Friday, June 5th, 2020
Even without being in the midst of a pandemic, safety is incredibly important when dealing with any kind of biohazard. Volunteers, medical professionals, and patients all have a duty to maintain safety protocols while engaging with a blood drive or any type of community health clinic. Today, we’re going to go over some of the most important ways that you can stay safe while visiting a community health clinic or participating in a blood drive.
Understand What Medical and Infectious Wastes Include
Biohazardous waste is any type of material that may contain an infectious substance. This can include blood, body tissue, gauze that has been in contact with people, used syringes, or any other items used in diagnosis or medical work. Medical waste can be extremely dangerous and must always be handled carefully to maintain public health. You may have seen the red boxes at your local doctor’s offices. These are specially-made biohazardous waste receptacles that are reinforced to ensure safe handling and disposal.
Learn Safe Practices for Volunteers and Patients
Health professionals are trained extensively on how they can stay safe when dealing with biohazardous waste, but volunteers and patients can take responsibility for protecting public health, too. When visiting a community health clinic or blood drive, you should make sure not to touch anything that may have come in contact with a potentially infectious or hazardous substance. You should also make sure to follow all directions provided by medical staff; they know how to stay safe and they can help you do the same.
Wear Personal Protective Equipment
The pandemic has presented additional challenges in maintaining safe medical spaces in requiring social distancing measures and personal protective equipment (PPE). You can help protect yourself and the other people at the clinic by wearing a mask, washing your hands regularly, and maintaining at least six feet of distance from all other people when you can. If you’re ill, you should reach out to your doctor before visiting a clinic or participating in a blood drive. They may have additional insights and advice for you to follow, especially if you know you may have been exposed to COVID-19.
Elite Tents and Events Has Emergency Testing Tents
If you need help with emergency tents for community health clinics, blood drives, or COVID-19 testing, Elite Tents and Events can help you. We have a wide selection of tents and accessories available for rent in Maryland that will help you in safely providing health services to your community. To learn more, contact us today.
