Long Plain First Nation
Covid 19 Pandemic Plan
as at March 23, 2020
Planning
Mid February the Health Director found a copy of the 2016 pandemic plan. A small working group was formed to update the plan.
March 6, 2020 the first meeting of the working group was called.
At this meeting the roles and responsibilities for each essential service was drafted.
The team consists of Fire Chief, Health Director, Public Health, Security Services, Band Administrator, School Principal, Public Works which includes Water, Sewer and Sanitation, Medical Transportation, Corporate CEO, Home and Community Care, Mental Health, Finance. See attached Roles and Responsibilities Listing.
The team has had four meetings to work on the plan and revise the list of duties and responsibilities. There was one large meeting held with Chief and Council to bring them up to speed on the plan and get their input.
Members of the team continue to meet and revise the plan as required. Going forward we will meet via conference call or zoom cal. We are limiting all meetings to less than 10 people.
Essential Services
Health, Home and Community Care, NIHB Med Trans, Fire, Security Services, Mental Health, NADAAP, Grocery Store, Gas Stations.
Chief and Council agreed to limit pubic access to all buildings including the Health Centre. All nonessential programs and workers have been laid off as of last Friday, March 20th or today. I believe Council has laid off approximately 150 people deemed nonessential.
Health
Many of our staff doing outreach to community members via telephone (staff will be working from home beginning tomorrow March 24, 2020). We have tasked teams to do wellness checks on our Seniors and young families.
There is a rotation of Nurses on call and at work physically. Each person will be given one day per week to chart. We will be working with a bare bones staffing. Some of our staff have been laid off as well.
Two weeks ago, Health put together an information package and had it mail dropped to every house in the community.
Two public meetings were held- one especially for Elders. And the second was a community meeting broadcast over Rez Radio and live streamed on Facebook.
We did a short video on the history and how it is spread, then a power point. We also did a question and answer session. We limited the number of people physically in the building.
Screening tools are in place for those who must do home visits.
Health is in close communication with the RHA and Dakota Ojibway Health Services. We have enough PPE for at least a month.
Nurses were given a refresher on the donning and doffing of PPE.
Home and Community Care
Will continue to do dressing changes and meds for the time being. This is being monitored.
Our Meals on Wheels program has been temporarily suspended as have patient baths at the Health Centre. We have also suspended the foot care for now.
Mandatory programing i.e. immunizations will continue to be offered at this time.
Mental Health and NADAAP
These staff will be working from home reaching clients via telephone.
Med Trans and NIHB
Drivers will be scheduled to do dialysis patient appointments and pick up nonnarcotic prescriptions in Portage la Prairie only. Med Trans will not pick up prescriptions in Winnipeg.
All other transport is suspended for now.
Our public health nurse has done an orientation about safely transporting patients.
Plastic barriers have been placed between the drivers and passengers. Each driver has hand sanitizer and masks in their vehicles. We are going to use one vehicle exclusively for dialysis patients.
Med Trans vehicles will be cleaned by a sanitation team after each patient. The sanitation team will be located at the Fire Hall. They will be provided with Quat cleaning solution to sanitize the vehicles.
The receptionist and med trans co-ordinator will be physically at work.
Isolation Site
The Local School has been identified as an isolation site. The principal reports that they are ready and able to receive isolation cases as needed.
Cots, blankets and pillows will be delivered to the School today. We have 10 cots purchased previously.
Communications
Our School Principal assigned to do a communications bulletin each day to be shared on Rez Radio and Facebook.
All essential programs are to send communications updates each day to him prior to 13:00. Health is also putting together another plain language information package including important numbers Health links, Mental Health resources, what to do if your child has a fever, EI numbers etc.
Today’s memo will ask caregivers and parents to have a plan regarding who will care for their children should they become sick. It will also remind again about social distancing.
All dogs are to be tied up, to ensure that no one is bitten trying to make a delivery- this has been communicated to community members.
House to house mail drops will be done as required.
Command Centres
There will be three command centres set up, not to bring people together but to streamline services. One command centre for our rural reserve and one each on our urban reserves.
Requests for the plumber or electrician will be made through the Com Centre, who will call Health to do a telephone screening prior to having anyone enter the home.
Requests for food packages will be handled by the Com Centre.
Flagging of homes under quarantine, self isolation or home with a sick person(s) will be co-ordinated through the Com Centre. Mapping of quarantined homes.
Security Services will accompany ambulances called to the community to ensure arrival at the correct residence.
Food Security
Our store along with other members of our staff will be packaging a food hamper for those over 65 years of age, and those with medical conditions. These packages will be delivered and can start this week. Extra food, diapers, formula have been ordered.
Staff delivering to homes are instructed not to enter the homes, they are to knock, once they hear someone coming, they are instructed to leave the package on the doorstep.
Isolation procedures for homes
We will be implementing a colour system to identify homes at are under quarantine (red) those who have sick people- non covid related (yellow).
The Command centre will be in touch daily with Health to update the list.
Part of the information packages sent to each home was on isolation procedures. Once a home has been identified as requiring either quarantine or self isolation- the quarantine/isolation procedures will be sent to that home.
There has been discussion on cleaning homes once quarantine is lifted- this has not been completely planned at this point in time.
Social Distancing
With the directive to social distance – we have reduced the hours in our essential businesses, nothing is open past 18:00.
Security Services will be doing check stops on vehicles. Any vehicle out for frivolous reasons will be directed back to where they came from.
Back roads have been blocked with a dirt berm to reduce access to the community.
Transporting to Test Sites
There has been some discussion about how we get people to test sites if they don’t have their own vehicle. The plan at this point is to use our Med Tran vehicles, using all the precautions.
Please note that this is a fluid plan designed to change as needs change. In closing we welcome any changes, or if there are gaps that we haven’t addressed we welcome your input.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of Long Plain Health Services
Denise Harder
Director, Health Services
Long Plain First Nation
Copy of COVID 19 Preparedness Team Contact Info and Responsibilites March 23 2020 (1)
