COVID - 19 Essential Services Provided By Madrona Hospice & Palliative Care For Aging Arizonians

News provided by

Apr 01, 2020, 09:15 ET

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Madrona Hospice & Palliative Care https://madronahospice.com, a Arizona company, is supporting Arizonians with essential services during COVID – 19 pandemic. The recent Coronavirus pandemic has led to challenges in elderly care services that the nation has never seen before. In these unprecedented times, elderly care communities are struggling to balance supporting their businesses by safeguarding residents from contagion, while continuing to provide proper care. "The problem is that most community caregivers do not possess the required skills to treat high acuity residents, and with limited medical practitioner access, we fear that these residents are not getting the proper care they need," states owner and CEO, Michael Steel. Most communities, particularly smaller group homes, are simply not experienced or equipped to simultaneously manage both their businesses and patient care, unfortunately to the detriment of their residents.

Michael Steele worked as a market analyst in Hong Kong covering the SARS outbreak in its epicenter in 2002. He is a published columnist and amongst one of the first to warn the general public about the severity of this recent outbreak. Consequently, there are few operators within the elderly care arena with his level of knowledge and experience, which is why Madrona took the necessary precautions long before most of the general public ever knew a problem ever existed. "In addition to Madrona's stringent hygiene policies, the company closed it offices and began working remotely to insure that in the unfortunate event a staff member was suspected positive, there would be no cross-contagion amongst our medical practitioners," stated Monica McCullough, Director of Clinical Services.

Recognizing the inevitable disruption that is currently causing disorder within healthcare, Madrona has been actively interviewing and hiring top medical professionals to ensure its patient care remains consistently above the rest. As part of Madrona's hiring and onboarding process, all new staff must go through a thorough training process before entering the field. Part of this training process includes strict hygiene guidelines before and after every resident visit, regardless if residents are sitting beside one another in the same facility. Madrona's paid leave policy takes it one step further. While other providers are stretching their practitioners thin to make room for layoffs, Madrona encourages its medical staff to take time off if they suspect the slightest bit of illness. These are just some of many existing and heightened policies Madrona has implemented to safeguard the health of its staff, and more importantly, the health of those under Madrona's care.

Adagio House, a multi-group home operator in Scottsdale, was amongst the first of community operators to recognize Madrona's elevated level of care and their determination to implement safety measures to slow and even stop the spread of this contagion within the group home environment. To further guarantee the safety and care of their residents, Adagio suggested all families of residents switch to Madrona Hospice and Vista Mobile Health, not only for the sake of their loved ones, but for all community residents.

"This is a very stressful time for our elderly, many of whom experienced the great depression and are worried about their futures. Elevated levels of stress at this stage in life is a key contributor to accelerated health declines. Not having access to their families only further compounds this stress and risk of decline. At the very minimum, residents should have access to the proper care," states Wendy Blum, Director of Operations.

Madrona's entire team is working diligently around the clock every day to provide the best possible line of defense in protecting our elderly population while providing the best of care. "This elderly generation is the backbone that worked selflessly to make America the greatest country on earth. We owe them everything we have. For us, this is not about recognition, but rather about setting higher standards with hopes others will follow," Steele said in closing.

About Madrona Health
Madrona believes it is an honor to share in someone's final life journey. Patient care is always delivered by compassionate professionals who respect the needs and desires of our patients.

Media Contact: Michael Steele | Madrona Health | 424 247 9786 [email protected]

SOURCE Madrona Hospice & Palliative Care