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Selma Health and Rehab has partnered with The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and the Alabama National Guard to fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to Selma Health and Rehab Administrator Dennis Davis, the partnership is a proactive initiation to prevent the virus before it manifests itself in the state’s nursing homes.
“The Alabama Department of Public Health reached out to the National Guard to establish a proactive effort,” said Davis. “A lot of times, the National Guard was asked to disinfect places after the virus was already detected, now they’re defending the facilities directly.”
As Administrator of the facility, Davis said he’s gained a sense of comfort and support as a result of the partnership.
“I have a lot of gratitude toward the Alabama National Guard and Department of Public Health. They are supporting long term healthcare,” said Davis. “We aren’t usually on the frontlines, but we’ve become the frontlines. It’s great to have that support.”
Davis hopes his sense of comfort and support extends to the community as well.
“That’s our message to the community,” he said. “That we are doing what we can to protect our elderly population. They’re the most vulnerable to the COVID pandemic and we want to keep them safe as best we can.”
Davis says an evaluation will be performed by the National Guard and they’ll then determine what chemicals and sanitation measures will be needed.
As part of the sanitation program, Selma health and rehab Staff will also be educated on the best cleaning practices in combating COVID-19.
“We really want to make the community aware of these efforts that we’re going through to keep them protected,” said Davis. “We want to be as transparent as possible because we aren’t allowed to let visitors in to see their family members. We want to let them know what’s going on.”