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Sunny Hill describes enhanced infection-control steps and adds Narcan to AEDs and med carts
Summary
Sunny Hill officials told the Will County board they've implemented enhanced barrier precautions for residents with multi-drug-resistant organisms, defined essential support persons for residents, and added Narcan to AEDs and medication carts as a precaution at long-term-care sites.
Maggie McDow, representing Sunny Hill, briefed the board on infection-control changes the facility has adopted, saying the nursing home is using "enhanced barrier precautions" to reduce transmission of multi-drug-resistant organisms among residents.
"When residents have multi-drug-resistant organisms, if staff don't gown and protect, they risk exposing others," McDow said, explaining that the practice is an adjunct to existing contact and droplet precautions and is tracked by a facility infection-preventionist.
McDow also described the facility's approach to "essential support persons" (ESPs): staff now identify an essential support person and a secondary contact for each resident at admission to preserve family contact if restrictions are necessary. She said Sunny Hill is auditing current residents to ensure ESP information is on file.
On clinical preparedness, McDow said the facility added Narcan to all AEDs and to nursing medication carts so staff can respond if an overdose occurs in a frail resident. She noted Sunny Hill's new pain-management program and said the nursing home had recently completed state surveys and equipment upgrades for safety and security.
Board members asked about ultraviolet disinfection and other technologies; McDow said the facility uses HEPA filtration and portable devices where appropriate and will consider other technologies as evidence supports.
What happens next: Sunny Hill agreed to provide a completed annual financial report to the requesting board member and said it will continue infection-control audits and staff training.
