July 16: COVID-19 UPDATE

NEW TODAY: Here’s the latest information about Michigan Medicine’s management of operations:

• COVID-19 PATIENT STATS
• TEAM MEMBER COVID-19 TESTING
• REVISED GUIDELINES FOR N95 RESPIRATOR USE
• EXECUTIVE ORDER ON MASK USAGE
• MICHIGAN ST. JOE’S UNIT REOPENS
• LCME VIRTUAL SITE VISIT COMPLETE
• RESEARCH REACTIVATION GUIDELINES

DAILY COVID-19 PATIENT STATS

Today’s census for COVID-19 inpatients and those patients under investigation (PUI) are noted below: 

Discharges: 630 total COVID-19 discharges to date, 4 in the last 24 hours. These numbers include patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities but excludes deaths and discharges to hospice.

TEAM MEMBER COVID-19 TESTING STATS*

* Data from 3/10 through 7/15. The testing stats reflect just Michigan Medicine employees, not all University of Michigan employees. It also reflects only those who sought testing at or were hospitalized at Michigan Medicine or reported their testing to Occupational Health Services. Some Michigan Medicine employees may have been tested outside our system.

REVISED GUIDELINES FOR N95 RESPIRATOR USE

Earlier this week, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) issued a fact sheet outlining additional guidelines for employers.

While the organization is confident in the effectiveness of its previous policies, the policy for Special Pathogens Precautions at Michigan Medicine is being changed in response to this regulatory recommendation.

Effective immediately for inpatient areas, operating rooms, procedural areas and Emergency Departments, N95 respirators or PAPRs are now required for direct patient care with any patient with COVID-19 or those with symptoms concerning COVID-19 who will be undergoing testing. Previously, such PPE measures were only required for such patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures. Gowns, gloves and eye protection are still required during such patient care.

Asymptomatic patients being tested prior to admission or procedures are not considered persons under investigation and Special Pathogens Precautions are not required for care.

We’re working to operationalize these changes in ambulatory care areas and more information will be shared next week.

While the organization’s current PPE supply is adequate for current patient and staffing levels, due to uncertainty within the supply chain and in preparation for a potential second surge of patients, all employees are asked to practice safe PPE conservation techniques:

·       Only essential staff members should enter Special Pathogen Precautions patient rooms.

o   Workers who do not require face-to-face contact with patients should accomplish tasks using virtual options. This includes consultation services.

• Batch tasks to limit entrances into the room.
• Staff trained in reuse should reuse their N95 respirators for their shift as long as a full face shield is worn and the N95 reuse instructions are followed. Staff who are not trained in reuse should not reuse N95 respirators.

For more information, check out COVID-19 Guidelines for Patient Care from Infection Prevention & Epidemiology.

EXECUTIVE ORDER ON MASK USAGE

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently issued an executive order requiring that a face covering be worn in all public indoor spaces, outdoors when 6 feet of social distancing cannot be maintained, and on all public transportation, in cars used for public or private transportation services. Michigan Medicine is also requiring that all employees, patients and visitors follow these guidelines while in the workplace and in our facilities. Click here for a special message from Director of Security Brian Uridge on the need to wear masks and using the self-screening web page on your phone  

MICHIGAN ST. JOE’S UNIT REOPENS

The Michigan Medicine hospitalist service at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Hospital (SJMAA), also known as the Michigan St. Joe’s Medicine Unit (MSJ), resumed on Tuesday, July 14. The unit, formerly located on 10 East at SJMAA, was paused due to COVID-19 and will now be on 4 North with 26 beds in private rooms. The same team will deliver care to admissions from the Michigan Medicine ED, clinics/ADTU and referrals to the St. Joe’s ED. Initial capacity will begin with 13 patients and will be expanded to 26 patients as volume grows. Patient inclusion/exclusion criteria can be found on the MSJ Pocketcard. Questions can be directed to Dr. Ruby Marr at rhiraman@med.umich.edu or via pager 21775. 

LCME VIRTUAL SITE VISIT COMPLETE

The medical school and Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) met virtually July 8-9 for the first part of U-M’s efforts to secure an 8-year reaccreditation of its M.D. degree. There will be a second virtual visit in the coming weeks. After that, sometime in 2021, the medical school will receive a final report/recommendation.

To learn more about the LCME self-study and reaccreditation process, see: https://medicine.umich.edu/medschool/about/lcme-self-study.

RESEARCH REACTIVATION GUIDELINES

Currently more than 3,000 personnel have been permissioned to return to work in medical school research facilities. Progress through the first three waves of research reactivation has been successful thanks in large part to our shared commitment to safety guidelines outlined by the governor’s office and U-M’s Office of Research. As a reminder, these guidelines include:

·       Completing the U-M health screening each day before entering your facility

·       Wearing a mask 

·       Maintaining safe social distancing, with at least 6 feet between colleagues 

·       Minimizing shared items and disinfecting/cleaning those that must be shared 

·       Maintaining a daily lab cleaning log and cleaning at the beginning and end of each shift

Reports of noncompliance with these guidelines may be made by emailing EHS-Covid-19-Reporting@umich.edu, or the U-M Compliance Hotline, online at compliancehotline.umich.edu or by calling 1-866-990-0111. Personnel who do not comply with safety guidelines will be reported to their department leadership.

Still have questions?

We are also posting all daily bulletins and policies on Michigan Medicine Headlines at https://mmheadlines.org/covid-19-updates/. Please bookmark that site and refer to it throughout the day for the most up-to-date information.

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for on these web pages, please email coronavirus-info@med.umich.edu and your question will be answered as quickly as possible. Do not use this email for sharing patient health information.