Menno Place PPE for Staff – 04/07/20

Since January, Menno Place has been seeking to obtain PPE for our staff in preparation for increased need in the event of the COVID-19 pandemic coming to Abbotsford. Thank you to the team in Stores who have worked creatively and relentlessly to obtain the supplies that we currently have on hand. We use PPE when we have an outbreak. Outbreaks have depleted our supplies. PPE is difficult to obtain and much of it is on backorder until the summer unless supply chains change.

What PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is Menno Place providing?

1. One Pair Goggles – Each healthcare worker will receive one pair of goggles to keep as their own. They are responsible to label, sanitize and store the goggles. They are responsible to either lock them in the locker or bring them home after each shift. The goggles must be washed with soap and water prior to coming to the unit. They may be washed in a housekeeping sink at Menno Place. Soap will remove coronavirus on the goggles. Staff may not share these goggles. There are no replacements at ths time if the goggles are lost or broken.
2. One Surgical Mask -This mask belongs to you. You are to extend the use of it by wearing it for multiple shifts unless it is visibly soiled or damaged. When not in use, fold the mask so that the white side (toward your mouth) is the inside of the folded mask. Store in a safe location for further use. If your mask is visibly soiled or damaged, see your manager to discuss replacement. Use sparingly. We have a very limited supply.

At this time, you may wear a non-medical mask of your own unless working on a unit that is on outbreak.

This will change rapidly if we are given direction from Public Health or have changes in our supply availability or have a COVID-19 positive case.

 

Why are we providing PPE to staff at this time?

On March 29th, the BC Ministry of Health gave all health authorities the direction to immediately review, activate and operationalize the Emergency Prioritization in a Pandemic: Personal Protective Equipment Allocation Framework (the PPE Framework) that was distributed March 25, 2020.

In the attached bulletin (see below), all healthcare providers were provided an alert that the province’s PPE supply is at STAGE, meaning that all PPE levels are intact but at least one item will be depleted in a matter of days.

Menno Place COVID-10 RESPONSE TEAM immediately began a full PPE risk and point of care assessment for every resident interaction. Menno Place embarked on a drive to purchase and receive Goggles which produced a significant inventory of Goggles.

The Ministry of Health direction continued to say that “all health care and support workers must extend the use of donned PPE by wearing the same PPE throughout their entire shift only changing when absolutely necessary, for example when items are damaged or visibly soiled.”

Diligent hand hygiene is required.

All health care workers must only use N95 respirator masks for aerosol generating medical procedures.

The Ministry of Health and teh PHSA Supply Chain, BC’s central, provincial purchasing and procurement organization are working to ensure tha tmedical supplies and PPE are being managed and shared across the health care system, and prioritizing distribution to ensure availability in the most critical conditions.