COVID -19 Chronicle - Update December 2020

Rapid Response Team One of the biggest challenges facing our communities is what to do when there is an outbreak in a place where many people may have been exposed to COVID-19. Schools and businesses need assistance to manage symptomatic populations and even outbreaks. Northern Light Health has worked with the Maine State CDC to establish a mobile rapid response team to manage these situations. The rapid response team is made up of staff from Northern Light Home Care & Hospice. Because home care staff are located throughout the state, they can respond no matter where an outbreak may happen to provide testing and, in certain special circumstances, health screenings for the affected or vulnerable populations.

Work Health Most of the time, when people think about Work Health they think about new hire and safety screenings, like drug tests or physical exams for those working labor intensive jobs such as fire fighters and those who work for the department of transportation. COVID-19 has redefined the needs of workers’ health and safety, and Northern Light Health’s Work Health division has been ready to respond and partner with businesses throughout the state to provide testing for their staff to keep them safer at work.

Testing Continues to Evolve As new tests become available, and the technology to schedule and run COVID-19 tests evolves, so will our ability to provide tests and care for our communities. Testing materials and supplies continue to be in high demand, but the work of both our laboratory and our supply chain teams keep us going. By working together with the Maine State CDC and other healthcare organizations in our state, testing access continues to grow, almost daily.

Northern Light Health Rapid Response Team

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