Quan Yin Healing Centre Policy: COVID19 (Coronavirus)

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus sweeping accross the world, I have drafted a new policy for use at my clinic, the Quan Yin Healing Centre.

I am committed to providing a safe environment for all of our practitioners and patients, as we remain open to provide holistic support to you in these troubling times.

I am sharing the policy below so that you can see exactly what we are putting in place, and will share more information soon.

Quan Yin Healing Centre
Policy: COVID19 (Coronavirus)
Introduction
This policy has been created to ensure all practitioners and patients/clients implement appropriate risk management procedures to prevent the spread of COVID19 (coronavirus) or reduce the potential for the illness to spread. 

Policy Principles: 
1. The Quan Yin Healing Centre (QYHC) is committed to protecting the health and safety of our practitioners and patients/clients.

2. The QYHC will closely monitor instructions from Federal Government and NSW Public Health and revise practices as required to meet those instructions and communicate these changes to practitioners and patients/clients in a timely manner.

4. The QYHC is committed to the long term sustainability of the clinic. 

Background 
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) can cause symptoms similar to the common cold, but it can also cause more serious respiratory diseases. Current advice is that most people displaying symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, tiredness or shortness of breath are likely suffering with a cold or other respiratory illness—not COVID19. However, the threats posed by the virus mean serious steps must be taken to stop the spread of the disease. 

What must practitioners, staff, patients and clients do? 

1. Comply with government guidance 
QYHC Practitioners, staff and patients/clients must comply with guidance issued by Government agencies, including in relation to attendance, quarantine and self-isolation. This includes: 

• Ensuring they/a child/a family member comply with isolation requirements and stay home, for the required exclusion period , if at risk of infection from COVID19. This includes people who have arrived from overseas since 15th March, 2020, or have been in close contact with someone who has a confirmed case of COVID19. 

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• Ensuring they/a child/a family member stays at home if unwell.

 

• Seeking medical attention if they develop a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath and not attend work.

 

• Advising the manager if they develop symptoms of the virus or are confirmed to have the virus while in isolation. This is particularly important if they have been at the QYHC before isolation.
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2. Implement effective hygiene process 

The COVID19 is most likely to spread from person-to-person through: 

• Direct close contact with a person while they are infectious. 
• Touching objects or surfaces like door handles or tables contaminated from a person with a confirmed infection, and then touching your mouth or face. 

Practitioners and patients/clients will ensure they continue to implement hygiene procedures to ensure high standards of hygiene and infection control at all times. This includes ensuring they:
 
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water including upon arrival, before and after touching a patient/client, before and after eating or handling food, going to the toilet, using gloves, and after wiping or touching their nose or face.
 
• Cough and sneeze into their inner elbow, or use a tissue to cover their mouth and nose and place tissues in the bin immediately after use. 

• Make sure workplaces are clean and hygienic. Surfaces (e.g. desks, tables, door handles) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly. 

The QYHC will ensure hand hygiene posters are displayed in areas which can easily be seen by families, including the front entrance, and require all practitioners, staff and patients/clients to wash hands or use hand sanitizer provided upon entry.

Please see the “Environmental Cleaning and disinfection principles for COVID-19” document for further detailed information.

3. Look after your health and wellbeing

Feeling under pressure is a likely experience for you and your colleagues. It is quite normal to be feeling this way in the current situation. Managing your mental health and psychosocial wellbeing during this time is as important as managing your physical health. 

• Take care of yourself at this time. Try and use helpful coping strategies such as ensuring sufficient rest, eat sufficient and healthy food, engage in physical activity, and stay in contact with family and friends. You are most likely to know how to de-stress and you should not be hesitant in keeping yourself psychologically well. This is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. 
 
•  Minimize watching, reading or listening to news that causes you to feel anxious or distressed; seek information only from trusted sources and mainly to take practical steps to prepare your plans and protect yourself and loved ones. Seek information updates at specific times during the day, once or twice. The sudden and near-constant stream of news reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel worried. Gather information at regular intervals, from WHO website and local health authorities platforms, in order to help you distinguish facts from rumors. 
 
•   Protect yourself and be supportive to others. Assisting others in their time of need can benefit the person receiving support as well as the helper. For example, check-in by phone on neighbors or people in your community who may need some extra assistance. Working together as one community can help to create solidarity in addressing Covid-19 together. 

References

This policy has been adapted from Connect Child and Family Services documentation, and documents from the WHO website. The QYHC makes this acknowledgement with appreciation.

Posters
The following posters will be printed and displayed at the Quan Yin Healing Centre ASAP:

https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/How_To_HandRub_Poster.pdf?ua=1
https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/How_To_HandWash_Poster.pdf?ua=1
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-keep-that-cough-under-cover.pdf

Further information

COVID-19 Infection Control Training
This 30-minute online training module is for health care workers in all settings. It covers the fundamentals of infection prevention and control for COVID-19.
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covid-19-infection-control-training

Environmental Cleaning and disinfection principles for COVID-19
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/03/environmental-cleaning-and-disinfection-principles-for-covid-19.pdf

WHO Mental Health Considerations for Health Care Workers 
https://www.epi-win.com/sites/epiwin/files/content/attachments/2020-03-16/20200214_MENTAL%20HEALTH%20CONSIDERATIONS_UPDATED%20VERSION.pdf

NSW Health Information for Health Professionals
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/coronavirus-professionals.aspx

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