This summarizes the major steps taken by Touching Hearts to minimize the risk of disease spread among our clients and caregivers.
Mandatory Pre-employment Measures
- PPD testing: We have mandatory pre-employment PPD testing (for Tuberculosis)
- Video Training/Testing: Our mandatory pre-employment video training/testing covers the subject of ways to avoid transmitting communicable diseases
- Pre-employment Orientation: Our mandatory in-person orientation covers the subject of how to avoid transmitting communicable diseases and other safety measures
Personal Protective Equipment
- Gloves: We provide vinyl/synthetic gloves to all employees
- Masks: We provide face masks to all our employees
- Hand Sanitizer: We make hand sanitizer available to all our employees
Employee Wellness Benefit
- EZAccessMD: Every employee is eligible for a telemedicine service called EZAccessMD at no cost to them. (Touching Hearts pays for it.) This benefit enables them and their families to immediately access medical doctors via phone 24/7 and same-day diagnostic tests in their homes their own home, thereby enabling them to detect and treat illnesses early and at no cost.
- Free Flu shot: Touching Hearts pays for employees to get the flu shot annually.
Operating Procedures
- Check-in: During phone check-in for every shift employees must answer questions about their current health to ensure they are not likely to spread a virus
- Hand Washing: Employees are required to wash their hands at the beginning and end of every shift.
- Use of PPE: Employees are required to use PPE as the situation dictates.
- Call out/Change of Condition: During call-out for every shift employees must state whether their has been a change in the client’s condition. They must also report any health concerns to the office.
- Employee Sickness: Employees are required to notify our office if they are feeling sick the day of a scheduled shift
COVID-specific Measures
- Not Providing Services in COVID-positive Client Circumstances
- The company will not provide services for a client know to be COVID-positive. The company will not provide services within 14 days for a client who has had direct exposure to a COVID-positive person
- Leave of Absence for COVID-positive Employee Circumstances
- The company will give a leave of absence to employees who are COVID-positive, who have particular health vulnerabilities to COVID, and who have had direct exposure to others with COVID. They will not work with clients during this time. For COVID-exposed employees, they must pass a quarantine period before returning to work.
- Other PPE
- The company has provides wipes, masks and hand sanitizer to caregivers and clients. /li>
