COVID-19 Safety Plan

Heritage Place is committed to keeping our employees and residents safe and protected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following is a condensed version of our safety plan. For additional specifics please reach out to Heritage Place for a detailed copy if the plans.

Step 1: Assessing Risk

It is the responsibility of each workplace to assess their risk of exposure and transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Heritage Place leadership and front-line workers have worked jointly to identify the risks.

COVID-19 is caused by a virus that spreads through droplets when a person coughs or sneezes, or from touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face.

When assessing our risks, we considered the following issues:

How could the virus potentially get into our home?

What surfaces are touched often?

Where do our staff congregate such as break rooms and meeting rooms?

What tasks require our staff to come into close contact with one another or the public?

What equipment do people encounter during their work?

 

Step 2: Implement measures to reduce risk – Detailed instructions in Exposure Control Plan

To maintain physical distance

1. Educate staff on the process of physical distancing
2. Allow only a certain number of staff in the break rooms at a time to maintain 2 metres distance between staff
3. Ensure that residents sit 2 metres apart for all dining and activities.
4. Instruct all employees to wear masks and eye protection at all times when in resident care areas because sometimes physical distancing is not possible,

To reduce exposure to the public

1. Implement “No Visitor” policy (except essential visitors)
2. Utilize one entry point at all our homes
3. Instruct staff to change their clothes at work: before and after their shift
4. Recommend staff wear masks, eye protection, and gloves when travelling on public transit, taxis, or when carpooling, or to refrain from this type of transportation if possible
5. Encourage staff to implement safe practices when not at work
6. Employ single site staffing initiative
7. Actively screen all staff and essential visitors to the homes
8. Deny entry to the home to anyone with symptoms
9. Actively screen residents twice per shift for signs and symptoms of the virus

To prevent surface transmission

1. Frequent and thorough hand washing / hygiene
2. Enhanced cleaning of all high touch and common areas of the homes.
3. Sanitization of all items that are brought into Heritage Place.
4. Revised cleaning protocols to meet the infection control standards for COVID

 

Step 3. Policy and Plan – The following have been reviewed and/or developed:

1. Exposure Control Plan
2. Pandemic Disaster Plan
3. Communication Plan
4. Staff Contingency Plan
5. SWOT analysis
6.  Hand Hygiene, Infection Control, Isolation, Outbreak policies
7. Cleaning procedures for medical equipment

 

Step 4. Develop Communication plans and Training

1. Staff education and training on all new policies and procedures
2. Regular teaching on hand hygiene, donning and doffing PPE, infection control standards
3. Communication plan developed.
4. Weekly update letters to staff and families
5. Daily management meeting with site leaders and the owners

 

Step 5. Close Monitoring and updating plans as needed.

1. Identification of potential risks as restrictions are loosened
2. To mitigate this risk, we will go very slow and follow the instructions of the Provincial Health Officer for loosening of restrictions.