IP’s Ongoing, Proactive Response
Since the impact of COVID-19, Indigenous PACT has been looking for innovative ways to support our tribal clients during this trying time.
Update from We Care Daily Clinics, an IP Managed Facility
As the weeks fly by, the staff at We Care Daily Clinic and team members of Indigenous Pact are working day-by-day to keep the clinic running and all parties safe in the time of COVID-19. Since the implementation of staff safety check-in points as well as a patient check-in station outdoors, things have been running relatively smoothly at WCDC. Daily effort has gone into managing the patient flow as well as staying on top of sanitation and staff protection.
The week went by fast but there are some new developments.
- Staff get additional badges to operate in and out of WCDC.
- Set up sanitization dispensers throughout the clinic.
- Tracking patient visits to clinic as well as using data to log how far they travel to receive care.
Aside from managing the daily patient flow and sanitation, the We Care team and Indigenous Pact worked to launch a new resource for Indian Country in the time of COVID-19! Presenting the COVID-19 support center: https://indigenouspact.com/covid-19/. For the past month, We Care Daily Clinics has been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. If you click on link below you can connect with our team at Indigenous Pact in our Live Response Center. We offer On-Demand Access to healthcare experts, public health experts, and crisis management & support who have been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle via live-Chat and video to help answer any questions to support your community.
Additionally, WCDC is working to serve the most vulnerable populations of patients through curbside drop-off and pick-up. Hoping to serve the disabled and/or limited travel patients, curbside pick up and drop off is an initiative to get medication to them as needed. This week was the dry run without medication so we could track the car through the Automatic app. Beginning Monday, we will dispense medication via pick up. We are one of the only clinics in the nation that is offering curbside delivery to patients.
Welcome to the COVID-19 Support Center
For the past month, We Care Daily Clinics has been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Since Governor Jay Inslee issued a state of emergency on 2/29/20 and directed state agencies to prepare a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the staff at We Care Daily Clinics and Indigenous Pact has been working tirelessly with local leaders and experts to ensure the safety, health, and vitality of our patients and staff.
With each day feeling like a week, our team has learned an immense amount in a short period of time. We created this Support Center to share resources, real-time information, and lessons learned with Indian Country healthcare leaders across the country building their local response. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly with any questions or comments; you can use our Live Chat feature to get in touch. We’re all in this together.
Week In Review 3/20/2020
Overall, the team is working very hard to keep the clinic safe and sanitized while making sure the staff are cared for and well. In order to keep up with changing regulations and the wave of new developments in the nation’s response to COVID-19, Indigenous Pact has staff working to stay up to date on federal, state, and local regulations. We have team members participating in state and public health conference calls, doing research on relevant policy, developing fliers and distribution materials, and working overtime on staff maintenance, billing, and Medicaid maintenance.
After the statewide closure of restaurants, Food and Beverage Services and Areas of congregation on 3/16/20, We Care Daily Clinics jumped into action to maintain service provision with integrity, ingenuity and rapid-response problem solving. Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:
Friday 3/20: Managed and accounted for inventory. Tracked numbers throughout the week to see when times are busiest to ensure appropriate staffing.
Thursday 3/19: Set up telemedicine so that patients and providers can have one-on-one meetings without contact.
Wednesday 3/18: Develop security needs and support plan. Closed off waiting rooms with fabric, set up visual light clues for patients to know when to come in. Set up staff check-in and out center.
Tuesday 3/17: Conceptualized and operationaled ideas. Parking lot screening set up with tent, outdoor check-in & questionnaire.
Monday 3/16: Met with WCDC staff to update new staffing shifts. Evaluated areas for a COVID-19 testing site. Came up with screening guidance and questionnaire for incoming patients.
Sunday 3/15: Ordered necessary supplies. Created all-staff video message from Indigenous Pact for staff preparedness come Monday.
We know that things are changing every day but at We Care Daily Clinics, every day is a new challenge to provide the best, most efficient, and safest care for staff, patients and beyond.
