Home health facilities implement new protocols to protect staff, patients

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Nurses and doctors across the country have been clocking in for a long day’s work to continue the fight against COVID-19.

But those duties stretched further than the emergency room. Caregivers for home health services have also been on the front lines.

Kindred at Home provides personal health care to dozens of people across our viewing area. Due to COVID-19, nurses and caregivers have gone the extra mile for patient safety and health.

“We provide clinical care in a patient’s home after a surgery or hospitalization or a newly diagnosis disease, like cancer, heart failure, or respiratory disease,” said home health specialist JD Hurt.

Hurt said quality health care is vital during this time of uncertainty.

That’s why staff members used new protocol to provide an effective way for home check-ins.

“We do a full head-to-toe assessment and we try to keep the patient out of the hospital and other people who have the disease especially during this time right now. If they are contagious or infectious. We wear a mask whenever we enter the patient’s home and we do a pre-screening on the home before we go into the home,” said nurse Lindsay Blankenship.

Although doctor visits were recommended at this time for patients. Nurses have stepped in to help whenever they can.

“Having a nurse or a therapist come and check on them a couple of times a week is a good thing and we can relay any information. We see on that patient back to their primary care physician or specialist, which is important, so we can be the eyes and ears during this time when they may not be going in to see their doctor,” said Hurt.

“It’s good for us to coming in and letting them know that we care because our caregiver’s situation is changing. Their caregivers aren’t able to come to visit when they were because some of them work in the hospital so they’re having to stay away,” said Blankenship.

This facility will continue to use this protocol until there is no longer a threat.