POLICY

It is the policy of Meadow Park Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center to promote and support visitation for residents, families and resident representatives while ensuring safety and adherence to infection prevention strategies to minimize any potential spread of infection. This will be done in accordance with all State and Federal guidance for the prevention of COVID-19.

PURPOSE

To enhance resident quality of life by implementing visitation to combat psychological impacts of isolation from family and representatives.

NYSDOH CRITERIA (Revised 11/16/2021)

Nursing Homes may conduct visitation and activities under the following revised NYSDOH guidelines, which aligns with CMS and CDC guidance.

1. The facility has protocols to separate residents into cohorts of positive, negative, and unknown as well as separate staff teams to deal with COVID-positive residents and non-positive residents.
2. Adherence to written screening protocols for all staff during each shift, each resident daily, and all persons entering the facility or grounds of the facility, including visitors. Visitors are encouraged to be vaccinated.
3. The facility will conduct screening of all who enter the facility for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, including temperature checks, questions about and observation for signs or symptoms.
   • The facility will deny entry for those with signs/symptoms or close contact with someone with COVID-19 infection in the past 14 days, regardless of vaccination status.
4. Documentation of screening will be maintained in an electronic format and available upon request of the NYSDOH.
5. Resident monitoring will include daily symptom checks and vital signs.
6. A copy of the facility’s formal visitation plan is posted to the facility’s public website and may be broadcasted via email or social media to provide visitors with clear guidelines for visiting and to announce if and when visitation is paused due to regulatory reasons associated with COVID-19 infection.

PROCEDURE:

1. The facility will expand visitation and/or activities while following Federal and NYSDOH guidance.
2. Facility visitation can be conducted through a variety of means:
   • In resident rooms
   • Dedicated visitation spaces
   • Outdoors, weather permitting, (preferred when the resident and/or visitor(s) are not fully vaccinated).

3. Visitation may occur at all times, even during outbreak
   • However, visitors are cautioned to refrain from visiting until outbreak has been contained
   • Facility will continue to notify residents, families, and/or healthcare representatives of any Covid-positive cases
4. In order to limit movement in the facility during visitation, the following guidelines will be followed:
   • Visitor(s) shall go directly to the resident’s room or designated area.
   • If a resident shares a room, the facility will attempt to facilitate in-room visitation while adhering to the core principles of infection prevention as related to Covid-19.
5. The facility will post signage regarding facemask utilization, hand hygiene, and physical distancing as applicable.
6. Visitors and residents (as tolerated) are required to always wear a face mask, regardless of vaccination status, when the county’s transmission rate is substantial to high.
7. In instances where there is an unvaccinated or moderately to severely immunocompromised roommate who does not wish to leave the room during the visit, all parties (residents and visitors) will be required to wear a face covering (residents = as tolerated)
8. A log will be kept for all visitors that includes:
   • First and last name of the visitor;
   • Physical (street) address of the visitor;
   • Daytime and evening telephone number;
   • Date and time of visit;
   • Email address, if available;
9. If a resident is fully vaccinated, they may choose to have close contact (including touch) with an unvaccinated visitor while both are wearing a well-fitting face mask and performing hand hygiene before and after.
10. Current COVID-19 positive residents and residents on a quarantine stay will be permitted to receive visitors
    • Visitors will be provided with the following education:
      • Visiting is not recommended as it may increase the risk of visitor getting COVID
      • Visits will be limited to the resident’s room
      • A face covering to cover the nose and mouth must be worn at all times
      • Facility may require visitor to wear additional personal protective equipment to include gown, eye protection, and gloves
      • Visitor must perform hand hygiene before leaving resident’s room

11. The facility will provide and post a fact sheet outlining visitor expectations including appropriate hand hygiene and face coverings. The fact sheet will be provided upon initial screening.
12. If any visitor fails to adhere to the visitation protocols, he/she/they will be asked to leave and may not be permitted to visit in the future (CMS QSO-20-39-NH, rev 11/12/2021)

REFERENCES:

 CMS (Rev 11/12/2021). QSO-20-39-NH: Nursing Home Visitation- Covid-19. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-39-nh-revised.pdf

NYSDOH (11/16/2021). DAL: Revised Nursing Home Visitation Guidelines. https://www.health.ny.gov/professionals/nursing_home_administrator/dal/docs/dal_nh_21-27.pdf