Email Response from Cook County Health HR: EVS Working Conditions Amid COVID-19

“Dian,

Good afternoon. As a follow-up to our recent conversation with CCHHS to address your concerns, please see the following written response on behalf of CCHHS. You may have received this earlier today from CCHHS.

Many of these concerns were addressed in our email to you on 3/26/2020. We know that the EVS employees within CCH are critical to our effective response to COVID-19, and we want to assure you and them that adequate precautions are being made for their safety and to ensure that they can perform their duties.

As a point of clarification, EVS workers do not, and should not, be utilizing bleach or cavi-wipes (except in cases of C.Diff diagnosis). These products may be used in other areas, but EVS utilizes specialized cleaning chemicals during their work. We have an adequate supply of these chemicals at both the Stroger and Oak Forest campuses. While supplies are low at Oak Forest, additional supplies have been ordered and are expected to arrive before we reach critical state.

Masks are available in EVS, at the front entrances to buildings, and on the various units. CCH has implemented mandatory masking protocol; it is our expectation that all employees wear a mask at all times. Gloves are similarly available in EVS. To ensure that employees knew where to find masks and gloves, we repeated training last week with the Stroger campus on cleaning protocols and donning and doffing of PPE (including gloves and masks). This same re-training was done with Oak Forest employees earlier this week.

While it is not clear that temperature is an appropriate indicator of COVID-19, CCH has ordered a number of temperature scanning devices. We plan to implement a protocol of taking the temperature of each employee prior to their shift no later than 4/7/2020. In the meantime, we have asked all employees to take their own temperature twice daily, once before coming to work and once upon arrival home. We have also implemented a robust employee testing program, which is available to any CCH employee. To make obtaining a test as easy as possible for any employee requiring a test, we have launched an online self-assessment tool. Employees concerned about needing a test can complete the assessment, and if symptoms warrant a test, they will be scheduled for a walk-up/drive-up test. We appreciate the desire of employees to obtain a test after a potential exposure, but this isn’t recommended. The test is known to provide inaccurate results (mostly in the form of false negatives) if administered when no symptoms are present. Testing employees that do not present symptoms therefore actually could spread the virus by making people assume that they are negative when they just have not reached the point where the test can detected the presence of the virus. That said, every CCH with symptoms justifying a test will be able to receive a test.

Again, please let us know if you have additional questions or concerns.

Thank you”