Working in the healthcare industry can be quite gratifying — helping people feel better who are suffering, comforting the patient’s concerned family members and friends, and making a difference to the most vulnerable population. On the other hand, being a front-line medical worker is known to be stressful, as well as emotionally and physically taxing. These ‘healthcare heroes’ including nurses, technicians, physicians, and therapists, are encountering additional challenges due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Supporting our medical frontline workers is essential as we have now surpassed a full calendar year fighting COVID-19.

1. Publicly acknowledge nurses on social media. The popular poet Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Angelou believed that everyone simply wants to be ‘seen’ — giving a healthcare hero a shout out can go a long way for their morale. Taking the time to acknowledge their sacrifices could be the reason a sleep deprived nurse musters up the energy to tackle their next shift. This platform gives you the opportunity to download a picture and then share it on a social media outlet. Although all medical workers are invaluable, nurses in particular are the heartbeat of healthcare.
2. Do not take medical supplies from providers. When you’re visiting a healthcare clinic, office or hospital as a patient or a visitor, do not take their supplies, including hand sanitizers, face masks, medical gloves, or toilet paper. Personal protection equipment has been in short supply since the beginning of the pandemic; taking their inventory only exacerbates the problem and hinders caring for their patients.
3. Donate to organizations who support healthcare workers. There is no shortage of reputable charities and corporate companies to donate funds to, who support frontline workers. For example, Intrahealth International directly assists medical workers by providing essential services and supplies.
4. Pay their parking fees. Many hospitals are located in urban cities, which require street parking with paid meters. The next time you’re nearby a local medical facility, pay for a healthcare worker’s parking. Better yet, if it’s a teaching hospital, call the local nursing school and ask how you can help pay for the students parking. And if the healthcare system doesn’t require parking meters for employees, you can simply leave a thank you note on the windshield of healthcare workers who display stickers/decals on their vehicles.
5. Send money with a click. It is simple to make a small donation to medical staff. Pay-Pal and Venmo make it easy to transfer a ‘thinking of you’ gift for them to grab a cup of coffee or a meal from their favorite restaurant. No matter how they use the contribution, it will make a difference just knowing that they matter.
6. Connect with a local caterer or restaurant to arrange for donated meals. Inevitably there will be local food providers who are more than happy to make a donation to their local medical facility. Either the business can donate the meals 100% out of their own pockets, or you can help arrange collecting monetary donations from the community to cover the hard costs for these meals. Next, call your hospital’s local unit (e.g. emergency room, ICU, etc.) and ask to speak to the supervisor. Tell them you’d like to have a complimentary meal donated for the daytime and evening staff, and make arrangements to meet any COVID-19 safety protocols.
7. Donate and drop off groceries. Arrange to have groceries and household essentials delivered to frontline medical workers’ homes. You can do this yourself, or work with an online third party delivery service to do the shopping and driving.
8. Get tested. Get vaccinated. If you’re experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus, such as loss of taste or a fever, it’s extremely important to isolate immediately. Call your doctor’s office to see if they have tests available, and if they offer outdoor testing so you can avoid going inside and possibly infecting other patients, which would also put a greater burden on the medical staff. Unlike the earlier part of this pandemic, both rapid and PCR testing is more readily available. Additionally, there are more and more COVID-19 vaccines available, and states across the United States are starting to loosen their restrictions on who can receive it based on qualifications such as age.
9. Donate your time. Volunteer with your community’s Red Cross; there may be opportunities to deliver supplies and other important assistance to support COVID-19 efforts.
10. Donate blood. Another way to give back is by donating blood if you’re qualified to do so. You can find local blood drives in your area, or schedule an appointment.

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On the bright side — a study by QuoteWizard ranked the Commonwealth of Virginia most likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, as compared to all states across the country. These predictions to estimate vaccination rates were supported by the current rate of adults getting vaccinated, accessibility to healthcare, as well as public opinion.

Virginia’s rate of having age-appropriate vaccines is 46%, which is ranked as the seventh highest in the United States. The Commonwealth is trending up in this category too, as it had a 9.5% improvement in adult vaccinations over the last five years.

Adam Johnson, the study’s Senior Research Analyst, explained, “Especially this year with COVID-19, we’ve been very focused on the economic factors and impacts that COVID-19 has had on our healthcare systems.”

Ralph Northam, the Governor of Virginia (who is also a physician), said in an interview with PBS, “We’re confident that, by early to mid-summer, all Virginians will have access to the vaccination, which is really encouraging news. There’s finally some light at the end of this long, dark tunnel, and we’re all really looking forward to that.”

Gov. Northam elaborated during an interview with NPR, “Well, initially, they’re looking at 70,000 doses. We have 8 million Virginians. So – and that’s why we will be going to those that are most susceptible – our health care workers and also those individuals that work and live in our long-term care facilities.

And then we’ll go into phase two, which will be a lot of frontline workers – for example, teachers, food preparers, those types of things. And then phase three will be the general population and hopefully by early to midsummer have everybody in Virginia vaccinated.”

Local health districts across the state are working as fast as possible to vaccinate eligible Virginians who qualify within phases 1a and 1b. Because the vaccine supply is limited, it will take some time to complete the initial groups.

As of January 2021, according to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the vaccine is currently designated for the following groups:

• 1a: Healthcare Workers & Long-Term Care Residents
• 1b: Frontline Essential Workers, Persons Aged 65 Years and Older

Correctional Facilities, Homeless Shelters, Migrant Labor Camps, and Persons Aged 16-64 years who have a high-risk medical condition or disability that amplifies their risk of severe illness due to COVID-19.

Because there is no way to know exactly how long it will take to complete vaccinating through the 1b group, there is not an official start date to begin phase 1c (during this phase, vaccines will be extended to additional essential workers).

Below are some commonly asked questions as it relates to getting vaccinated from COVID-19 in Virginia.

How do I register for the COVID-19 vaccine?

Health districts at a local level are creating specific plans for local registration, including the ability to register online in advance for a vaccination. The VDH reports that they are investing in technology improvements in order to facilitate this process. Check your county’s local health department website for more information.

Which of the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines does Virginia have access to?

The FDA has authorized emergency use of two vaccines so far — the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) endorses both vaccines. Virginia receives shipments of both vaccines on a weekly basis, which are being used to vaccinate local residents who qualify in phases 1a and 1b. A number of other pharmaceutical companies are involved in phase 3 trials, such as Johnson & Johnson, so the hope is that other FDA-approved vaccines will become available in the future.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine free or does it need to be filled through insurance?

The vaccine is being offered to all residents at no out-of-pocket cost. Any applicable charges will either be handled by insurance companies, or by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration Provider Relief Fund.

If I receive the COVID-19 vaccine, do I still need to wear a mask and practice social distancing?

Yes. At this time, information is limited on how effective the COVID-19 vaccine is at lowering the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, as well as how long it provides protection. So, if you receive the first or both doses of the vaccine, you are asked to keep following recommended protocols to protect not only yourself but protect your community.

Some of the prevention measures include wearing a mask that securely covers your nose and mouth, not getting any closer than six feet apart from people, staying away from crowds, particularly when inside, and wash/sanitize your hands regularly.

For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, click here. Check out more of our blogs by clicking here.

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A distinctive attribute of COVID-19 is that there are many unknowns. The sickness itself currently has no known cure or proven treatment. Additionally, there are contradicting pieces of information about what should be done to control the virus, which can result in anxiety and fear.

The caliber of this disease has caused people to significantly alter their day-to-day lives. And for those who were already suffering from anxiety before the global outbreak, they are having a particularly challenging time adjusting to these new conditions.

The New Normal

In American culture, it is commonplace to shake hands or hug when greeting someone. Social distancing is a new concept in our communities, thanks to this easily transmittable virus. Sheltering in place, and social distancing when in pubic, can take a toll on our social lives.

People who are in quarantine are proven to develop negative mental health side effects. By definition, according to a published paper on the psychological impact of quarantine, “Quarantine means the separation and restriction of movement of people who have potentially been exposed to a contagious disease to ascertain if they become unwell, so they’re reducing the risk of infection others. This definition is different from isolation — which is the separation of people who have been diagnosed with a contagious disease from people who are not sick; these two terms are often used interchangeably.”

In 24 studies on the psychological impact of a quarantine, “most reported negative psychological effects including post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger. Stressors included longer quarantine duration, infection fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, misinformation, financial loss, and stigma. Some researchers have suggested long-lasting effects.”

How to Maximize Mental Health

In an effort to proactively make mental health a priority as we navigate we’ve compiled several areas to take into consideration.

Structure: Creating an organized framework for your day can be very helpful, particularly if you’re suddenly working from home vs. a traditional office. Planning your day the day before, and actually scheduling when certain tasks, errands or projects will be worked on, can reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. A laundry list of duties, when looked at as a whole, has a way of bringing on anxiety. However, when written down and listed by individual chunks, accomplishing goals can feel more manageable. And don’t forget to pencil in activities for your well-being including hobbies or new endeavors— for example, reading a book, journaling, meditating, or taking a bath.

Professional Support: There are an abundant amount of health care organizations available, including online therapy and telehealth options. Working with a mental health counselor should be one aspect of your overall self-care program including physical activity, sufficient amounts of sleep, and socially distanced or virtual visits with loved ones. To better understand telehealth and its value, click here.

Perspective: Turn the noise down, so to speak. Limit the amount of time spent digesting news about the pandemic, whether on the television, your cell phone, computer or the newspaper. Of course it’s important to be informed and stay updated on the virus, especially if you live in or near a hotspot. However, it’s important to not let the headlines and relentless breaking news reports take over your time and energy. Intentionally decide how much content you’ll expose yourself to daily, and then stick to it.

 Focus on the Facts: Rely on credible resources to provide fact-based information about COVID-19. That may include your primary care physician, a local or state health department, or government organizations.

Make Healthy Choices: This advice is true whether we are facing a pandemic or not. However, it is now more critical than ever to take good care of our minds and bodies. Choose healthy foods, drink half of your body weight (in ounces) of water, limit caffeine and alcohol, aim for 6-8 hours of sleep every night, and shoot for 30 minutes of physical exercise daily.

Proactively Work on Relaxing: When you’re feeling tense or overwhelmed, come back to your breath. Breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for two seconds, and then slowly exhale for four seconds. Repeat this process 10 times. Other tactics that can help bring on a sense of calmness include stretching, meditating, listen to relaxing music, or engaging in an enjoyable hobby. And lastly, don’t bottle up your feelings — be sure to talk about your emotions to loved ones and friends on a regular basis. Sometimes just ‘getting it out’ can have a cathartic effect.

An excellent resource for mental health is the National Alliance on Mental Illness

In our next blog post, we’ll cover insights and tips on taking care of your physical health during the quarantine.

The post Coping with Mental Health During Quarantine appeared first on Auxo Medical.

As countries around the world work to come up with a proven vaccine, slow the spread in communities, and minimize lives taken by the virus, smartphone apps have become one of many strategies to do just that.

Since the virus can be transmitted from affected people through being in a close vicinity, health authorities have pinpointed “contact tracing” as a helpful tool.When people are physically nearby each other, by using an app on their cell phones, they can exchange data. This creates a rolodex, so to speak, of who the person has been near within a certain timeframe.

The concept of using tracing apps goes something like this — if a cell phone user is infected with COVID-19, the log of people who they came into contact with, would be alerted. In theory, this app tool could help further support a country’s fight to control the outbreak, including social distancing, wearing masks, sheltering at home, and testing.

Coronavirus apps need to be treated like any medical intervention — taking extreme measures of both efficacy and protection. However, since apps are being created independently across the world, there are currently no set standards in place.

Digital Tracing Measures Around the Globe

There are governments, non-profit organizations, and universities around the globe who have begun using opt-in COVID-19 data collecting technology. In most circumstances, governments are collaborating with tech companies to develop these apps.

A contact-tracing app in the UK enables the phone’s owner to report their symptoms. The data that is collected is housed centrally, and users allow health organizations to inform their contacts.

When users of Australia’s COVIDSafe app come in close contact with someone who tests positive for the virus, they are notified by health officials.

Since this information is sensitive in nature, the apps are not mandatory and are strictly voluntary participation.

Here in the United States, mammoth tech companies Apple and Google announced in early April that they are collaborating on measures to help support COVID-19 contact tracing. Their solution includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology.

The businesses are co-creating cryptographic functions with the goal of generating and undertaking the alias directly into the operating systems.

This ability would settle the issue with iPhone’s battery by enabling apps to gather contact data in the framework. Additionally, this would also offer more security protection.

Concerns & Limitations

Theoretically the concept of contact tracing through apps makes perfect sense, but there is minimal published research that proves the effectiveness of slowing the spread by using these apps.

Accuracy is a major concern on the table, and not just for contact tracing apps, but for the testing results themselves. Some people have been contacted that their COVID-19 test came back positive, when they never actually had a test done.

When a contact tracing app is tied to an official authorized test, accurate results are more probable. But in instances when someone has self-diagnosed themselves and incorrect information could be disseminated to a wide contact pool.

Another troublesome worry is individual privacy. Published research from European universities proves that the concept of anonymous data is nearly impossible, “showing methods to correctly re-identify 99.98% of individuals in anonymized data sets,” as reported by TechCrunch.com.

 Another concern is countries centrally storing data, which is can lead to hacking. In the spring, hundreds of leading researchers and scientists signed an open letter petition to governments, advising them to store data in a variety of places.

Last but certainly not least, another major red flag is the need to use bluetooth for the contact-tracing on smartphones to work. Historically, reporting on security breaches indicates that users should disable Bluetooth when they are not using it at that time. In order for these COVID-19 tracking apps to work, cellphone users would need to keep their Bluetooth functions turned on.

Conclusion

Manual contact tracing can be a slow, tedious process, requiring interviews and investigative work. Digital contact tracing does expedite the process, but it should not be used as a replacement for human contact tracing teams, it should simply be seen as a complementary tool.

Ultimately, especially in America, a lack of trust in government will likely make it challenging for a contact tracing app to work at its highest potential.

A cryptographer at Johns Hopkins University, Matthew Green, says the infrastructure is already in place for widespread tracking. In an interview posted on Nature.com, Green explained, “Unfortunately, the idea of letting a government use that information is going to run into a lot of red flags from people, probably rightly. At the same time, this information is used every day — it’s just used in service of targeted advertising, which is something that we sort of put up with.”

We welcome you to regularly visit our blog for ongoing information on relevant and timely topics. At Auxo Medical, we strive to provide valuable content for the healthcare industry.

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A common topic of conversation is when and how will we ever go “back to normal.” As months pass and the country is still very much impacted by COVID-19, it is becoming clear that life as we know it will change.

Thanks to the coronavirus the healthcare industry was hit extremely hard on a variety of levels. Hospital administration and clinical leadership have revised protocols in order to account for slowing down the spread of COVID-19. 

Here are three key areas where the healthcare industry will navigate a new normal, for both patients and providers.

1. Elective vs. Non-Elective Surgeries

In order to prepare for an influx of coronavirus patients, some hospitals revamped entire floors, while others created makeshift treatment facilities. Non-emergent and elective cases were put on hold and created a significant toll on hospital bank accounts. 

The University of Michigan’s health system reopened their elective surgeries, but are uncertain when the hospital will resume to its former capactiy. UM officials say that physicians are measuring the advantages of indivudal surgeries versus the uncertainty of COVID-19. 

2. Keeping Up with PPE

Coronavirus patients and their caretakers don’t automatically have the same PPE needs as other patients. Healthcare officials told ABC News that there is enough of an overlap in basic protective equipment and they are “taking careful note when considering the amount of PPE that would be expended for a particular operation and how much they might need if a resurgence of COVID-19 strikes.”

The president and Chief Executive Officer at the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Helath Systems, Jeffrey Tieman, pointed out that if hospitals aren’t confident in their PPE reserve, they need to consider if they can continue to provide elective surgeries.

Dr. Kat McGraw, CMO at Vermon’t Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, stated that since outpatient surgeries were approved to resume at a state level the hospitals have to “self supply” with PPE.

According to McGraw, the hospital has grown its own PPE arsenal for emergency measures. McGraw reports “We have been purchasing, not through our usual streams, but trying to find creative ways to get an augmented amount of PPE, but its not necessarily sustainable.”

3. Telemedicine & Pre-op Testing

Telemedicine is certainly not a new concept to healthcare, but because of the rapid coronavirus surge using pre-op virtual appointments will likely become another ‘new normal.’

CareMore Health’s Dr. Aleaf Worku states that pre-op meetings will serve as an assessment, i.e. determining what kind of care a patient needs. Doing so would save patients a trip to the facility, and avoid medical personnel from having physical contact with patients. Aleaf explained, “This is why telemedicine may be the way we do pre-op screening in the new normal.”

Virtually monitoring patients with chronic diseases and offering telemedicine will enable improved management, as well as avoiding potential exposure to the virus.

COVID-19 testing before operations take place will also become standard protocol for the indefinite future. Patients who are scheduled for surgery will likely be tested 4-5 days before the operation, and agree to self-isolate during that period. Before the pandemic, most patients are accustomed to a variety of pre-op steps, such as fasting from food and drinking 12 hours before a procedure. COVID-19 testing will be just another step.

With that said, there have been numerous reports that people are cancelling their in-person appointments out of COVID-19 related fears.

An official from Providence Health told ABC News that they completed a 12,000 patient sample survey, and the largest roadblock appears to be a fear of getting COVID in their healthcare facilities. A mere 18% indicated that they “feel safe” going back to the ER, health clinics, or hospitals.

Moving Forward

With heightened safety standards in place, providers and health care facilities are working to improve.

Former president of the American College of Physicians, Robert McLean shared with ABC News, “This is an opportunity to ask, what do we really need to do and what do we need to not do. The pandemic has gotten us back to doctoring. We need to take advantage of that and critically look at the utilization of a lot of things we have done.”

To learn about how COVID-19 is impacting the way in which employees are returning to the workplace, be sure to check out our blog post.

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Employers of all sizes will need to take a long, hard look at their operational practices in order to implement health and safety measures. These practices will need to abide by both the law and safety regulations.

In this blog post, we established some important areas for achieving safety as a part of a pandemic return-to-work strategy. Designing compromises for the workplace, and creating efficiencies, should be a top priority for businesses.

Privacy Protections

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) shared a variety of guidance memos for employers to utilize. A publication titled, “Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and The Americans with Disabilities Act” is meant to help employers implement a game plan for COVID-19 workforce implications. Another EEOC guidance memo says it is acceptable for employers to check the temperatures and conduct examinations to detect the virus in employees returning to work.

However, businesses must keep in mind that federal privacy protections remain intact. If employers do not adequately plan for the privacy repercussions of coming back to work, they may end up facing the court system.

An attorney with the law firm of Graydon Head & Ritchey, Christina N. Rogers, has recommended the following questions for employers to reflect on prior to executing new policies:

• How will the policy be implemented?

• Who will oversee this new policy /procedure?

• How will the individual employee’s privacy be protected?

• What is the probability that other employees will learn the personal health information of that employee?

• How will the employee’s private information be collected, recorded, and stored?

• How will confidentiality be secured?

Virtual Tools and IT Efficiencies

The concept of working remotely via teleconference meetings is not new, but COVID-19 has certainly made it more common than ever before. Even telehealth has been rapidly utilized by healthcare workplaces. For example, during the pandemic, a previously scheduled two-and-a-half-year-old wellness check at a pediatrician’s office is quickly rescheduled for a virtual assessment. In-person visits during the pandemic were reserved for children who are either due for immunizations or suffering from an illness.

For employees who are accustomed to socializing face-to-face in the workplace, it can be quite an adjustment to work solely in a virtual environment. With the help of an employer’s offering virtual social interactions, employees who are working remotely can stay engaged, as well as maintain their level of productivity. In fact, there is research that shows working from home increases productivity.

In a virtual workplace, IT becomes even more essential to a company’s success. The technology and its infrastructure is the baseline for how efficient their business will operate. Employees are accustomed to leaning on their IT department when a password needs to be reset, or a computer becomes disconnected from the company’s internal system. These same IT members are also responsible for creating and managing tools that will allow virtual workers to be set up for success.

IT security should also be a priority for employers, as working remotely has its own set of challenges. New policies may need to be written and implemented, and possibly gathering IT tools and software to ensure employees are set-up to succeed, much less delivering quality work.

Additional Workplace Considerations

Businesses typically have protocols in place to prepare for catastrophic events such as earthquakes, fire and hurricanes, but seemingly no one was truly prepared for how COVID-19 would wreak havoc on the economy and companies’ day-to-day operations.

Here are some additional considerations for the ‘new normal’ in business operations:

• When deciding which employees should return to the workplace, the determination should be based on true necessity versus employees’ classifications (e.g. age) which are protected under civil rights law.
• A staggered return to the office could include designating groups of employees who take turns- i.e one group physically works out of the office while another group of workers continues to do business remotely.
• The physical workspace needs to be analyzed, prior to employees coming back, for social distancing guidelines. Six feet of distance should be enforced between desks and workspaces, as well as marked lines among common areas including break rooms and community meeting rooms.
• For shift workers, in compliance with state law requirements, adjust meals, and rest break times in order to minimize large group overlaps.
• Ensure that the office provides PPE (e.g. gloves, masks, etc. ), stations with soap and disinfectant wipes, and plenty of hand sanitizer.
• Create a strict schedule for consistent cleaning in the heavily trafficked area, and in shared workspaces/

Stay tuned for our upcoming Auxo Medical blog post later this month — we’ll discuss what the ‘new normal’ may look like for our country’s healthcare industry.

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