The detail and rigor of COVID-19-era transmission prevention is a challenging task for many eldercare providers. One well-known operator says it has found a highly visible way for its decision-makers to reinforce standards, provide guidance and support and reduce infections.

Parker Jewish Institute for Healthcare and Rehabilitation in May inaugurated a dedicated Infection Control Patrol, an interdisciplinary group of red-vested volunteers who hail from its existing infection prevention committee. In small teams, patrol members make the rounds of all Parker care areas, ensuring compliance with the New Hyde Park, New York-based operator’s standards for housekeeping, hygiene and infection control, and offering supervision and assistance as needed.

These moments on the ground offer opportunities for mentoring and feedback, the company says. While rounding and supervising for compliance is routine, the added presence of  red-vested staff is a visual reminder that proactive assistance is on hand, Colleen Ariola, senior VP–patient care services, told McKnight’s Clinical Daily.

“Patrolling adds opportunities for positive and educational feedback, and it allows for staff to ask questions and share concerns they may have,” she said.

Patrol members are also charged with bringing ideas back to the infection prevention committee for consideration. Since the team began making its rounds, there has been a decrease in the number of new COVID-19 cases, along with enhanced connections between staff members, said Ariola.

A patrol team makes the rounds

Parker’s Infection Control Patrol consists of registered nurses, rehab professionals, case managers, Minimum Data Set assessors, Parker’s infection control preventionist, and its clinical director of nursing. A certified nursing assistant has just been added to the group.

Collectively, the teams round on care areas seven days a week, all shifts, probably totaling about eight to ten hours a week, the operator reports.

The program was originally recommended by a regulatory compliance consulting firm to Parker president and CEO Michael N. Rosenblut, and was implemented by Ariola.