Site EOC and notification process.
Facilities are also responsible to activate their site Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) with at a minimum the Director of Care, the Facility Medical Director (if applicable), and any affiliated third party contractors (housekeeping, staffing etc.).
A Fraser Health Outbreak Response Lead is activated by the Fraser Health LTC AL IL Coordination Centre for all long-term care, assisted living and independent living facilities regardless of whether they are owned and operated by Fraser Health, or are private pay. Fraser Health Outbreak Response Lead role is to establish and co-lead the emergency operations centre at the outbreak facility in partnership with facility leadership. Fraser Health Outbreak Response Lead connects with the facility leadership daily (completes on site visits and by telephone) and identifies/escalates concerns requiring follow up to the FHA Outbreak Management Response Team.
Public Health Nurse works with the facility on a daily basis to re-evaluate the outbreak. Public Health advises the facility leadership of changes to outbreak measures throughout the outbreak. These are implemented and operationalized through the facility EOC. Fraser Health Outbreak Response Lead coordinates daily communication plan between Facility Leadership (facility to invite its members of the EOC) and Public Health Nurse during the duration of the outbreak.
If there are needs that exceed the Facility’s capacity, Fraser Health Outbreak Response Lead is able to activate members of Fraser Health regional resource team to meet the needs of the facility during the outbreak. The resource team consists of active staff screeners, clinical nurse educators (CNEs) to support and coach the site regarding Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as well as what to expect with COVID-19 illness, access to IPC specialists for advanced education and problem-solving, PPE logistics, and access to staffing resources.
Roles and responsibilities (Prevention through Outbreak) are outlined in the Notification & Management Process for Suspected/Confirmed Cases algorithm on the Outbreak Page.