COVID-19 Update

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Network4Health is currently funding a number of Community Health Workers and Patient Navigators at our partners.  These employees are uniquely positioned at healthcare providers to reach out to the most vulnerable populations and provide an important link to healthcare and community services.  Below is a list of suggestions of how CHWs and PNs can be redeployed in the COVID crisis:

- Connect to vulnerable and isolated populations

- Decrease inappropriate usage of ED services

-  Reduce the spread of COVID-19

If given a list of targeted patients, CHW/PNs could undertake review of vulnerable people at home via telehealth or telephonic modalities.  Through this activity, they could (operating within their scope of practice):

-  Advise patients who have been laid off or lost their jobs on available resources for food, unemployment assistance, health insurance, etc.

-  When patients become ill, CHW/PNs could undertake simple assessment of the need for more advanced care, reporting to other members of the primary care team

-  Assess whether individuals have adequate supplies of food and medicines for long-term conditions

- Assess whether individuals are aware of basic hygiene precautions

- Encourage and define social distancing and why it’s important

- Ask if other members in the house have shown signs of COVID symptoms

- Track progression of sick patients

- Go over practices for caring for sick family members or self if they become sick

- Help them understand when to seek testing or treatment for COVID

- Inquire about mental health state and refer for treatment

- Encourage patients to seek care early

- Check in on non-COVID illnesses and health issues

CHW/PNs could also provide these services for non-Medicaid patients as well.