Keeping You Safe: Door Screeners

Beginning a year ago, if you walk into any hospital across the province, you will encounter a masked health care worker asking about COVID-19 symptoms and recent travel history. This practice of “Active Screening” was introduced a year ago as a protection measure early in the Pandemic to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Since March of 2020, Door-Screeners have been at the front line every day, greeting any staff member, physician, volunteer, patient, and visitor that walked through our doors. Screeners have a key role in keeping our community safe when they enter the hospital.

“Getting the program off the ground and running in the early days of the pandemic was quite the challenge for the entire team,” says Manager, Katie Malone. “We used nursing students to staff the screening stations while we recruited and trained our current screeners.”     

Despite the repetitive questions asked of every person who enters our doors, these health care workers are the first line of safety in hospitals. “While it is true that the work can sometimes feel a little repetitive, the value these positions bring to the organization, both from infection prevention and customer service perspectives, cannot be overstated,” says Malone.

Our Door Screeners have the important task of communicating new policy changes or updates to public health guidelines, all while maintaining the pleasant and helpful demeanour our community has come to expect when visiting SAH.  

Help us help you. When coming to the hospital, remember to follow physical distancing measures, follow the directions of our Door Screeners, wash your hands, and apply a mask as directed.