Welcome back!
We’ve missed working with veterans and we are excited to begin bringing everyone back
to the WRIISC in a safe manner.
It’s been a long year, but we have been hard at work getting our lab back up and running
for both our research and clinical programs.
These programs aim at improving the health of the veterans we see, so we appreciate your
patience.
For the past few months, we have been preparing and implementing changes to ensure the safety
of all our patients and staff in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While safety and a clean environment has always been a priority here at the WRIISC, we have
gone above and beyond to ensure that we meet all standards set forth by the Centers for
Disease Control.
This quick video will provide an inside look at what we’ve been working on.
We can’t wait to welcome you back in person!
Wearing a mask of course.
When you arrive at the East Orange campus you will enter the main entrance of building
1.
The WRIISC is located on the 11th floor.
After going through local VA screening procedures, please make your way to the 11th floor.
Once you arrive you will be greeted by our front desk administrative core and they will
notify us of your arrival.
You will be directed to our waiting room where chairs will be set 6 feet apart to ensure
proper social distancing.
Once the team is ready, a lab member will come and introduce themselves and walk you
to the cardiorespiratory lab.
Upon entry we ask both the staff and the veteran to sanitize their hands.
Once your visit is complete, you will sanitize your hands before exiting the lab.
Our staff are taking precautions to ensure overall safety during testing procedures here
at the WRIISC.
Some procedures are classified as aerosol generating, which carry a higher probability
of transmitting COVID-19.
In preparation for your visit, we have built a supply closet specifically for personal
protective equipment, or PPE, for the staff.
Our full PPE requirements include an isolation gown, a N95 mask, a surgical mask, a face-shield
or glasses, and gloves.
All team members have been FIT for our N95 masks by Garden State Environmental.
To further ensure safety, we have also limited our lab occupancy to essential members only.
Following these steps will allow us to keep our staff and veterans safe from any potential
exposure.
A major priority here at the WRIISC is to ensure the safety of everyone present.
Our team has converted the cardiorespiratory lab into a negative pressure room.
This will ensure that air in our lab is being removed from the lab to the outdoors by a
HEPA filtered negative pressure unit.
Our unit is inside the lab attached to the window ensuring the air being pulled and expelled
outside.
This helps prevent air, and any possible pathogens exhaled during breathing or exercise procedures,
from escaping into the hallway where people are not wearing respiratory protection like
the staff in the lab.
The constant changing of air will also make sure that patients and staff members in the
room are not breathing in stagnant air and that there is ample air clearance in the room.
The pressure in the room will be constantly monitored by our sensors when in use.
If the negative pressure in the room were to fall below a specific range, the alarm
will go off notifying the team.
Maintaining a negative pressure environment is a crucial part of protecting you and our
staff.
We also have two additional HEPA filter units in place that purify the air inside the lab
close to where test procedures are performed to ensure the lab meets all recommendations
for a negative pressure room.
After each testing procedure, the equipment will be completely sanitized using the recommended
purple top cleaning wipes.
These wipes are a disinfecting staple in the medical field.
Equipment that cannot be wiped down and needs further disinfection will be sent down to
the hospital’s sterile processing center for further decontamination.
As always, disinfecting and cleaning is a top priority for our lab.
Our staff has gone above and beyond in ensuring that you enter a clean lab.
So much so that we aren’t only disinfecting the lab manually, but also by UV light!
Our germ zapping robot uses UV light to clean the entire room, hitting nooks and cranny’s
that manual cleaning misses-giving the room some tough love.
After each patient, the lab will be manually cleaned then topped off with our UV powered
Febreeze.
UV light disinfecting has changed the game in the constant battle against germs and allows
us to focus on what’s important, providing you a safe and noteworthy experience.
On the front of the Cardiorespiratory Lab you will find signs that signal to the hospital
and WRIISC personnel the status of the lab, and if and how they may enter the room.
Green status means that the lab is not currently in use and has been decontaminated from any
prior patient visits.
During the green status, personnel can enter the room with only a personal mask and are
asked to keep the mask on while inside.
The yellow status indicates that there is a veteran in the room undergoing a non-aerosol
generating procedure.
Both the staff member and veteran inside will be asked to wear their personal mask throughout
these procedures.
Entry into the room is limited to required personnel wearing masks.
We have two red signs.
The first one indicates that there is testing in progress that are considered high aerosol
generating procedures.
During this stage, entering the room is limited to required personnel only wearing full PPE.
The veteran will be asked to wear their personal mask whenever possible.
The second red sign is to indicate that Tough Luv is in use.
During this period no entry inside the room is allowed.
During your visit here at the WRIISC, a cardiopulmonary exercise test may be a part of your evaluation.
This test is considered a high-risk aerosol generating procedure; therefore, we have taken
multiple steps to ensure both yours and the staff’s safety.
During these procedures, all staff members will be appropriately protected wearing full
PPE.
You as the veteran and patient will be asked to wear your personal mask until the testing
procedure begins.
At which point, we will ask you to wear the blue mask seen here in the video which helps
collect our data.
This mask is now lined with an antibacterial filter to prevent spreading infections.
As always, you will be monitored by a clinical exercise physiologist throughout the test
to ensure safety.
Our team members are looking forward to inviting veterans back onsite.
We hope that this highlight video illustrated all the steps we have taken to ensure your
safety when visiting the WRIISC.
Thank you for taking the time to watch this video.
It’s been a long year, but here at the WRIISC, we are excited to move forward and continue
to help our veterans throughout the nation as best we can.