Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Winter 2021

4 House Calls Winter 2021 As we enter year two of the COVID-19 pandemic, Charlee Gribbon, RN, Bartlett Regional Hospital’s infection preventionist, says perseverance will get us through. Charlee offers answers about her role and responsibility and how all of us can help prevent further spread of the virus. Q What does your job entail? My job is to make sure that health care providers and patients are doing all of the things necessary to prevent infections. I look for patterns of infection within the hospital and observe practices that have an impact on patient care. I educate health care teams, advise hospital leaders, develop policy and procedure, and work with local and national public health agencies. Q What isyour roleinthecommunity in tracking infectious diseases? The patterns of infections that show up in a hospital are indicative of the health of the community. If there is a cluster of infections, I report necessary information to public health so that we can ensure that the source of the infection is adequately treated and isolated to stop the spread. Q It’s flu season. Flu and COVID-19 share several of the same symptoms. If I start to feel sick, how can I tell the difference? Flu, COVID-19, rhinovirus, RSV and other respiratory viruses have similar symptoms—such as fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty breathing. Luckily, the same prevention recommendations apply: Isolate yourself from others, get some rest, hydrate and stay nourished. How it impacts you as the illness progresses may give you more clues. The only sure way to tell them apart is to test—early and often. Remember: Masking, social distance and air flow help keep the spread low. Q COVID-19 guidelines seem to change all the time. How do I stay on top of the latest information? The news is overwhelming, isn’t it? I am there with you. We have only been living with this virus in Alaska since March 2020, but we do know how to stop disease transmission. We’ve all had the flu or a cold. Mom’s advice is best: Stay home, have some chicken soup, curl up with a good book. The best way to stop the pandemic is to not become a close contact of someone who has it. Know who is in your bubble, and know what they do with their time when they are not at home with you. Q What is the optimal social bubble? The optimal bubble is a small, consistent one, sharing regular events with fewer than 10 people. For example, a family dinner or a playgroup with the same family. Make no assumptions. This is a time for all of us to learn, be honest and engage with one another in a way that respects the sneakiness of this virus. 6 steps to staying safe Charlee Gribbon, RN, Bartlett Regional Hospital’s infection preventionist, has some simple advice for staying well during the COVID-19 pandemic: Doing the three W’s and avoiding the three C’s. W ear a mask. W atch your space. W ash your hands. DO Pandemic perseverance COVID-19