Oklahoma Palliative & Hospice Care Continues to Serve Seniors During COVID-19 Pandemic

OTHER, Okla. - April 10, 2020 - PRLog -- Founded on Christian principles, Oklahoma Palliative & Hospice Care (OPHC) is a locally owned and independently operated community based organization dedicated to palliative and hospice care. They are focused on exceeding patients' individual medical, emotional and spiritual needs, while making each remaining moment as meaningful as possible. While always adhering to and providing the best infection prevention and control techniques, OPHC has announced their enhanced infection prevention and control techniques to comply with CDC guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue serving the senior population in Oklahoma City area.

"The protection of our staff and patients is and always has been our highest priority. Our team members are end-of-life experts who have received education and training on identifying, assessing and meeting the needs of patients and their families from the time of referral through bereavement services," said Phillip Hill, Chief Executive Officer of Oklahoma Palliative & Hospice Care.

OPHC has had infection prevention and control techniques in place since opening in 2004. Some of these procedures include infection control practices with annual review, annual completion of a communicable diseases screening and TB screening for each staff member, and identification of reportable diseases experienced by staff and patients. OPHC is one of the oldest hospice providers in the State of Oklahoma with its approval to provide Medicare hospice services originating in 2004 and supporting counties throughout the Oklahoma City area.

During the coronavirus pandemic, OPHC has increased their infection prevention and control techniques. These include daily COVID-19 symptom screenings of all staff prior to the start of their day, implementation of CDC recommended interventions for staff members who present positive screening results, daily briefings on staff status, daily briefings on patient status, daily briefings on PPE supply availability, implementation of strategies to reduce exposure to staff by the use of masks, screening of all patients and caregivers prior to visit, placement of masks on patients and caregivers when needed, and directing staff to follow facility protocol addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience, but where he stands at times of change and controversy.' At OPHC we are truly blessed to have the most amazing team dedicated to providing the safest, highest level of quality care to our patients during such times of change and controversy," said Tiffany Pine, Clinical Director at Oklahoma Palliative & Hospice Care.

OPHC continues to regularly monitor the CDC website for information and remains in contact with their local health department. They are also regularly monitoring the health status of patients, volunteers, and staff under their care setting for signs or symptoms of COVID-19. For more information about OPHC, please visit http://www.oklahomahc.com.