OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall Winter 2021

www.ohca.com FALL/WINTER 2021 The Oregon Caregiver 15 QUALITY had exposures or are exhibiting symp- toms of COVID-19. Testing resources are also necessary to assess the scope and severity of a potential exposure and inform outbreak strategies. Technology Telehealth Another key takeaway from the pandemic is the recognition of the importance of human connection. The restricted visitation policies that were a critical prevention strategy to protect residents in the early part of the pandemic were extremely difficult on residents and families because in-person visitation was severely limited. Vaccinations completely turned the table on in-person visitation. In-person visits can now be accommo- dated in almost all cases with very few exceptions, and compassionate care visits are always allowed. Most facilities were able to utilize technology, like iPads and cellphones and virtual platforms, like Zoom, to enable telehealth visits and virtual socialization with families. Although in-person visitation is now available, these technologies will continue to be used in facilities to increase the frequency of routine engagement between residents, families, and friends. Telehealth has also proven to be a viable and effective tool to deliver efficient and safe health care to better meet resident/ consumer needs. Telehealth strategies have demonstrated multiple benefits during the pandemic by expanding access to care, reducing the number of exposures for outside providers and residents, and allowing care licensed clinicians to serve more residents in an efficient and safe manner, especially in rural areas of the state. Telehealth is not a replacement for clinicians, but is a safe and effective tool that helps health care practitioners see consumers “where they are” and “where they are comfortable” to drive better health outcomes and resident satisfaction without having to leave a facility for a medical consultation, follow-up, and recommendations. Education and Training All facility employees are required to have infection prevention training prior to starting work in a facility. Pre-service training addresses the fundamentals of infection prevention and control, and continuing education is required annually. Routine infection prevention education and ongoing coaching is paramount to assure that the most current standards to help residents avoid getting infections from staff, other residents, family mem- bers, and visitors are being implemented. These practices also help prevent health care workers from getting infections from residents and visitors. In late February 2020, OHCA and members immediately saw the need to pivot to virtual learning platforms to assure continuity of education training programs, especially training required by federal and state regulations. Online learning afforded OHCA and Oregon Care Partners, the state’s free online caregiver training provider, the ability to reach larger member and family care- giver audiences. Virtual education kept staff up-to-date and allowed them to stay on the frontlines in their facilities. Further, members were able to access educational content at their convenience and from any location. Virtual education will remain a staple in OHCA’s ongoing education programming. However, we are currently cautiously moving forward with limited in-person sessions and events using the most conservative infection prevention and safety protocols such as proof of vaccination, required masking, and social distancing. Immu- nity levels, vaccination rates, and variants will continue to be top consider- ations for education into the future. Will the lessons of COVID-19 make the long term care and health care system more prepared and adept for the next major public health challenge? We have learned so much and, by moving through the crisis, an entire generation of long term care leaders, clinicians, administra- tors, pharmacists have learned or honed a new set of skills: family and public communication, frontline innovation, data-driven decision-making, collabora- tion, resilience, compassion, and dedica- tion beyond compare. Let’s be sure to carry forward these invaluable lessons and skills so we can better support seniors and people with disabilities. Linda Kirschbaum is the senior vice president of quality services and OHCA.