As COVID-19 lingers, Health First Home Care's continuity of care brings quality treatment and therapies safely into patients' homes.

It seems like life these days is all about living in a COVID-19 world. Despite the uncertainty, Brevard's community healthcare system is ready to react.

"One thing Health First does very well is anticipated and plan for any situation in Brevard County," says Christine Myers, Director, Patient Care Services for Health First Home Care.

Home Care is Health First's unit of licensed, mobile professionals who offer skilled therapy and nursing, as well as continuity of care either before or after a hospital visit. Health First leaned into both Home Care and Virtual Visits - doctors' appointments by video call - at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We always have a Plan A, a Plan B," Christine says, "and we know what our resources and our staffing needs are going to be in advance."

For patients, being at home provides a comfortable and familiar environment - not to mention one that's more accessible to family and friends, often without any sacrifice in state-of-the-art treatment. If the patient has Medicare Part A benefits or, really, many other benefit plans, Home Care may be covered.

The Health First Home Care team routinely takes care of between 860 and 1,000 patients on any given day. Along with caring for patients with COVID-19, needs range from the temporary to the chronic, all in the familiar environment of a customer's home: 

• Skilled nursing care
• Wound care
• Ostomy care
• IV antibiotics
• Physical, occupational and speech therapy
• Medical social work
• Personal care (Home Health aides)

This year, Home Care and Virtual Visits have expanded access to world-class care in Brevard County and beyond - while minimizing trips to high-traffic clinics and units. Skilled

At the beginning of March, Health First medical staff and administrators teamed up to outline pandemic protocols. Nurses, therapists, home health aides, and social workers volunteered to be on one of three Home Care COVID-19 response teams - one each for North, South, and Central Brevard County. Our Home Care professionals have responded to patients suffering from COVID-19 symptoms and recovering from the virus away from the hospital. But our team has also been relied upon by uninfected clients who need medical attention but are leery of venturing out to a busy medical center, clinic, or waiting room.

All-new Home Care patient referrals are handled by the intake team, which implemented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) COVID-19 prescreen questionnaire. CDC pandemic guidance has shifted throughout the year, and administrators have monitored and adapted to these changes.

Throughout the pandemic, Home Care has worked with all four Health First hospitals on a continuity of care model for the suitability of discharging recovering COVID-19 cases back home. It includes considering the following: 

• Is the patient stable? Is the patient's breathing stable or improving?
• Is a caregiver available?
• Does the patient have a separate bedroom for recovery, distance?
• Does the patient have access to food?
• Does the patient have their prescribed medicine and the wherewithal to order refills?

Home Care has been instrumental in developing patient education around pandemic-related precautions. All patients are supplied with medical-grade masks. They are educated in the importance of physical distancing and handwashing. They are also shown ways to order contactless delivery of food and supplies.

"These were goals and interventions we weighed in assessing the suitability of our patients returning home," Christine says, adding this information was noted in the agency's electronic medical records system.

Home Care professionals also visit more than two dozen assisted living facilities in Brevard County. Early in the pandemic, each had different protocols and screenings in place. It required Home Care to send out daily staff updates around facility requirements. Eventually, Health First began conducting frequent rounds of COVID-19 testing for frontline caregivers and their supervisors to ensure safety for everyone.

"The willingness and the commitment that the Home Care team gave to this county, and the thanks and respect the county gave back, certainly says something about this community. Then, the support and backup that Health First rolled out - the PPE, the training and logistics around that so that we could all be safe and stop the spread - speaks volumes about this organization," Christine says.

Visit Health First Home Care online, or call 321.434.5909 to discover why patients choose Home Care and how we can help. And if you're a healthcare professional, this Thursday, December 10, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. is our Home Care and Private Duty Virtual Career Event. Chat with a recruiter. Consider working in one of the fastest-growing industries in healthcare today for the most trusted source of in-home care in Brevard County! Register here. (Can't make the event? Check out our great opportunities, and apply today, here.)