COVID-19 Resources for Health Care Facilities (ASHE, AHA)

COVID-19 Resources for Health Care Facilities

ASHE has created a resource page to assist health care facilities professionals in their efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The resources cover critical operations such as air quality, safety and security, emergency preparedness and infection prevention.

Top COVID-19 Resources

• AHA Advisory: Technology for the Decontamination and Reuse of N95 Respirators Now Available
  
  Keywords: N95 respirators, reuse, decontamination
   
• Templates for submitting inspection, testing and maintenance waivers to CMS
  Health care facilities can access a templated letter and table to request a waiver under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act.
  American Society for Health Care Engineering
  
  Keywords: CMS, Section 1135, waiver
   
• Medical Air and Oxygen Capacity Tools
  • Ventilator capacity for existing medical gas systems
    A tool, provided by Kaiser Permanente National Facilities Services, provides ventilator capacity based on piping sizes to assist in determining how many ventilators can be served by an existing medical gas system in a given patient care area.
     
  • Sizing of medical gas systems for alternate care sites
    A tool, provided by Beacon Medaes, provides guidance on the sizing of medical gas systems for COVID-19 emergency units.
     
  • VIDEO: Handling and Connecting Medical Gas Cylinders Safely
    BeaconMedaes
     
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) PPE Updates
  • Enforcement Policy for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) During COVID-19: Immediately in Effect Guidance
  • Enforcement Policy for Face Masks and Respirators During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency (Revised)
  • Enforcement Policy for Gowns, Other Apparel, and Gloves During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency
     
• ASHE Alert: ASHE issues recommendation for OR use during COVID-19
  The association recommends that health care organizations perform surgeries and other procedures on COVID-19 positive patients following the same guidelines for active TB patients.
  American Society for Health Care Engineering
  
  Keywords: OR, surgery, positive patients
   
• ASHE Alert: Developing a first responder policy for COVID-19 units
  ASHE has issued recommendations for health care organizations to develop emergency and/or fire response policies and procedures that will help limit exposure for those responding to emergencies in these isolated spaces.
  American Society for Health Care Engineering
  
  Keywords: First responder, emergencies
   
• Frequently Asked Questions
  COVID-19 questions and answers related to negative pressure patient rooms, construction, life safety concerns and disinfection issues.
  American Society for Health Care Engineering
  
  Keywords: Negative pressure, air changes, AIIRs, emergency planning, disinfection, construction, PPE, filtration, alternate care sites
   
• Webinar Recording: Health Care Facilities & COVID-19 Safety: What You Need to Know MEMBERS-ONLY
  Recorded Tuesday, March 17, 2020
  How health care facilities professionals can best prepare for a surge related to COVID-19
  American Society for Health Care Engineering
  
  Keywords: Negative pressure, air changes, AIIRs, emergency planning, surge capacity, multidisciplinary, PPE conservation, patient placement
  
  Not an ASHE member? Complete this quick form and receive immediate access to the webinar recording.
   
• Converting alternate care sites to patient space options
  Resources for increasing space capacity with alternate care sites such as hotels.
  American Society for Health Care Engineering
  
  Keywords: Surge capacity, emergency planning
   
• ASHE issues recommendations on COVID-19 for facilities managers
  Six recommendations for facilities managers to consider during the pandemic.
  Health Facilities Management
  
  Keywords: Negative pressure, air changes, AIIRs, emergency planning, security, multidisciplinary
   
• Negative Pressure Patient Room Options
  How to best provide negative pressure patient rooms for COVID-19 patients.
  American Society for Health Care Engineering
  
  Keywords: Negative pressure, AIIRs, air changes, multidisciplinary, surge capacity, PPE conservation, patient placement
   
• Innovative IV Pump Placement
  How to relocate medical equipment to conserve PPE usage.
  American Society for Health Care Engineering
  
  Keywords: PPE conservation, negative pressure
   
• Airborne Contaminant Removal table
  Air changes/hour (ACH) and time required for airborne-contaminant removal by efficiency.
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  
  Keywords: Air changes
   
  • VIDEO: Determining Air Changes Per Hour (ACH) in the Field
    American Society for Health Care Engineering
    
    Keywords: Air changes, negative pressure

News

• CMS suspends majority of survey activity until April 10, 2020
  In S&C Letter QSO-20-20-All CMS expanded on their March 4 S&C Letter QSO-20-12-All by suspending all survey activity except compliant/facility-reported incident surveys and targeted infection control surveys for three weeks. Additionally, CLIA surveys will be prioritized based on immediate jeopardy situations over recertification surveys.
   
• CMS Takes Action Nationwide to Aggressively Respond to Coronavirus National Emergency
  CMS report from March 13, 2020 regarding declaration of national emergency
  Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
   
• The Joint Commission to Suspend Surveying in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak
  March 16, 2020
  American Hospital Association

Articles

• Air quality and infection prevention
  The facility engineer’s often overlooked role in ensuring patient safety.
  Health Facilities Management
   
• Handling indoor air quality concerns
  Layered approach to ensuring safety moves from design and installation to routine hazard surveillance.
  Health Facilities Management
   
• University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic Partner to Provide Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing
  Cleveland Clinic
   
• HHS conducts large-scale drill for transporting infectious patients
  The department shares lessons learned from drill in which more than 50 organizations participated.
  Health Facilities Management
   
• Simulator helps hospitals prepare for emergency response
  Connecticut hospitals participate in simulation to comply with CMS' Emergency Preparedness Rule.
  Health Facilities Management
   
• Survey shows hospital staff are better trained to confront Ebola
  Infection preventionists say, however, many facilities still lack manpower resources.
  Health Facilities Management

Also,

On Demand Videos MEMBERS-ONLY

Source: ASHE (11.04.2020)