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Forum Q&A for Asante leaders, Jan. 31

Key takeaways from the regular online leader forum. Bookmark this page for future reference.

Watch a recording of this forum »

EMPLOYEE COVID VACCINATION STATUS

VACCINATION AND OPEN POSITIONS
  • Sixty employees have moved out of the exception process and into the vaccinated workforce.
  • Fewer than 1% are noncompliant.
  • Asante has more than 1,000 open positions but has accelerated hiring.
DATA WORKFORCE
  • CDC requires reporting vaccination status of all staff, including contractors and students.
  • Each director or manager will receive a list of employees to verify if they are working on-site or remotely.
  • Fully remote workers are excluded from vaccination reporting.
N95 MASKING
  • N95s are available in clinical departments. Nonclinical departments may order masks through Materials Management at (541) 789-4541.
  • Staff in outpatient facilities, including APP clinics, should wear an N95 when interacting with all patients.
  • Any nonclinical staff member whose work involves COVID hot zones must be fit-tested.
  • Visitors are not required to wear N95 masks.
  • Questions about levels and N95 requirements should be submitted to co*****@as****.org.
  • Learn more in N95 FAQs.
RETURNING TO WORK
  • Asante is following CDC guidance on when employees who have contracted COVID-19 can be cleared to return to work.
  • Staff may return to work if they meet the following criteria:
    • Five days have passed since symptom onset.
    • Was asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.
    • Had a negative antigen test result.
    • Has been cleared by Asante Employee Health.
ANTIGEN TESTING
  • Test kits are available at Asante Employee Health locations in Ashland, Grants Pass and Medford.
  • Tests must be Asante-approved. Home tests do not qualify.
  • Employees who want to be tested should go through Asante Employee Health and not the drive-thru testing site.
  • Each Asante-provided kit contains two tests, which allow the employee to test twice if needed.
  • The antigen test should be taken on day five of symptoms. If the test is positive on day five, test again on day seven.
  • These are for employees only and are not to be given to friends, family or others.
  • On weekends and after hours, tests are available at Asante Urgent Care in Grants Pass (from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and from hospital house supervisors.
RETURN-TO-WORK CLEARANCE ON WEEKENDS
  • Asante Urgent Care in Grants Pass will manage clearance on weekends. Call at (541) 507-2170.
  • Notify UC PSR that they need a return-to-work clearance.
  • PSR finds provider to complete the RTW evaluation.
  • Telephonic process for clearance same as with Employee Health.
  • If cleared to return to work:
    • Urgent Care provider notifies employee’s manager with clearance information.
    • Next business day Employee Health will follow up with the employee and schedule them for an official return-to-work appointment to verify.
  • If not cleared to return to work:
    • Employee needs to be scheduled for a follow up appointment with Employee Health on the next regular business day.
  • Employees must be cleared by Employee Health before they can return to work, even if after a 10-day isolation and negative test.
CONTACTING EMPLOYEE HEALTH
  • Medford: 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; (541) 789-5008.
  • Grants Pass: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; (541) 507-2300.
  • Ashland: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays; (541) 201-4484.
  • Email em************@as****.org.
  • NEW! On Halo, search Employee Health COVID Communication. The chat is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you need a Halo account, submit a request through myTECH.
  • Employees should not come into any Asante facility, including an Employee Health clinic, if they have tested positive or have COVID symptoms.
  • Employee Health is working with a communications vendor for support with extremely high call volumes.
AT-WORK EXPOSURE
  • If an employee is symptomatic, follow the proper call-out procedure for the unit.
  • The employee will be paid with infection prevention admin pay or Workers Compensation.
  • All notifications for admin pay will come from active monitoring/contact tracing. HR will enter the designation on the employee’s time card.
  • Admin pay applies only to at-work exposures. Otherwise normal ETO/sick day practices apply.
SMULLIN REOPENS TO LIMITED USE
  • For large groups that smaller rooms can’t accommodate (following meeting guidelines).
  • Open only to Asante employees and medical staff.
CAPACITY MANAGEMENT
  • Asante has developed a model to manage surge capacity — from input to throughput to output. Measures have included:
  • Surge planning.
  • Prioritizing surgeries and procedures.
  • Centralizing the transfer admit process.
  • Adding estimated date of discharge.
  • Developing community partnership, including with skilled nursing facilities for post-discharge placement.
  • Managing dialysis services to include more outpatient options.
  • Working with governmental agencies to ensure community placements.
  • Reliance on contract labor rises in accordance with surges.
NEXT FORUM
  • The Q&A forums are moving to a monthly frequency. The next one is Feb. 22.
SCOTT’S THOUGHTS

“I know this is a challenging time, and I appreciate your sticking with us. We are turning a corner, but it’s going to take a long time until we’re out of this. I appreciate you asking the questions. They may seem tough and complex, but keep asking.”

CARE RESOURCES FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM

Employee Assistance Plan: Call (866) 750-1372 or go online to Uprise Health (access code: Asante; password: Asante).

myStrength: Go online the myStrength (access code: 10017473).

Asante Wellness: Contact Sh********@as****.org.

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If you have a question, please contact the author or relevant department directly.

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