emergency alert Archives - The Rowan Report

Product Review: Home Care Worker Safety

by Kristin Rowan | May 16, 2024 | Caring for the Caregiver, Clinical, Product Review

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

If you haven’t been following our recent reports, you may have missed last week’s article on the Home Care Worker Safety Bill that was passed in Connecticut. You may also have missed the article reporting that OSHA levied fines against Elara Caring, the home health agency where Joyce Grayson worked. If you did, take a minute to go back and read those updates. Changes are coming to home health and home care.

We’ve been reporting on these important updates as we believe new regulations on Home Care Worker Safety will be coming nationwide. If OSHA can penalize a home health agency for failing to protect the safety of an employee, then protecting the safety of an employee is required, by default.

Home Care Worker Safety Industry

We’ve been meeting with and researching about home care worker safety since the first article about Joyce Grayson. There are several on the market as stand-alone equipment and/or SaaS services. Many existing SaaS companies are adding GPS tracking, visit check-in/check-out, and other safety and risk items to their suite of services as well.

Background

AJ Leahy had a close friend who was attacked on a college campus. First responders were called, but they didn’t have his exact location. The extra time it took responders to reach him contributed to his death. AJ concluded that the current emergency system is dangerous and broken. AJ didn’t want anyone else to have the same experience. Thus, he created POM (Peace of Mind) Safe Company.

AJ soon realized that the length of time it takes first responders to reach a victim is only part of the problem. He sought to create a system that would not only connect you with the help you need, but deter and de-escalate violence. After all, AJ surmised, the best outcome is not for first responders to reach you, but for first responders not being needed in the first place.

Home Care Worker Safety in the “POM” of Your Hand

POM safe is a portable, two-way communication safety device paired with an app that bypasses the need to use your phone to call 911. Using a series of taps, the POM Safe device can deter and de-escalate violence and dispatch the appropriate help. The POM 3 (pictured left) is a wearable fob with a 10-day battery life between charges and is connected to your mobile data or WIFI connection through a cell phone. The POM Mobile (pictured below) device carries its own SIM card and remains independent of a cell phone.

Emergency Response

POM Safe has built-in, two-way communication that connects a home care worker to a dispatcher. Even if the clinician can’t speak, the dispatcher can hear the situation and deploy appropriate actions. When the two-way communication is activated, the device send a GPS signal along with profile information directly to the dispatcher. When needed, the dispatcher contacts emergency response services to arrive at the precise location.

Beyond Emergency Response

Reaction addresses the need for intervention after an act of violence has occurred. Proaction attempts to remove the need for the intervention at all. The proactive safety features of the POM Safe device include:

Fake phone call
- Press a button on the device and your phone rings
- Answering the call tells a would-be attacker that someone knows where you are and who you are with
Check on Me
- Use the POM Safe device to start a timer
- If you don’t confirm your safety within that time, help is alerted
Appointment Sync
- POM Safe integrates with your scheduling and appointment data
- Your precise location is sent to dispatchers and emergency responders
One-Tap Text
- With one tap, a pre-written text is sent to alert dispatcher of your need for help
- GPS location is sent with the text

Home Care Worker Safety Network

One of the requirements in the Home Care Worker Safety Bill passed in Connecticut is to provide your clinicians with information about the neighborhood of each client. Crime rate, safety, registered offenders (coming soon), and other safety information about the neighborhood aid in the overall risk assessment of the client.

The POM mobile app includes the “360 Safety Network”, combining a crowdsourced alert system with third-party safety data. Your clinicians can also report additional safety concerns and receive real-time notifications if a new alert flags their location.

Customizable Programming

Each home health and home care agency will have their own protocols, emergency contacts, and preferences for home care worker safety. When you adopt the POM Safe system, devices are customized and programmed to your agency’s specifications. You can set the “Check on me” timer for shorter or longer visits. GPS settings can be turned off at custom set times so you’re not tracking your clinicians in their off hours. Your clinicians can add their own family members to their connections and you can allow them to custom set what each button-click type will do.

Organizational Monitoring

POM Safe links to a safety dashboard for the agency. At a glance, you can see all of your users, alerts, and appointments. It also includes a user message center, customizable user assignments, daily health check, and more.

Final Thoughts

Whether you contact POM Safe or another safety device company, it is imperative that you implement a safety program in your organization. This should include a committee, de-escalation training, self-protection training, employee assistance programs for mental health support, and a wearable/personal safety device that is GPS-enabled and connected to emergency response systems.

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Kristin Rowan has been working at Healthcare at Home: The Rowan Report since 2008. She has a master’s degree in business administration and marketing and runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in event planning, sales, and marketing strategy. She has recently taken on the role of Editor of The Rowan Report and will add her voice to current Home Care topics as well as marketing tips for home care agencies. Connect with Kristin directly kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2024 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Healthcare at Home: The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

Connecticut Senate and House Pass Home Care Worker Safety Bill

by Kristin Rowan | May 10, 2024 | Admin, Caring for the Caregiver, Clinical, Regulatory

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

Last week, we reported on the proposed Bill in the Connecticut Senate and House to provide additional precautions for home care worker safety. In wake of the Elara Caring at Fault Joyce Grayson Home Care Worker Safety Joyce Grayson murder during a home health visit, leadership in Connecticut aimed to safeguard home health and home health aide workers and collect risk assessment data on the same.

On May 6, 2024, CT legislature passed bills in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Instead of the proposed bills that we reported on previously, both branches added amendments to previous bills. The bills include provisions for cyberattack readiness, child safety, and other items not related to care in the home.

First Stage of Home Care Worker Safety

Some of the provisions in the final bill are effective July 1, 2024. As we previously reported, hospice agencies are currently exempt from these provisions and the CT legislature will address hospice agencies in their next session.

On and after July 1, 2024

The Commissioner shall increase the fee payable to a home health care or home health aide agency that provides escorts for safety purposes to staff conducting a home visit to cover the costs of providing such escorts.

The Commission of Public Health will establish and administer a home care staff safety grant program to provide grants to home health and home health aide agencies for staff safety technology, including, but not limited to :

A mobile application for staff to access safety information about a client
A method for staff to communicate with either local police or other staff in the event of an emergency
A global positioning system-enabled, wearable device that allows staff to contact local police

Effective July 1, 2024

The sum of one million dollars is appropriated to the Department of Public Health for the the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, to establish and administer the aforementioned grant program.

The Commissioner of Public Health and the Commission on Community Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention, will develop or find educational material about gun safety practices and provide such to primary care providers to give to patients who are 18 years of age or older.

Second Stage of Home Care Worker Safety

Some of the provisions in the final bill are effective October 1, 2024. Home health and home health aide agencies have five months to comply with these measures.

Effective October 1, 2024, home health and home health aide agency must collect and provide to assigned workers information about:

The client, including as applicable;

psychiatric history
history of violence
history of substance use
history of domestic abuse
current infections, if any, and treatment received
whether diagnoses or symptoms have remained stable over time

Other persons present or anticipated to be present at the location of care including, if known to the agency:

name and relationship to client
psychiatric history
history of violence or domestic abuse
criminal record
history of substance use

Location where employee will provide services including, if know to the agency:

the crime rate for the municipality in which employee will provide services
the presence of any hazardous materials, including, but not limited to used syringes
the presence of firearms or other weapons
the status and of the fire alarm system
the presence of any safety hazards, including, but not limited to, electrical hazards

By October 1, 2024, each home health and home health aide agency must:

Provide staff training consistent with the health and safety training curriculum for home care workers, including but not limited to:

Training to recognize hazards commonly encountered in home care workplaces
Applying practical solutions to manage risks and improve safety

Conduct monthly safety assessments with each staff member and

Provide staff with a mechanism to perform safety checks, which may include, but need not be limited to:

A mobile application that allows staff to access safety information about the client
A means of communicating with local police or other staff in the event of an emergency
A global positioning system-enabled, wearable device that allows staff to contact local police by pressing a button or through another mechanism

Effective October 1, 2024

Each home health and home health aide agency shall, in a manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Public Health:

Report each instance of verbal abuse that is perceived as a threat or danger to the staff
Report each instance of physical, sexual, or any other abuse by a client against a staff member

Third Stage of Home Care Worker Safety

No later than January 1, 2025

Beginning January 1, 2025 and annually therafter, the commissioner shall report to the joint standing committee:

The number of reports of violence and abuse received
The actions taken to ensure the safety of the staff member about whom the report was made

Effective January 1, 2025

Each individual health insurance policy shall provide coverage for escorts for the safety of home health care agency or home health aide agency staff

The joint standing committee of the General Assembly will convene a working group to study staff safety issues affecting home health and home health aide agencies, including but not limited to the following members:

Three employees of a home health care or home health aide agency
Two representatives of a home health care or home health aide agency
One representative of a collective bargaining unit representing home health care or home health aide agency employees
One representative of a mobile crisis response services provider
One representative of an assertive community treatment team
One representative of a police department; and
One representative of an association of hospitals in the state

Implications

As we mentioned before, these regulations will become mandates across the country soon. OSHA has found the home care agency in Connecticut at fault for failing to implement safety procedures and precautions in the death of Joyce Grayson. The nurse’s family is suing the home health agency for wrongful death. Connecticut has established a protocol for safety measures, committees, reporting, and grant programs to implement immediate safety procedures across home health and home health aide agencies in the state. Before these provisions are passed on a national level, and before you have to tell the family of one of your staff that they aren’t coming home…

We urge you to:

Create a safety committee within your agency
Invest in training on de-escalation, workplace violence prevention, and self-defense
Research and invest in a GPS-enabled emergency alert system for your staff. We recommend POM Safe and Katana Safety
Insist on background information on all clients and others living in the home upon intake and BEFORE the first home visit
Create a safe and comfortable way for your staff to report verbal abuse, violence, or uneasiness from any in-home visit
Invest in escort and/or paired visits for high-risk clients, first-time clients, or any other situation that warrants it

We will continue to follow this story and provide updates as we receive them.

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©2024 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Healthcare at Home: The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

BREAKING NEWS: Home Care Agency Faulted in Death of Joyce Grayson

by Kristin Rowan | May 2, 2024 | Clinical, Regulatory

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

Home health agency failed to protect Joyce Grayson

History

We’ve been following the story of Joyce Grayson since her death in October of 2023. The news was first published in The Rowan Report here on November 8th, 2023.On April 14th, we reported on the pending Senate Bill in Connecticut that would require home health agencies to provide additional information and safety precautions prior to a home visit. The safety of solo workers is now even more important to home health and hospice agencies with the most recent update.

Today

May 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) posted a news release on their investigation into the death of Joyce Grayson, a home health nurse in Connecticut. According to the Department of Labor, OSHA has determined that Elara Caring exposed their employees to workplace violence from patients who were known to pose a risk to others. Jordan Health Care Inc. and New England Home Care Inc., both doing business as Elara Caring, have been cited for willful violation of the agency’s general duty clause. OSHA cited them for not developing and implementing safety measures to protect employees from workplace violence. They also cited the agency for failure to report work-related injury and illness records within four business hours.

Repercussions

OSHA has proposed more than $163,000 in penalties against Elara Caring. Elara Caring has 15 days from receipt of the citations to respond, request a hearing, or contest the findings.

“Elara Caring failed its legal duty to protect employees from workplace injury by not having effective measures in place to protect employees against a known hazard and it cost a worker her life,” said OSHA Area Director Charles D. McGrevy in Hartford, Connecticut. “For its employees’ well-being, Elara must develop, implement and maintain required safeguards such as a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program. Workplace safety is not a privilege; it is every worker’s right.”

OSHA found that Elara Caring could have reduced the potential for workplace violence by looking at the root causes of violent incidents and “near misses.” They could also have provided clinicians with background information on patients prior to a home visit. Other recommendations from OSHA include providing emergency panic alert buttons and using safety escorts for visits with high-risk patients.

Future Recommendations

The DOL states that employers should have a comprehensive workplace violence program. This program should include both management and employee involvement. Further, the DOL says this plan should have a written program with a committee. Elements of a workplace violence program include:

Analysis of a home upon new patient admission
Hazard prevention and control
Training and Education
Resources for Impacted Employees
Recordkeeping
Employee Feedback

Elara Caring at Fault Stop Workplace Violence

Implications

If Elara Caring is fined for failure to keep their clinicians safe as a result of the investigation into Joyce Grayson’s murder, state and national level regulations are sure to follow. However, even if the laws in your area don’t change, investing now in workplace safety for your clinicians could save you from similar allegations and fines. As we mentioned in last week’s article about the Senate Bill, we have been in touch with several emergency alert companies and will be providing product reviews in the next few weeks. Start a workforce safety committee, develop a written plan for mitigating dangerous situations, and issue emergency response systems to all of your clinicians before it is your agency under investigation. More importantly, take these steps before your team loses one of its own to workplace violence.

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