With PPE supplies stable, OHA changes its recommendations

Our purchasing team has secured an excess of personal protective equipment and we are well-positioned to provide our staff with the safety equipment required to meet the needs of our patients.

Recently, there have been recommendations made by the Oregon Health Authority that will affect some of our current practices with PPE and other policies. Their recommendations included:

• Moving away from reusing simple masks and N95 respirators.
• Discarding CAPR lenses at the end of the shift rather than reprocessing.
• In our hot zones, doffing gown and gloves (keeping respirator and face shield in place) when accessing the nurse’s station, clean utility and dirty utility (Hot Zone Clean Core) areas.
• Wearing full PPE (respirator, face shield, gown and gloves) for all aerosol-generating procedures and allowing adequate air exchange after AGP before resuming pandemic precautions. Consider consulting with the patient’s medical provider for possibly changing nebulizers to metered dose inhalers if medically appropriate.
• In the breakrooms, ensuring there is maximum occupancy posted, including eye protection cleaning area with written cleaning instructions, removing chairs to ensure physical distancing and providing appropriate cleaning supplies.

As our COVID-19 cases continue to multiply, staff members must wear properly fitted respirator masks before entering a designated area or room. Please read important signage before entering any patient care area to see what PPE may be required. If you need a respirator to enter an area, respirator fit-testing is required to ensure you are protected while caring for our patients. Also, if your respirator doesn’t fit, it can’t effectively protect you.

Do you know how to do a seal check on your respirator? If not, follow these instructions.

If you need fit testing additional dates, times and locations will be posted on the COVID-19 update in the next several days.