Client and Staff Safety Is Our Priority
In the spring of 2020, when the COVID19, Personalized Nursing LIGHT House responded swiftly to keep our clients and staff safe during these most challenging times. At the same time, we knew that the services offered at PNLH were essential services to those seeking to recover from their addiction. Overdose deaths were already an epidemic before the COVID19 pandemic, and were only going to get worse if providers like PNLH did not remain open to serve the community.
PNLH implemented many protocols to keep clients and staff members, at all of our levels of care, safe. This included:
- Temperature and symptom screening for all staff and clients who entered the program offices and/or who were admitted.
- Developed protocol to address any situation where a staff member or a client became positive, or is required to quarantine.
- Ensured our Corporate Compliance Officer monitored the latest guidelines from the CDC.
- We ensured that we had sufficient Personal Protective Equipment for staff members and clients, as well as other needed personal protective equipment
- Eliminated any unessential visitors to our withdrawal management (detox) and residential locations and issued a “shelter in place” at all of our recovery housing locations.
- Initiated onsite COVID19 testing for our withdrawal management (detox) and residential locations.
- Ensured social distancing was enforced in our in person groups for our withdrawal management (detox) and residential locations
- Fumigated our withdrawal management (detox) and residential locations to kill the COVID19 virus.
Additional Steps Taken at our Outpatient/ IOPD /Case Management, Peer Coaching Levels of Care:
On or around March 15, 2020, PNLH immediately converted all of these services to telehealth sessions. With approximately 30 recovery housing units, PNLH purchased computers and WiFi connection to the housing units so clients could easily participate in the daily group sessions provided. Thankfully, PNLH’s Peer Recovery Coaches ensured clients received their medications, conducted onsite housing inspections, and provided ongoing encouragement to the persons served.
Additional Steps Taken at our Withdrawal Management (detox) and Residential Locations
The census for the male and female locations were dramatically decreased to ensure proper social distancing during group times. Special cleaning details were created to help keep the facility safe for all. Both locations were fumigated to protect the clients and staff members to the extent possible.
Overall:
Although this pandemic has been, and continues to be, life threatening and of the upmost concern for our clients and staff members, Likewise, active addiction is life threatening and of the upmost concern for our clients and staff members. We are pleased with the measures taken to protect our staff and clients from COVID19 while still remaining open to serve those in need addiction treatment.
PNLH will remain diligent to ensure the safety of our clients and staff members remains a top priority.