Homecare Agency will monitor employee health to reduce the spread of infection to fellow employees and patients.

1.      Employees are encouraged to use good judgement when they are ill in deciding to work or take a day of sick leave.

2.      Office personnel who are present with cold symptoms and other symptoms which would question the infectious state of the employee and other personnel may be asked to take a day of sick leave by their immediate supervisor.

3.      Nursing personnel, home health aides, and other direct patient care employees are not to provide patient care when infectious symptoms are present, i.e. temperature greater than 100^o, productive cough, sinus drainage, fever/chills, and exudative lesions. Symptoms of allergies will be addressed the same as office personnel. Sinus drainage not accompanied by any other symptoms may be addressed by using a facial mask when providing patient care along with the expected method of infection control, i.e., hand washing, aseptic technique, and standard precautions. Employees may be asked by their immediate supervisor to take a day of sick leave when the employee arrives to work with any of the above identified symptoms.

4.      Employees are to call as soon as they are aware of their inability to work, but at least four (4) hours before their scheduled work time.

5.      Health reports – prior to contact with patients, the new employee must submit a statement from a health care professional licensed under Chapter 458 or 459, a physician’s assistant, or an advance registered nurse practitioner or a registered nurse licensed under Chapter 464, under the supervision of a licensed physician, or acting under an established protocol signed by a licensed physician, based on an exam within the last six months, that the employee is in reasonably good health and appears to be free from apparent signs or symptoms of a communicable disease including tuberculosis.. A new employee, who has been an employee of another licensed home health agency, may provide a copy of his health care statement from the files of the former employer provided that the statement was not issued more than two years prior and that the employee has not had a break in service of more than 90 days.

6.      It is the responsibility of the agency to ensure that employees continue to appear to be in good health. If any employee is later found to have, or is suspected of having a communicable disease, he shall be removed from duties until the administrator determines that such condition no longer exists.