Vaccines for 12-15 Age Group, Temporary Visitor Policy Guidance

Inova Gives Back, our annual Team Member giving campaign run by the Inova Health Foundation, is now underway. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our teams’ compassion and excellence in delivering world-class care and providing a safe environment allowing us to do so. We have much to be proud of. We also know that some team members are experiencing their own struggles related to these unprecedented times.

Many of you have reached out asking how you can help. Inova’s Team Member Compassion Fund provides emergency cash assistance to team members when they need it most. This year, Inova Gives Back will focus exclusively on the Team Member Compassion Fund. You can be the difference to a team member in need. Please make your gift today by visiting inova.gives/back.

WATCH OUR INOVA GIVES BACK MOTEW MINUTE >>

The FDA is expected to authorize the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents 12-15 years by early next week. Pfizer announced earlier this year that the vaccine trials showed its vaccine is 100 perfect effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in this age group. Vaccinating children is key to raising the level of immunity in the U.S. populations.

In anticipation of the authorization, team members are encouraged to activate a MyChart Proxy account for their children so they can schedule an appointment immediately upon FDA authorization.

Note: You will not be able to schedule an appointment for your child age 12-15 until the FDA announces the vaccine is authorized for use in this age group.

Appointments are required for children and adolescents ages 12-15.
Parent/guardian must have a MyChart account to schedule an appointment for their child. To make an appointment:

Ages 12 and 13: Using their own MyChart account, a parent or guardian must complete the electronic child proxy form. Once processed, the parent will have proxy access to schedule appointments.
Ages 14-17: Using their own MyChart account, a parent can submit the teen permission form which allows a teenager to activate a MyChart account. The teen can then grant proxy access to the parent via email. Once the parent accepts invitation, they will be able to schedule an appointment.
Click here for more information on setting up and requesting access to child and teen MyChart Proxy accounts.

All children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at their vaccination appointment to provide consent for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Safe@Inova starts with our team members, and vaccination is the best way to keep ourselves, our patients and our families safe from COVID-19. We encourage team members to make an appointment today for yourself and your family members.

Pre-procedural COVID-19 testing requirements for asymptomatic patients undergoing an elective procedure will continue to be reduced cautiously in correlation with the declining prevalence of the COVID-19 virus. The safety of our patients and team members remains our number one priority.

Effective Monday, May 10, pre-procedural COVID-19 testing will not be required for low risk, asymptomatic patients if not indicated by the attending physician. Pre-procedural COVID-19 testing will still be required for patients in the following high risk categories:

Long-term care facility patients
Obstetric patients
Patients undergoing one of the following procedures:

Airway procedures
Trans-sphenoidal surgery
ENT and OMFS procedures and surgeries
Anterior skull base surgery

See “What’s New” for more information on phasing out pre-procedural COVID-19 testing requirements.

Vaccination is the best tool we have to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19 infection. Masking, social distancing and frequent hand-washing are still required inside the healthcare setting.

The CDC released new public health recommendations for vaccinated people, which describe circumstances when non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., quarantine) could be relaxed for fully vaccinated persons in non-healthcare settings. This chart illustrates safety recommendations for vaccinated and unvaccinated people in common scenarios in and outside of the workplace.

We will continue to monitor any changes to the Governor’s state-wide COVID-19 capacity, social distancing and masking requirements.

Save three lives, send a selfie. Inova team members from across the system are stepping up to help our community by donating blood. Just one hour of your time can save up to three lives. Make an appointment to donate blood today and share a photo of yourself giving blood with tracy.connell@inova.org for inclusion in the weekly huddle.

If you’re eligible to give blood, we encourage you to take the time now to schedule your appointment, as community blood supply is still critically low.

Call 1-866-BLOODSAVES or visit https://www.inovablood.org/donate-blood/make-an-appointment/ to make your appointment

Inova Urgent Care sites continue to provide care for patients of all ages seven days a week. Some of the following sites served as designated respiratory illness clinics over the past year and have now transitioned back to full time urgent care operations. Patients experiencing respiratory illness symptoms are being assessed and treated at all of our urgent care locations with the transition away from designated respiratory illness centers. Sites will continue to offer virtual visits for patients.

Inova Urgent Care – North Arlington: Now open for all urgent care services
Inova Urgent Care - Tysons: Now open for all urgent care services *(will be closed Saturday, May 8, 29 and June 5 to urgent care patients in order to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Inova Schar cancer clinic patients)
Inova Urgent Care – Reston: Now open for all urgent care services
Inova Urgent Care – Dulles South: Will open on Monday, May 10 for all urgent care services

VISIT THE URGENT CARE WEBSITE FOR LIST OF LOCATIONS >>

Effective immediately, Inova will reopen for clinical observers at our care sites.

Clinical observers must be 18 years of age or older and request a clinical observation to supplement either a college or vocational health profession program
All observers must show proof of full vaccination prior to beginning the Observership (two weeks after the second dose of Moderna vaccine, one week after second dose of Pfizer vaccine, two weeks after J&J vaccine)
All observers must follow Inova’s COVID-19 policies including but not limited to universal masking and social distancing requirements.
All observers must attest to being COVID-19 symptom-free upon entering an Inova facility.
Observers are not permitted to see COVID-19 patients.
Instructors can host only one observer at a time.
Instructors must be aware of total room occupancy limits and must ask patient permission to have an additional person in the room before bringing in an observer.
Clinical observers cannot participate in activities in settings which require N-95 respirators if they have not been fitted for one.
All other requirements in the Observer policy must continue to be followed as outlined.

We continue to evaluate our visitation policy to ensure the safety of our team members and patients. Inova’s temporary visitor policy has not changed.

Patients can have one visitor per day, between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Special exceptions exist for designated support persons supporting:

Patients with certain diagnosed disabilities who need special assistance
Patients in Emergency Departments or Urgent Care Centers
Patients hospitalized for pregnancy for child birth
Patients with altered mental status

*A designated support person for the patients listed above is permitted to stay with the patient 24/7; however only one person per day is allowed to be with any patient.

Pediatric inpatients may have two parents/guardians present.
For end-of-life patients, two visitors are permitted at the bedside at the same time without time restriction.
One visitor is allowed to accompany outpatient surgery patients or those with a scheduled procedure.

COVID-19+ patients:

No visitors are allowed for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 except in end-of-life situations.
See updates for Inova Loudoun Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Inova Behavioral Health