Dear patients, families, and caregivers,
We are staying up-to-date with the information being released from both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Our emergency preparedness plan will evolve and change as needed. Safety for our patients, families, and co-workers is our top priority.
As this crisis unfolds, there is a strong possibility that there will be a shortage of some supplies. So far, we are seeing shortages with facemasks, gloves, and saline and expect more items to be added to that list as the crisis grows. With this is mind, we are asking our patients to conserve supplies whenever possible. Here is a tip to help with saline bullets.
Saline bullets – If saline becomes nationally back-ordered as we fear it will, you can use a luer lock syringe, 3cc – 10cc, filled with sterile water or distilled water to flush your inline suction catheter. Simply connect the syringe to the flush port on the suction catheter and flush your suction device. You can re-use the syringe.
Stay calm and stay home. Avoid bringing your child out. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. Please avoid coming into the office if you or your loved ones have been sick, we can ship supplies when applicable.
Clean and disinfect the items you regularly use, such as laptops, phones, remote controls, toys, etc..
Clean and disinfect high touch areas in your home, like door knobs, light switches, handrails, faucets, toilets and countertops.
Clean and disinfect the patient care area and the equipment you use to care for your loved ones.
We encourage you to self monitor using the below questions as a guide. Please contact our office if you or anyone else in your household has tested positive for COVID-19.
- Have you has symptoms of a respiratory illness over the last 14 days (e.g. fever, cough, shortness of breath)? Please call your physician if you have symptoms.
- Have you been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
- Have you traveled outside of the U.S. in the last 14 days.
- In the last 14 days, have you traveled to a state experiencing community transmission of COVID-19 (e.g., California, New York, Or Washington; Visit CDC.Gov for the latest updates).
Below are some helpful links with information about the COVID-19 Pandemic.
CDC Website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
American Academy of Pediatrics: https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/
Patient safety is our top priority. We are committed to providing the highest level of care. Please contact our office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Kirk Petrie, RRT
Chief Executive Officer