Universal Masking of Healthcare Personnel (HCP)
Masking all HCP when PPE is otherwise not indicated can help protect HCP from pre-symptomatic transmission in the healthcare setting. Universal masking can also prevent pre-symptomatic HCP from transmitting the virus to other HCP and patients.
HCP who provide direct patient care should wear a medical-grade/FDA-regulated surgical mask, and follow CDC recommendations for extended use and re-use.1 Those who do not provide direct patient care can wear a cloth or homemade mask to conserve surgical masks for direct patient care.
All staff and patients should continue to maintain distances of 6 feet apart from others as much as possible during all interactions, and with physical barriers between people when possible. It is vitally important for HCP to avoid touching their face or their facemask.
Inappropriate technique during the doffing (taking off) process of facemasks can lead to contamination. Surgical masks should be carefully removed without touching the outer surface of the mask, and the mask should be folded with the outer surface facing inward, then stored in a clean sealable paper bag or breathable container if it is to be reused.
Read Updated CT HCP Guidance for COVID-19 (April 4)Information & Resources
- Resources for Community Health Center Patients Re: COVID-19 in Connecticut (pdf) – Who to contact for various services
- HRSA COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
- Connecticut DPH COVID-19 Landing Page
- CT Health Care Coalition (HCC) FAQs (pdf)
- CDC Healthcare Professionals Landing Page
- CDC Strategies for Optimizing N95 Respirator Supply
- Updated Interim Guidance for Healthcare Facilities
- Print Resources (flyers, posters)
- Keep safe to-dos for home, school, and business (pdf)
- US DHHS “Public Health Emergency” Page
- CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity Page
- HIPAA Privacy Bulletin
- OSHA Standards for COVID-19
- Health Preparedness for Homeless Assistance Providers (HUD Exchange)
- Preventing and Managing the Spread of Infectious Disease for People Experiencing Homelessness (pdf)
- Behavioral health consideration for COVID-19 (pdf from WHO)
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress COVID-19 response fact sheets
- Updates from the World Health Organization (WHO)
- WHO interview regarding the behavioral health aspect of COVID-19
Video on Twitter | Archived video - Immunocompromised: What Does it Mean for COVID-19 (pdf from CDC)
- Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips during an Infectious Disease Outbreak (pdf from SAMHSA)
Webinars & Trainings
Upcoming:
- COVID-19: Develop and Define Your Telehealth Strategy – Wednesday, March 25, Noon.
- COVID-19 Update: Optimization Strategies for Healthcare Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Wednesday, March 25, 2:00 – 3:00 pm.
- Underlying Medical Conditions and People at Higher Risk for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Tuesday, March 24, 2:00 – 3:00 pm.
- NETEC & ASPR – Highly Pathogenic Infectious Disease Training & Exercise Webinar: Thu, March 5, 2020 1:30pm – 3:00 pm (link to PDF of slides).
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Preparedness and Response for Primary Care Providers from National Nurse-Led Care Consortiuim
- Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Webinar
Bulletin Feb. 28
We know that many of our Health Center Program stakeholders are wondering what health centers can or should be doing to prepare for a possible increase in the number of U.S. cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
As a vital component of the nation’s health care safety net, HRSA-supported health centers are well positioned to play an important role in delivering critical services and assisting local communities during an emergency. We encourage health centers to be proactive in their emergency preparedness planning and to coordinate with existing partners at the state and local level in the development of preparedness and response plans, while also taking into consideration the need to maintain their ongoing capacity to deliver access to quality primary health care services for their patients.
- Information on relevant HRSA policies for health centers, including guidance for requesting changes in scope or temporary privileging of clinical providers, is available on HRSA’s Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Resources for Health Centers webpage.
- Up-to-date information on the status of the virus outbreak is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- The CDC has developed clinical evaluation criteria for providers, as well as information about COVID-19 symptoms, prevention, and treatment (including educational materials in Chinese and Spanish). Along with limiting your exposure to sick individuals, hand washing is one of the best precautions you can take to help prevent the spread of the disease.
CDC’s Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) will be hosting a call next week for clinicians to prepare for COVID-19.
Thursday, March 52:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Learn more