First and foremost, I hope you are all persevering with generosity and kindness.  As part of NVNA and Hospice’s non-profit mission to promote public health in our 27 South Shore communities, we, along with all healthcare professionals across the globe, are working to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The way our community and healthcare partners have come together is no surprise, the innovation and collaboration to care for our patients and staff has been truly inspirational.  Here are the most recent operational changes to date:

Protecting our Patients, Families and Neighbors We continue to make daily changes during this fluid situation:

• Closely following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) guidelines
• Working with our community (not limited to, but including) healthcare partners, towns, Boards of Health, local first responders, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, trade associations, private businesses and others
• Screening all patients for symptoms before each visit
• Adjusting the type and amount of visits our case managers are working with doctors to make the best decisions about care
• Employing telehealth to maximize our use of technology to support patient care in the home
• Updating our droplet and airborne precautions to determine the right PPE for each patient
• Pat Roche Hospice Home  We are limiting visits to one person per patient. Visitors are welcome at the Pat Roche Hospice home (after being screened)  between  8 a.m. –  8 p.m. Visitors are asked to wear a mask for their entire visit, including in the patient’s room and to reuse their mask. We continue to keep common spaces closed (family suites, tea room, music room, family kitchen, etc.), use hand hygiene on arrival and screen visitors before entry. Visitor Policy – Updated May 4, 2020
• Suspending all in-person NVNA SUPPORTS groups, community health screenings, exercise classes, and community programs until further notice

Protecting our Employees  – Click HERE for Stress Reduction and Coping Support for our Employees 

We are a 24/7 healthcare organization. We have made some process changes to keep our team safe:

• Screening employees before they come to work or visit a patient.
• Requiring employees to stay home and call their physician when they are sick.
• Transitioning to virtual operations as much as possible. The office remains open, albeit with fewer employees present and who are all social distancing.
• Advocating for more PPE supplies to keep our doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, aides and other staff as safe as possible.

Resources for COVID-19:

I challenge everyone to respond to this emerging public health threat.   For more information please visit:

• CDC  cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
• Massachusetts DPH DPH coronavirus web page  https://www.mass.gov/guides/information-on-the-outbreak-of-2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19

We are so grateful to our community and our healthcare partners for supporting us to continue serving our patients and families. As always, we gratefully appreciate your support for our charitable fund which allows us to continue our patient care programs and the Pat Roche Hospice Home. Together, with patience and empathy, we can navigate this journey thoughtfully.

Renee McInnes, RN, CEO
NVNA and Hospice