Overnight Shelter Disease Prevention

There should be a back up in place to make sure that all bed linen is completely washed between each person. So that someone who is positive for Tuberculosis that slept with the blanket one night would not expose a new person to Tuberculosis the next night by giving that blanket to another person.

If there is a room full of people and one person is hacking and coughing then a facial mask should be provided to that person and the room monitor should make sure that they are not without a face mask.Hand towels and hand sanitizer should be installed in each restroom and on the outer walls near by the restrooms, by the food stations and by the water stations.

There should be monitors checking the restrooms and cleaning the restrooms periodically throughout the day and night to make sure that the bathrooms are properly stocked with toiletries, soap, and paper towels.

The dining hall and sitting areas should be sanitized (including the chairs) on a regular and daily basis to cut down on disease spread. It is only proper health that in public shelters that hand sanitizers in the dining areas would be installed.

But most importantly, the spraying with Lysol daily throughout the entire facility should be regulated and monitored.

Fluorescent lighting (and lots of it) is important to kill Tuberculosis and stop the spread of it.  

Lysol sprayed thoroughly and daily (twice daily in some cases) in every single overnight shelter (should be monitored and regulated) is extremely important to cut down risks of Tuberculosis, MRSA, Flu, and other bacteria as well. 

No one should be given dirty linen to sleep with.  There should always be paper towels to dry hands with in the restrooms. And the bathrooms should always be properly cleaned. 

No one who is coughing should be allowed to prepare food. If there is anyone coughing continually in a room full of people then a facial mask should be given to the person who is coughing. 

Everyone should be tested upon entry for Tuberculosis and screened properly before admittance. This is an issue that needs to be addressed across the board in every shelter especially with the high rates of MRSA in Los Angeles.  Thank you!