No one wants norovirus

Outbreaks of norovirus, some involving our sister acute care facilities, have already occurred this season. To minimize the risk of transmitting this virus to our patients and among ourselves, we ask all VGH, UBCH and GF Strong campus staff to do the following:

Practice and promote hand hygiene

Hand hygiene (HH) is key to preventing transmission. Please act as role models for the public, patients and your colleagues by cleaning your hands upon entering and leaving the facility. It’s particularly vital that we clean our hands between patients. Your leadership teams will be supporting and encouraging increased levels of compliance with HH during this time. We have also asked monitors to provide gentle reminders if you have forgotten to clean your hands. Please take any reminder in the spirit it is intended.

Remain vigilant about food storage and handling

• We appreciate the desire to celebrate the holiday season with food, but we ask that food be served/catered, if possible, at planned group events. In addition, hand hygiene stations should be easily accessible where food is present, and individually wrapped food items should be provided wherever possible. The common chip, nut, candy or popcorn bowl on units is not acceptable.

• Closing unit kitchens to families and visitors as we enter norovirus season will also help prevent transmission.

In the event of illness

If you experience norovirus symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, we want you to focus on getting well. We ask that you do not return to work until 48 hours after your symptoms resolve. Food handlers (including health care workers who feed patients) should not return to work until 72 hours after the resolution of symptoms.

Reporting illness is a two-step process:

1.  Call the Absence Line: You can reach this line at 1-866-924-4297. You’ll need your employee ID, which is on your badge.
2. Call the Workplace Health Call Centre (WHCC): Calling the WHCC at 1-866-922-9464 will help us determine whether you are eligible for WorkSafeBC coverage. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday 0700-1700 hrs. After-hours messages can be left on voicemail.

We also ask that if you’re aware of a visitor who is ill, ask the person to leave the facility and return only when completely well.

For a copy of our new “Families & Visitors” norovirus posters in multiple languages, and other useful resources, visit Infection Control’s Gastroenteritis Toolkit on VCH Connect.