Additional Procedures to Support Clients During Coronavirus

PLEASE NOTE, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. PLEASE CONTACT BROAD STREET HOME CARE FOR OUR MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION.

Broad Street excels in complex situations, and the Coronavirus is no exception. This is due to our highly detailed planning and proactive managed service. We have intensified our existing procedures on infection prevention, to keep Care Professionals and RN’s healthy.

The result is that Broad Street gets stronger during crisis.  Our Care Professionals and RN’s rise to the occasion to ensure our clients are not only safe and healthy but also comfortable.

The result is that Broad Street gets stronger during the crisis.

  • We can adapt to any environment, in a facility or home, and transitioning in between.

  • Our Care Professionals are trained and ready.

  • Our Nurses are proactively managing each and every client situation including clinical needs.

To view our Additional Procedures to Support Clients through Coronavirus, please scroll down this page. To download a PDF copy, click HERE.

Call us on 847-728-0134 with any situation, we can help with solutions.


Keeping Clients Safe, Healthy and Comfortable

Our GOAL is to keep clients safe, healthy and comfortable while avoiding public settings where the risk of exposure is greater. Equally important for clients’ safety is keeping Care Professionals and RN’s healthy so they can continue to provide vital support.

While the following steps are consistent with our standard procedures regarding infection prevention and control, it is important that we continue to emphasize these procedures and to take extra precautions.


General Guidelines for Care Professionals and RN’s

Procedures for Care Professionals and RN’s working with clients in the home

  • When not working, Care Professionals and RN’s need to avoid public settings and only go out for essentials like groceries, meds, doctors, or emergencies.

  • When absolutely necessary to be outside of shelter, keep a safe distance from other people (10+ feet or more).

  • Encourage family to follow the same procedures, and if not possible, maintain a safe distance at home and sanitize the environment as if it is a client’s home.

  • Make sure to wash hands frequently.

  • If a Care Professional experiences any symptoms (Fever, dry cough, runny nose, aches and pains, sore throat), they are to call a Broad Street RN to discuss necessary next steps which include avoiding client, seeing physician and getting tested.

  • When in the home, Care Professionals need to be extra vigilant about following Broad Street’s infection prevention procedures.

Procedures for Care Professionals and RN’s working with clients in a facility

  • Work closely with the facility to follow appropriate guidelines and procedures to help mitigate risk and to ensure we are made aware of any potential cases impacting other residents or staff. Broad Street will be in frequent contact with facilities in case there are any changes to the guidelines and procedures. Care Professional will communicate any changes to RN’s.

  • Minimize client interaction in public settings.

  • Frequent hand washing and cleaning, and following Broad Streets Infection control procedures

Other Steps we are taking to ensure uninterrupted support

  • Helping ensure that clients have an appropriate supply of regular medications.

  • Maintaining adequate supply of food, cleaning products and service tools including gloves.

  • We are also actively communicating with all Care Professionals about their general availability and capacity as part of our Backup Procedure. We want to be prepared.


Communication

Communication is vitally important during this time. We are part of the overall solution. We need to work together to help alleviate pressure on our healthcare system and keep our senior clients safe.  Core working communication is between Care Professionals, RN’s and other support staff, but we also need to be communicating with Clients, their families, the healthcare system and the community. In addition to the regular and frequent daily communication, we will also be providing the following periodic summary communication:

  • Weekly Internal Broad Street Email

    • General status update to keep people informed of recent developments

    • Any immediate or potential resource needs

    • Any adjustments to procedure

    • Reemphasizing best practices including virus prevention and communication procedures

  • Weekly Client, Family and Community Email

    • General status update to keep people informed of recent developments

    • Updates on any additional procedures

    • Helpful Information based on any learned experience

    • Reemphasizing best practices including virus prevention and communication procedures

  • Weekly Supervisory Visits via phone or videoconferencing

    • Broad Street RNs call each Care Professional to discuss overall client condition

    • Discuss any changes or modification to plan of service, if necessary

    • Discuss virus prevention procedures in the context of the Client’s daily routine

    • Follow-up with Clients, and Family if needed. To make sure they are safe and comfortable, answer questions and discussing any changes or modifications

  • SYMPTOMS CHECK – Form is HERE

In order to keep discipline in our procedure, and to ensure we are not overlooking potential risks, each Care Professional receives a “symptoms check” two hours before each shift. This check comes through email and text. The Care Professional then responds, and it is sent to Broad Street office. The results of these checks are reviewed by Broad Street Nurse or Support Staff 2 times daily.

  • Check for specific symptoms (Fever, Dry cough, Runny nose, Shortness of breath)

  • Confirmation that no one in Care Professional’s household is showing symptoms

  • Confirmation of social distancing practices

  • Instructions to contact Broad Street Nurse if Care Professional or Client is exhibiting any symptoms or to address any questions

  • Reminder of basic virus prevention procedures along with a note of encouragement acknowledging the value of the Care Professional’s role

Procedure If Symptoms are Detected

If symptoms are detected by a Care Professional, Family where the Care Professional is living or the Client, the following procedures are followed:

  • Care Professional does not attend scheduled shift

  • Care Professional communicates to RN who then helps facilitate with the Care Professional’s Primary Care Physician or other physician to determine proper procedure which may include potential testing and/or quarantine

  • Notify Client, and Client’s family and RN then helps facilitate with the Client’s Primary Care Physician as to determine proper procedure which may include potential testing and/or quarantine

  • Notify other Care Professionals to determine their condition in order to follow appropriate physician directed procedure

Anyone with symptoms can be screened and tested and any one of the four immediate Care sites according to location.  These are Corona Virus testing sites are set up at established Northshore University HealthCare System Immediate Care clinics.

  • 9977 Woods Dr. Skokie, IL

  • 6450 W. Touhy Ave. Niles, IL

  • 9900 Rollins, Gurnee, IL

  • 920 Milwaukee Ave. Lincolnshire, IL


Facility and Senior Community Coordination

With facilities and senior communities, we need to not only follow our procedures regarding social distancing as well as other methods of virus prevention, it is also important that we coordinate with the facility to follow their procedures. Furthermore, we need to be prepared for any potential changes to procedure in the event further restrictions are necessarily put in place.  It Is also important to know that each facility or community may have different procedures and may choose to implement those procedures at different times. For tis reason Broad Street remains in frequent contact with the facilities or communities where we have clients, and Care Professionals are directed to contact Broad Street Support Staff should they observe any changes.

  • General Procedures

    • Care Professionals are considered “Essential” and facilities and communities have indicated to us that they do not expect Care Professionals from ever being restricted. They are needed.

    • Care Professionals go through a symptoms screen before entering the facilities

  • Potential Restrictions and Broad Street Response

    • In many cases, non-essential persons, including family, may be restricted from entering the facility or community

    • Outside packages and food delivery may be restricted, as the facilities or communities are self-sufficient in terms of food and supplies, and undergo a cleaning process to prevent any contamination

    • In some cases, social interaction may be restricted, and patients or residents may be confined to their rooms or residences. In those cases, food and supplies will be delivered to the room

    • Care Professionals encourage and support clients in following best practices in social distancing and frequent washing and sanitizing, regardless of what procedures may be in place

  • Shelter In place (Also applies to clients living in their home)

    • Should the situation become more restricted, or clients become more concerned with virus prevention, we have asked certain Care Professionals who are able, to make arrangements to shelter in place with clients.

    • In that scenario, the Care Professionals would effectively move in with the client, thereby further reducing risk related to come and go


If you would prefer to speak with us directly, please call 847-728-0134