With patients in long-term care facilities making up more than 40% of overall COVID-19 deaths in the nation, many providers have had to quickly respond to an unprecedented pandemic.

When Trilogy Health Services saw the disease reach some of its facilities this spring, it invested in personal protective equipment and increased disinfection frequency at its sites, among other enhanced safety measures. It also put a focus on transparency; keeping families informed about their loved ones through calls, texts, emails and updates on its website.

While the provider had several outbreaks across its more than 110 senior living communities in the U.S., the majority of communities remained free of COVID-19.

The challenge now for Trilogy and other providers is rebuilding confidence around long-term care, said Leigh Ann Barney, President and CEO.

“Even without a pandemic, safety, cleanliness, and supply chain security are critical aspects to consider for providers of care,” said Leigh Ann. “The products and cleaning processes we’ve rolled out with 3M are going to go a long way in helping us continue to care for our residents, who we consider to be members of our family.”

Stressed supply chains

In early 2020, before COVID-19 became a life-changing pandemic around the globe, Trilogy was working with 3M’s Commercial Solutions Division to see if the manufacturer could offer any cost-saving options.

Once COVID-19 hit, however, Trilogy’s needs were expedited. Suddenly, they needed an immediate, secure source for cleaning and disinfection products.

Fortunately, 3M was able to help Trilogy find the products it needed to clean and disinfect its facilities.

“When our supply chain was threatened, 3M was more than ready to provide us with their support,” said Parker Lacy, vice president of Facilities Maintenance at Trilogy.

Rebuilding confidence

Today, Trilogy is utilizing 3M’s Flow Control chemical management system in all of its senior living communities. The long-term care provider has also added a pilot run with the 3M™ Clean-Trace™ Hygiene Monitoring and Management System, which helps quickly quantify and measure the microbial life potential present on a tested surface.

“In essence, the system can help you determine how effective your cleaning process currently is and whether potential changes may be necessary to improve the cleanliness of the facility,” said Garrett Charton, the CSD sales representative working with Trilogy. “3M’s Flow Control system is at least 55% more accurate on average at diluting chemical concentrates than the nearest competitive systems.”

For Trilogy, the 3M™ Flow Control System and Clean Trace system are part of a larger initiative – The Trilogy SHIELD Program – whose aim is to help keep employees, residents and communities safe through increased operational cleaning frequency and enhancements to environmental controls.

Parker added, “By focusing on the health and safety of our residents, the Trilogy SHIELD Program seeks to put minds at ease as we restore faith and confidence in senior living.”

At the heart of the program is Trilogy’s commitment to its customers to create a more safe and secure environment in every Trilogy community.

“We’re fortunate at Trilogy to have on-staff environmental teams, which allows for open, rapid and direct feedback to any changes that we make,” Parker commented. “With our transition to 3M products, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with regard to the effectiveness and convenience of the technologies.”

Sidebar

3M has received EPA approval for two of its disinfecting products as being effective against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. Our back to business playbook can help you review and plan for an eventual return to work and provide your customers and employees the assurance of clean.