All Staff Across the Network Will be Directed to Wear Masks to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19
Vermont Business Magazine As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, The University of Vermont Health Network is directing all employees in its facilities in Vermont and Northern New York to wear masks, aligning with the most recent best practices to protect staff and patients across the Network.
“Our staff across the entire network have been working tirelessly and selflessly to deliver high-quality care during this pandemic. We know there is a lot of anxiety about the use of masks and respirators and we are updating our policies to ensure our staff have the best protection policy. Federal and state guidance on masks is evolving and we will continue to update our policies as needed,” said John Brumsted, MD, President and CEO of the University of Vermont Health Network.
As part of the revised policy:
- All staff who are not in close patient contact will be directed to wear a cloth mask while at work. This includes staff who are more than 6 feet from patients and spending less than a few minutes around patients. These masks will allow staff to contain their own secretions and droplets while helping protect others.
- Staff who are within 6 feet of patients and spending more than a few minutes near patients will be directed to wear procedural or surgical masks or universal N95 respirators. The respirators will help contain their own secretions and droplets and protect them from the secretions and droplets of others.
- Staff who are directly caring for COVID-19 patients or persons suspected of being infected with COVID-19 during aerosolizing treatments will be directed to wear a fit-tested N95.
A team from across the UVM Health Network developed the revised masking/respirator policy. It is based on the latest guidance available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Vermont and New York State Departments of Health.
This policy is effective immediately and will be implemented at all network affiliates. We will continuously review this policy and update as necessary. Our supply chain team is continuing to explore all available opportunities to increase the availability of PPE we have on hand.
“Protecting our staff while providing the high-quality care our patients and residents, remains our top priority during this COVID-19 pandemic. We have a supply of PPE on hand that is necessary to ensure the safety of those who need it,” said Anna Tempesta Noonan, BSN, MS, RN, President and Chief Operating Officer of The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center.
In alignment with stay-at-home orders in Vermont and New York, unless it is an emergency, patients should stay at home and contact their doctor by phone or through MyChart if they have COVID-19 symptoms, to include fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath. Our providers will work with patients to determine if testing or medical treatment is needed. Patients experiencing symptoms where they would otherwise seek emergency medical care should visit their local Emergency Department or contact their primary care doctor, but should not suffer in silence.
The UVM Health Network reminds the community that the best steps to prevent spread of COVID-19 are:
- If you can, stay home.
- Clean your hands frequently – wash your hands or use portable alcohol hand sanitizer before you eat.
- Cough and sneeze into your arm, not your hands.
- Don’t touch your face.
- Avoid crowded spaces.
- Avoid nonessential travel.
More information about COVID-19 is available at:
www.uvmhealth.org/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx
www.healthvermont.gov/response/infectious-disease/2019-novel-coronavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/
About The University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an academic health system that is comprised of six affiliate hospitals, a multi-specialty medical group, and a home health agency. We serve the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. Our partners include:
- The University of Vermont Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice
Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high-quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our hospitals remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.
Source: BURLINGTON (VT) – The University of Vermont Health Network 4.9.2020