Coronavirus Update #13
Cleaning & Disinfection Procedures, Upcoming Call with Hospitals, and More Resources
Implement Environmental Infection Control - Cleaning & Disinfection 

Preventing and mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in long term care centers is the top priority. Environmental infection control practices are essential to reduce the risk of the virus entering nursing centers and assisted living communities.  

Detailed information on environmental infection control in health care settings can be found on the CDC website:  Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities  and  Guidelines for Isolation Precautions .

The following environmental infection control practices should be implemented immediately:

  • Hand washing stations or alcohol-based hand rubs should be immediately available at all entryways. 
  • Dedicated medical equipment should be used for patient care, when possible. 
  • Between each use, nondisposable medical equipment should be cleaned and disinfected. This should be done according to manufacturer's instructions and facility policies. 
  • Management of laundry, food service utensils, and medical waste should be performed in accordance with routine procedures. 
  • Environmental cleaning and disinfection procedures should be supervised. This ensures that proper procedures are followed consistently and correctly. 

Products with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens claims are recommended for use against COVID-19. These products can be identified by the following claim: 

  • "[Product name] has demonstrated effectiveness against viruses similar to COVID-19 on hard nonporous surfaces. Therefore, this product can be used against COVID-19 when used in accordance with the directions for use against [name of supporting virus] on hard, nonporous surfaces." 

This claim will be made only through communication outlets such as:  

  • Technical literature distributed to health care facilities, physicians, nurses, and public health officials 
  • "1-800" consumer information services
  • Social media sites
  • Company websites

Specific claims for "COVID-19" will not appear on the product or master label. If there are no available EPA-registered products that have an approved emerging viral pathogen claim for COVID-19, products with label claims against human coronaviruses should be used according to label instructions. 

See additional information about EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens claims  here . 

A template handout for housekeeping staff on cleaning protocol is available  here . You can modify as needed for your facility's needs.
 
Please email  [email protected]  for additional questions, and visit www.ahcancal.org/coronavirus  for more information and resources.
Please Join Us for Our Second HFAM & Hospital Partner Call
Friday, March 13 at 4:00 PM

Along with the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA), the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), Johns Hopkins Medicine, LifeBridge, and other hospital partners, HFAM will be hosting our second call to connect our sectors. We will invite broadly and work with partners to make post-acute providers aware of the call.

On this upcoming call we will focus on transfer protocols and procedures of patients between post-acute settings and hospitals. We will also discuss steps we can take to work together to manage the flow in an orderly and consistent way.

This call will take place on Friday, March 13th from 4:00 - 4:30 PM EST.

Call-in Number: 1-800-747-5150
Code: 7849671
As a reminder, we continue to advise:

  • The #1 action you and your teams can do right now is keep all people with cold/flu symptoms out of your centers.

  • Employees simply cannot come to work if they are symptomatic.

  • Be prepared to over-communicate with staff, residents, patients, and families.

  • Inventory supplies and medication - especially infectious control gear.

  • Review your policies and training.

  • Closely monitor the health of your patients, residents, and staff.

  • Establish lines of communication with your hospital partners, local and state health officials.
HFAM continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation with our state and national partners and will keep members informed. Additional information for healthcare professionals can be found on the  CDC  and on the   MDH   websites.