Frequently Asked Questions
Patients and Families

Q: What actions will be taken once it is determined that a patient has a fever. Will they be isolated and monitored or sent to the hospital?
A: The patient’s vital signs including pulse oximetry will be monitored and if other COVID-19 symptoms appear (cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, etc.), the patient will be placed on droplet precautions and maintain isolation in their room. Monitoring will then occur every shift or more frequently as clinically indicated. All staff are wearing masks at this time for further protection of residents and themselves. Patients are hospitalized based on the severity of their symptoms and at the direction of their attending provider. Our goal is to keep the patient in the center when possible to avoid increasing the patient’s exposure to active and acute COVID-19 cases and to preserve hospital capacity for the most acute patients, including our own patients where symptoms indicate.

Q: Are they isolated in their room and any roommate reassigned or will they be removed and the roommate remain in that room?
A: If isolation is necessary, both the patient and the roommate will be placed on isolation precautions in their room. If the patient is required to be transferred out of the center, the roommate will remain in isolation and a new roommate will not be placed in that same room.

Q: What procedure is in place to clean a room of a patient with a fever it they are removed or isolated?
A: Cleaning is conducted per infection control protocols and cleaning procedures.

Q: Do you have a particular wing or area of the facility that will handle patients with a fever that is separate from the other residents/patients?
A: We are actively evaluating options in this regard.

Q: At what point do you notify the patient representative/family of ANY person with a fever whether it be resident patient or employee?
A: The family of a patient who has a fever is made aware of the patient’s condition. If the center has a patient who tests positive for COVID-19, all families and patients in the center will be made aware, followed by routine updates. We do not provide general notifications of the fever status of all employees and patients.

Q: At what point would you notify the patient representative/family that their family member’s roommate has a fever?
A: If the patient’s roommate is placed on isolation, both patients’ families would be made aware that same day.

Q: At what point would you notify a patient’s representative/family that any resident/patient or employee is being tested for COVID-19. At what point would you notify a patient’s representative/family that any resident/patient has tested positive for COVID-19?
A: If the center has a patient who tests positive for COVID-19, all families (responsible parties) and patients in the center will be made aware while preserving confidentiality, followed by routine updates.

Q: In reference to the above questions, how will notifications take place? (I.e. phone call, email, or letter or some combination of the above)
A: The primary method of notification is by phone call to the family (responsible party) of the patient who has tested positive. For those not directly impacted, an email notification or mailed letter, if no email address is provided, is sent to responsible parties and patients. It is very important to have accurate contact information for patients and family members in order to ensure the most rapid notification possible.

Q: Is there any requirement that I put my requests for any of the above notifications in writing? For example, if I wish to know if on any given day a resident/patient employee has a fever or is being tested for COVID-19.
A: It is important that each patient or family designate a single point of contact to receive notifications to expedite communication. We cannot release protected health information about all patients and employees. If you would like to specify how you would like to receive a notification about your loved one or general notifications, we would welcome that input.

Q: Are employees being tested before AND after their shifts for fever or just before?
A: Employees are screened both before and after their shifts, including having their temperature checked.