring for clients with or exposed to COVID-19.
- Employees are also self-screening for symptoms prior to the start of any client visit or shift.
- Jannic Health Services is following CDC regulated travel guidelines, which instruct all international travelers and those who traveled to an area experiencing ongoing transmission in the United States to stay home for 14 days after returning from travel, monitoring their health, and practicing social distancing.
- We are encouraging clients to notify their Jannic Health Services office if they or someone they have had contact with have developed symptoms, recently traveled, or had exposure to someone with COVID-19.
- Jannic Health Services has established processes to facilitate communication and to provide daily updates to all of our offices and employees nationwide as the situation continues to evolve to keep you and your Jannic Health Services caregivers safe.
What are the symptoms for COVID-19
COVID-19 has a wide range of symptoms reported, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
How is COVID-19 spread?
The virus is spread mainly from person-to-person:
- between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet)
- from respiratory droplets produced when an infected individual coughs or sneezes
How soon after exposure do signs and symptoms appear?
- Symptoms occur anywhere from 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.
COVID-19 RESOURCES – Guidance for developing a COVID-19 Preparedness
- Handwashing www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdQuPGVcceg
- How to protect yourself and others www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
- Social distancing www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html
- Housekeeping – How to clean and disinfect www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/disinfecting-your-home.html www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/cleaning-disinfection.html
- Employees exhibiting signs and symptoms of COVID-19 www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html