COVID-19 Resources

The Region 1 RDHRS aims to provide access to tools and resources to assist preparedness professionals in planning for emergencies. The resources listed below are intended for use by hospitals, public health departments and other health professionals responding to COVID-19.

Please check this page often for updates and new additions, as the resources posted below are being updated frequently.

Resources from ASPR TRACIE

Developed by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) was created to meet the information and technical assistance needs of regional ASPR staff, healthcare coalitions, healthcare entities, healthcare providers, emergency managers, public health practitioners, and others working in disaster medicine, healthcare system preparedness, and public health emergency preparedness.

  • Novel Coronavirus Resources
    • This page highlights resources identified or developed to address current response and recovery operations regarding the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).
  • COVID-19 Telemedicine/Virtual Medical Care Resources
    • This Topic Collection focuses on plans, tools, templates, and other immediately implementable resources to help with COVID-19 preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts, focusing on telemedicine and virtual medical care.
  • Updated! Hospital Operations Toolkit for COVID-19
    • This toolkit was designed as a single source of information for hospital emergency managers and planners preparing to manage large numbers of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some information may be applicable to other hospital personnel and non-hospital settings. The toolkit is comprised of four primary sections and covers considerations from before patients arrive at a hospital to after they are discharged and is designed for users to easily navigate to desired information. 
  • COVID-19 Workforce Virtual Toolkit (version 2.2) 
    • This curated collection provides links to resources, tools and templates for workforce protection, licensure, liability protections and scopes of practice for decision-makers managing healthcare workforce challenges in response to COVID-19.

    Resources from State Health Departments

    • MDPH/MEMA Guidance and Protocols for COVID-19 Isolation & Recovery Sites for Homeless Individuals
      • This document provides both guidance and tools that can be used in planning for the logistics and operations of an isolation & recovery site for COVID-positive individuals experiencing homelessness or unstable housing. This document includes tools such as: intake forms and processes, team work flows, social and behavioral health resource examples, equipment lists emergency protocols, discharge guidance, and required wrap around services.

    Resources Developed by Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners Healthcare Affiliates

    • 2019 Novel Coronavirus Toolkit
      • This toolkit is designed to assist health care organizations in their planning and response to the current novel coronavirus event. It is based on plans and resources developed within our hospitals and is meant to be helpful to other hospitals addressing similar issues and challenges. Hospitals are encouraged to review the materials and adapt them to their local context and health department regulations and procedures. Hospitals are also strongly encouraged to closely monitor guidance from their state health departments and the CDC, since information is likely to continue to change as the outbreak evolves. The content of these materials is designed to comply with current public health guidance, but it does not supersede or replace guidance from federal and state public health authorities.
    • MGH COVID-19 Urgent Resource Video Education Platform (CURVE)
      • The Massachusetts General Hospital COVID-19 Urgent Resource Video Education (CURVE) platform is a collection of recordings from COVID-19-focused hospital Grand Rounds and departmental lectures, along with procedure/instructional videos and other digital content in collaboration with many Mass General care teams. By highlighting clinical and research expertise related to the Mass General response to COVID-19, it provides consolidated access to a complementary catalog of educational materials to support providers across professions and disciplines.

    Inpatient Care

    • Treatment Guidance (with supplementary documents*)
      • Treatment recommendations from Infectious Disease on the evaluation, medications, transplant care, and suggested lab work ups of patients both under investigation and confirmed infected with COVID-19. *Supplementary documents include: Liver and COVID-19, More on Risk Factors, Statin Rationale

    Pulmonary/Critical Care

    • MGH Critical Care Guidance
      • This document was prepared (in March, 2020) by and for MGH medical professionals (a.k.a. clinicians, care givers) and is being made available publicly for informational purposes only, in the context of a public health emergency related to COVID-19 (a.k.a. the coronavirus) and in connection with the state of emergency declared by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the President of the United States.  It is neither an attempt to substitute for the practice of medicine nor as a substitute for the provision of any medical professional services. Furthermore, the content is not meant to be complete, exhaustive, or a substitute for medical professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  The information herein should be adapted to each specific patient based on the treating medical professional’s independent professional judgment and consideration of the patient’s needs, the resources available at the location from where the medical professional services are being provided (e.g., healthcare institution, ambulatory clinic, physician’s office, etc.), and any other unique circumstances. This information should not be used to replace, substitute for, or overrule a qualified medical professional’s judgment.
    • MGH Prone Positioning Protocol
      • Many ICU patients have acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring advanced therapies to improve oxygenation. Most interventions and therapies do not improve mortality or better long-term patient outcomes.  Prone positioning of ARDS patients leads to improved oxygenation and has recently been found to decrease mortality. This document serves to inform ICU clinicians about prone positioning of critically ill ARDS patients.
    • BWH/MGH ICU Guidance for Respiratory Care of Patients on “Strict Isolation” (Airborne Isolation + Contact Isolation + Eye Protection)
      • These guidelines address respiratory care activities for patients on Strict Isolation (Airborne Isolation + Contact Isolation + Eye Protection) for suspected or confirmed infections due to COVID-19, MERS, Avian Influenza, or SARS, or other pathogens. These guidelines are aimed at minimizing the risk of transmission to healthcare workers and contamination of the environment from respiratory care that generates and disperses aerosols while providing safe and effective patient care.
    • MGH Treatment Guidance for Critically Ill Pregnant Patients
      • Developed by the MGH Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care in collaboration with the Departments of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, the Division of Cardiology, and Respiratory Care with input from the Department of Ob/Gyn and the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, this document provides guidance for the assessment and treatment of critically ill pregnant patients with COVID-19.

    Donning and Doffing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 

    • COVID Guidance for Eye Protection, Respirator Reuse and Fit Check
      • Guidance for donning and doffing with reuse of an N95 respirator or surgical mask and face shield eye protection as well as a guide for how to correctly fit check (AKA “seal check”) an N95 respirator Guidance for donning and doffing with reuse of an N95 respirator

    Outpatient Care

    Emergency Department

    • MGH ED Intubated Prone Positioning Guidelines
      • This document serves to inform ED clinicians about prone positioning of critically ill ARDS patients. In most circumstances, proning will occur in the ICU. In the event that an ICU bed is not readily available, and the patient would benefit from prone positioning, the procedure can be performed in the ED.
    • MGH ED Non-Intubated Prone Positioning Guidelines
      • Prone positioning is extensively used in the ICU to treat intubated patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure, but the benefits cited above may accrue to non-intubated patients as well. For this reason, patients presenting with hypoxemia should be encouraged to adopt the prone position where practical. Prone positioning may be used as a rescue therapy in patients with escalating oxygen needs. This document serves to inform clinicians about prone positioning of non-intubated, hypoxemic patients in the Emergency Department.

    Mental Health and Social Services

    • MGH Online Mental Health Resources Guide
      • The MGH Department of Psychiatry has put together a curated set of mental health resources with a particular emphasis on materials that will be of use to providers and those they serve. Some of these resources have been developed by members of the MGH Department of Psychiatry while others are drawn from elsewhere but gathered here and annotated.
    • Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Resources and Safety Planning during COVID-19
      • This document, compiled by the MGH Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, offers up-to-date information about available resources in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts for at risk individuals and families who are in need of support due to domestic violence, sexual violence, family violence, and partner abuse. The document also includes a safety planning tool for use in the home.

    Workforce Protection

    Resources Developed by Other Institutions and Organizations

    • The University of Washington Medicine COVID-19 Resource Site
      • This page includes policies and protocols developed by the University of Washington health system and its partners to address COVID-19. The page includes: patient care protocols and algorithms, other inpatient clinical guidance, neonatal care protocols, policy statements on personal protective equipment, patient care, post-acute and long term care, operations and facilities, staff, and other resources (autopsy, information technology, and vendor and delivery driver access).
    • Hastings Center COVID-19 Ethical Framework
      • This document, developed by the Hastings Center, is designed for use within a health care institution’s preparedness work, supplementing public health and clinical practice guidance on COVID-19. It aims to help structure ongoing discussion of significant, foreseeable ethical concerns arising under contingency levels of care and potentially crisis standards of care.
    • COVID-19: A Frontline Guide for Local Decision-Makers
      • This front line guide is intended to provide state, city, or local level leaders with a support tool to assist in strategy and decision-making on how to combat COVID-19 in their jurisdiction. It is not a prescriptive set of instructions; rather it provides context and advice on how to tailor principles of outbreak control strategy, disaster management, and evolving knowledge on COVID-19 dynamics to different local conditions.
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