Home Care Nursing Families,
As we continue to ensure we are following MDH and CDC direction to prevent the spread of infection, we are requiring that if staff have symptoms of a respiratory disease (these include fever, coughing, muscle aches, sore throat, and headache),
they should stay home for at least 7 days, or for 3 days with no fever and improvement of respiratory symptoms
—whichever is longer. (fever should be gone for 3 days without using fever-reducing medicine).
For example, if staff have a fever and coughing for 4 days, they need to stay home 3 more days with no fever for a total of 7 days. Or, if they have a fever and coughing for 5 days, they need to stay home 3 more days with no fever for a total of 8 days.
If a nurse has a medium or high risk exposure (as defined by the CDC) to COVID-19, they will need to self-quarantine which will cause them to be away from work and patient care for an extended period of time.
This will affect our abilities to staff patient homes. We will work hard to be creative with scheduling and maximize coverage with the available workforce.
The Minnesota Department of Health's page dedicated to coronavirus information is available
here
. Again, we encourage you to visit
PHSCoronavirusUpdates.com for the most up to date information. in this evolving situation.
Please feel free to contact me or you case manager with any questions. We will continue to communicate any changes or updates as necessary.
