Kansas Palliative & Hospice Care Continues to Serve Seniors During COVID-19 Pandemic

SHAWNEE, Kan. - April 10, 2020 - PRLog -- Founded on Christian principles, Kansas Palliative & Hospice Care (KPHC) is a locally owned and independently operated community based organization dedicated to palliative and hospice care. They are focused on exceeding patients' individual medical, emotional and spiritual needs, while making each remaining moment as meaningful as possible. While always adhering to and providing the best infection prevention and control techniques, KPHC has announced their enhanced infection prevention and control techniques to comply with CDC guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue serving the senior population in Kansas City, Lawrence and Topeka.

"The protection of our staff and patients is and always has been our highest priority. Our team members are end-of-life experts who have received education and training on identifying, assessing and meeting the needs of patients and their families from the time of referral through bereavement services," said Phillip Hill, Chief Executive Officer of Kansas Palliative & Hospice Care.

KPHC has had infection prevention and control techniques in place since opening in 1991. Some of these procedures include infection control practices with annual review, annual completion of a communicable diseases screening and TB screening for each staff member, and identification of reportable diseases experienced by staff and patients. KPHC is one of the oldest hospice providers in the State of Kansas with its approval to provide Medicare hospice services originating in 1991 and supporting counties throughout the Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka areas.

During the coronavirus pandemic, KPHC has increased their infection prevention and control techniques. These include daily COVID-19 symptom screenings of all staff prior to the start of their day, implementation of CDC recommended interventions for staff members who present positive screening results, daily briefings on staff status, daily briefings on patient status, daily briefings on PPE supply availability, implementation of strategies to reduce exposure to staff by the use of masks, screening of all patients and caregivers prior to visit, placement of masks on patients and caregivers when needed, and directing staff to follow facility protocol addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our staff continues striving to journey with patients and families each day despite the COVID-19 crises. They adhere to strict isolation policies to protect the patients, families, themselves and others they come into contact with. This is a sacred time of individualized patient care and provisions are being made so it may safely continue," said Channin Daugherty, Director of Clinical Services at Kansas Palliative & Hospice Care.

KPHC continues to regularly monitor the CDC website for information and remains in contact with their local health department. They are also regularly monitoring the health status of patients, volunteers, and staff under their care setting for signs or symptoms of COVID-19. For more information about KPHC, please visit http://www.kansashc.com.