Northwestern Medicine is Dedicated To Your Employees Health and Safety
What
:
As you welcome all your employees back to your facilities, we understand you may feel concerned about being exposed to COVID-19 (coronavirus). You can trust that our healthcare providers and support staff are dedicated to your employees health and safety.
We encourage you to reschedule training, presentations, or screenings you may have postponed. We will do our best to accommodate the date(s). We have made the majority of our presentations also available virtually. We are still waiting on the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to reopen to begin DOT physicals again. DOT deadlines were pushed back until June 30. We are pending on OSHA’s guidance on when we can begin to do Spirometry and Audios again.
How we are welcoming patients back to NM facilities
• Our top priority is the safety of patients, physicians and staff.
• Each patient will be evaluated for the appropriate type of visit: in-person or by phone/video chat.
• We are scheduling appointments for patients with immediate needs for care.
• If your condition is stable enough to delay care, we may recommend an appointment after May 31.
• If you have a serious chronic condition or are immunocompromised, we are offering phone/video chat evisit options and managing patient flow to isolate those with flu-like symptoms.
Safety measures in place at NM facilities
• The no-visitor policy remains in place with limited exceptions. We will continue to evaluate this policy as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.
• Everyone entering an NM hospital or outpatient clinic must wear a mask. Masks and touchless hand sanitizer dispensers are available at all entrances.
• All patients, staff and visitors are questioned for COVID-19 symptoms before entering any Northwestern Medicine hospital or outpatient clinic.
• Most patients will be tested for COVID-19 prior to surgery.
• We have taken steps to make it easier to maintain physical distancing:
o Seating in waiting areas and common spaces has been modified.
o Signs indicate appropriate spacing.
o Where elevator use is required, there are limits on capacity.
How we are cleaning NM facilities
• Exam rooms are disinfected after each patient.
• We continue to perform rigorous cleaning of our facilities, and have increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting in high-touch areas.
• Magazines and other materials that can’t be cleaned properly have been removed.
Occupational Health clinics cannot test employees or write COVID-19 clearance letters for work-related requests.
