COVID-19 Precautions

September 15, 2020 Update

Our Face Shield Policy

In some circumstances additional protection may be used to ensure the safety of staff and patients.  In addition to wearing face masks/coverings when working in close proximity to patients, a face shield is recommended for situations that include but are not limited to:

  1. Completing a physical exam
  2. Collecting vital signs
  3. Sharing a computer screen
  4. Collecting lab work
  5. 1:1 interaction that is less than 6 feet

Each staff member is assigned their own face shield for extended wear daily.  The staff member is responsible for writing their name on their face shield, cleaning it every day with alcohol and storing the face shield when not in use.

The team at DBH continues to monitor our COVID policies and update them as new information becomes available for the safety of our staff and patients.

 

June 11, 2020 Update

Because drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers are essential businesses, Cliffside Malibu has taken extra precautions to keep our facility safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to our COVID Clean Commitment, we have followed CDC guidelines to prioritize the health and safety of our patients, staff, and community. This includes:

  1. Patient Pre-Screening: We pre-screen patients prior to their travel to our facility. When they arrive, they are screened again. This includes a detailed questionnaire about their travel history, possible exposure to COVID-19, and any presenting symptoms.
  2. Patients are required to wear a mask for the first 14 days at the facility and are assessed daily by a licensed nurse.
  3. We use the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
  4. We provide ongoing training and leadership meetings to ensure that our staff is up to date on best practices for COVID-19.
  5. We have a designated Health Alert Repose Team.
  6. We limit activities such as beach visits, hikes or crowded public outings to avoid potential contagions.
  7. We have discontinued some of our amenities, such as massages and acupuncture, until further notice.

 

June 5, 2020 Update

Because the safety and health of our patients and staff is top priority, we have enacted a COVID Clean Commitment for all facilities. This means that we are committed to the following standards of enhanced environmental cleanliness at every facility:

  • Frequent sanitizing of light switches, door handles and knobs
  • Cleaning individual-use items after each use
  • Cleaning group rooms after use and sanitizing the milieu at least once per day
  • Screening each new admission multiple times prior to arrival at the facility
  • Screening all staff, patients and visitors at the door prior to entering our buildings
  • Requiring all staff to wear face coverings while in the facility; face coverings are strongly recommended for all patients and visitors

May 7, 2020 Update

Discovery Behavioral Health, Inc. continues to make patient safety and health our highest priority during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We have worked with industrial and cleaning experts to implement proactive cleaning protocols with the aim of reducing the risk of infection, illness and cross-contamination. Our staff is trained and supervised regularly to help ensure these cleaning protocols are fully implemented.

April 28, 2020 COVID-19 Update

We continue to make sure that the safety and health of our patients and staff is top priority. Please note the latest guidelines as it relates to face coverings and cleaning protocols at our facilities:

Face coverings

  • We recommend that our staff wears face coverings/face masks if deemed appropriate based on the circumstances.
  • We encourage clients to wear face coverings/face masks if deemed appropriate based on the circumstances.

Cleaning

  • We have consulted with outside cleaning professionals to develop and implement preventive cleaning protocols for our facilities.

Update 3.18.2020

Cliffside Malibu continues to provide best-in-class treatment.   In addition to our standard best practices for patient care and safety, we have added the following to be in compliance with COVID-19 best practices:

  • Hosting 12-step meetings in house or linking in via Zoom. Many area meetings are hosting Zoom meetings and we are making those available to our clients this week.
  • Limiting visitors to urgent need
    • Visitors will be asked screening questions by clinical staff before being cleared to come on site and will only be approved in emergency situations
    • Family sessions or family education groups will be held via Zoom, FaceTime, etc
  • Limiting off-site passes and travel passes for clients to urgent need
  • Separation of inpatient and outpatient populations (no combined activities or meetings) and limiting all groups to fewer than 10 participants in one room
  • Weekly continuation ceremony moved to individual houses. Each house coins its graduates on their final day of treatment.
  • Outings will be restricted to outdoor activities (beach, hikes) or locations where crowds can be avoided.
    • Movie nights (Sundays) will be held in-house.
  • On-site group activities (volleyball, pool games, movie nights, board game nights) will be organized daily
  • Clients residing off-site will have temperature checked on arrival to group. Clients residing in inpatient facilities will continue to have temp checked daily. Doctor will be notified if temperature is above 100F. Staff are also being asked to check their own temperature before coming to work and are asked to stay home if temp exceeds 100F.
  • Outpatient groups are now conducted over zoom. We are setting up webcams in the community rooms of each facility today to be able to provide telehealth services at all facilities.
  • Doctor visits will be conducted over webcam as well. Our doctors are still available 24/7 by phone and will have regular check ins with clients through the VSee Clinic app.
  • Client screening process includes COVID-19 specific questions. Clients’ temperatures are checked on arrival and face to face assessment also includes enhanced COVID-related questions.
  • Handwashing trainings have been assigned to all staff members and clients are reminded daily about the importance of handwashing.
  • Workstations, door knobs, kitchens, etc. are all undergoing more environmental cleaning than normal.
  • Hand sanitizers are being made available as quickly as possible at each facility.
  • Massage, acupuncture and reiki have been temporarily discontinued at the recommendation of their respective governing bodies
  • Staff who do not directly interface with clients are working from home (UR, billers, schedulers, etc).

COVID-19 Update

We take the health and safety of our patients and staff very seriously. We are keeping up with the rapidly changing information around coronavirus (COVID-19). We are following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to help prevent the spread of any illness within our facilities.

Environmental Cleaning

We have enhanced our environmental cleaning within our facilities to include frequent cleaning of commonly touched surfaces and increasing hand hygiene for patients and staff. In addition to this we have also increased the deep cleaning that is being done daily within the facilities.

Staff Precautions

  • We are educating and asking staff and clients to:
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Wash hands on a regular basis

CDC Recommended Patient Screening

In January we began to implement CDC recommend patient screening for all new admission prior to arrival to the facility and once again when they have arrived at the facility. You will see new signage outside of our buildings asking those with symptoms to not enter.

Ongoing Monitoring

As the situation continues to evolve, we will monitor and heed any recommendations from the CDC or local department of public health to close our facilities to those who are not there to participate in a patient’s therapeutic process.

As we continue to monitor the situation, we will keep you informed of any decision we make to modify treatment such as shifting to the use of telehealth or adjusting schedules of events. Our goal is to keep patients, their families, and our staff safe and informed during this time.

Resources

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