An important reminder: Please follow the COVID mitigation procedures!

March 30th, 2021
March 30th, 2021

An urgent plea

Like most of you, the CNI team is eager to see the challenges of the pandemic recede.  As we approach the pandemic’s end (hopefully), it is  important that we continue to closely follow the COVID Mitigation procedures at the CNI.  We must help one another to get across the finish line strong – slip ups now will delay recovery.

We are particularly attentive just now because of comments from the national leadership coupled with Stanford’s decision to allow juniors and seniors to fly from around the country back to Stanford.  The risk that new people on campus wil be carrying the virus increased this week.  Our vigilance at CNI, and adherence to the CNI SOP, must increase.

To keep CNI a safe and productive environment please note the following

1. While many RAs are vaccinated, or may feel comfortable with colleagues in their pod, Stanford still requires us to observe ALL COVID-19 protocols including social distancing and masking and the mitigation procedures in the CNI SOP.

2. Please inform us promptly if you see something that does not meet the SOP requirements. We will act to fix any problems we know about, and we need your help to learn about such problems.  Please remember, we will not penalize people.  We will fix the problem pleasantly!

3. As part of the CNI SOP, we require a full 30 minutes for COVID-19 mitigation between scans. Groups MUST complete their responsibilities in 15-minutes to allow for redundant cleaning by the follow-on group.

We appreciate that everyone is worn down by the pandemic.  Please:  Do not relax your vigilance at this time.  Finish strong. A life or serious illness may be on the line.

An SOP reminder

Here are the Overview of Daily Workflow and Cleaning Procedures for Each Station from the CNI SOP.

Key parts of the SOP text are copied here for your convenience.

I. Overview of Daily Workflow
1. The CNI facility will operate with lower user presence in order to meet County and University guidelines. Researcher and subject access will be restricted to the main entrance.

2. Each morning the Stanford University Janitorial service will clean CNI, paying special attention to disinfecting commonly touched surfaces.

3. On the day of their scan, researchers must have confirmed they meet Stanford’s requirements for employees coming into work prior to arriving at CNI. This will be facilitated by the use of the Stanford HealthCheck Form https://healthcheck.stanford.edu/ .

4. For each scan, researchers will arrive 15 to 30 minutes in advance of their subject.

5. Social Distancing: As much as possible researchers will practice social distancing, maintaining 6 feet of separation between each other and research subjects. This is especially important when interacting with individuals that are not yet masked.

6. On arrival researchers will use hand sanitizer, put on gloves in preparation of cleaning, and a mask (or leave on an existing one at their discretion). Researchers will also confirm with the contactless thermometer that their temperatures are not above 100 degrees.

7. Researchers will then proceed to each of the areas they will use for their subject and follow the cleaning procedures outlined in the sections below for each station. Note only a single occupant is allowed at a time in any of the restrooms and the small testing room.

8. After cleaning, one or more researchers will greet their subject. Please note that University guidelines for external (non-Stanford affiliate) participants require they be met in an outdoor location.

a. The researcher will offer hand sanitizer to their subject and give them a procedural mask. Note: scan participants must be provided an MRI Safe mask. This is a regular mask from which the CNI staff has stripped the metal ribbon. The metal ribbon is mildly
ferromagnetic–not enough to cause a projectile hazard, but it will create substantial image artifacts! An accompanying guardian should be provided a regular disposable mask.
b. Researchers will confirm the answers for the subject that will have been collected during pre-screening on the CNI screening form. A single additional visitor, such as a parent or guardian, will be allowed only if necessary to accompany a participant. This visitor must also be screened with the CNI screening form.
c. A contactless temperature measurement of the subject and any visitor will be taken.
d. If the subject (or visitor) presents with a temperature over 100 degrees or has any COVID19 symptoms, researchers will not scan the subject and escort them from CNI premises while maintaining social distance. Researchers should then cancel their scan booking in the CNI scan scheduler and are then free to leave.
e. Assuming no contraindications, signatures will be collected on the screening forms and they will be deposited into the collecting box.
f. The participant will then be instructed to change into disposable scrubs in the changing area/bathroom. A disposable bag will be provided for their clothes and belongings.
g. Any accompanying guardian may accompany the subject to the changing room but must otherwise remain in the waiting area.

9. The researchers will then fill out the MRI screening and consent forms, perform any necessary tests or acclimatization, and then scan the subject. Hand sanitizer will be available at each station and researchers will instruct the subject to frequently clean their hands when moving from one station to another. The sink area in the MRI control room will always be available for additional hand washing and glove changing. Maintain social distancing as much as possible.

10. During the scan, there will be one primary “scan room” researcher. This researcher will be provided with a personal face shield by CNI that they will keep and reuse for all studies. They will be the sole researcher to be present in the scan room with the research subject assisting with preparation of the subject for scanning, scanner entry and egress. Note: Scan participants must wear their MRI-safe masks throughout the entire study.

11. Glove use: Gloves are to be worn whenever interacting with the subject in the scan room, and we recommend they also be used during cleaning. Gloves should not be worn when exiting the CNI. Gloves may be worn in the control room and waiting area, but frequent hand washing or sanitizing is an acceptable alternative and will help preserve our supply of gloves.

12. After completion of the scan, the researchers will instruct the subject to return to the changing room to change back into their clothes. Used gloves, masks and other trash can be disposed of in the normal trash container. ONLY in the event of items being visibly contaminated with bodily fluid do they need to need to be disposed of in the biohazard container.

13. Researchers will escort the participant out of the facility.

14. Researchers will then perform the cleaning procedures at each of the stations they or their subject have utilized.

15. Researchers should reserve in advance any of the stations they will be using on the CNI calendar to ensure no overlap between groups (Scan room, Testing Room, Mock Scanner, Conference Room, CNI Lobby, and Room 050).

II. Cleaning procedures for Each Station
Super Sani-Cloths are intended to be the primary instrument used to disinfect all stations. Please note the EPA recommends a 2-minute contact time for the active ingredient to kill SARS-Cov2 — this means you need to make sure the surfaces are moist enough not to dry out within that period. Please use your best judgment of making sure you refresh your Sani-Cloth as needed, but please also try to use them as efficiently as possible — they are a precious resource! As Sani-Cloths are currently in short supply, we also will be using Sani-Prime Germicidal spray (2-minute contact) and paper towels as well as Clorox Disinfecting wipes (0.5-minute contact). Please note that you should spray your towel first and then wipe, rather than spray the surface as this can cause some aerosolization of any surface virions.

Please also note that ALL supplies are ONLY for the internal use at CNI. Under no circumstances should researchers remove supplies from CNI for their lab or personal use outside CNI.

Station 2: Mock scanner Room
1. Use Sani-Cloth wipes to clean hard surface areas around the table cushion, all over the head coil.
2. Use the Swiffer mop with Swiffer Dry Sweeper Pads soaked with Sani-Prime spray to wipe down the bore area.
3. Place clean linens on the table cushion and the base of the head coil. Remove and place used linens in the hamper located in the mock scanner room.

Station 3:  Changing Area and Bathroom
1. Use Sani-Cloth wipes to clean door handles, faucets.
2. Use Sani-Cloth wipes to clean the bench.
3. Dispose of any used temporary clothing bag.

Station 4: Scanner Control Room
1. Use Sani-Cloth wipes to clean the console keyboard and mouse, surrounding desk surfaces, microphone buttons and control surfaces of the video switch, serial trigger box, FORP and stereo. Also wipe down chair arms.
2. If after the scan, wipe down any other areas you have touched including MRI safe glass frames, lens storage door, etc.

Station 5: Scan Room
1. All following steps to be complete before and after each subject.
2. Clean the MRI table with Sani-Cloth wipes.
3. Use Swiffer pole and Swiffer Dry Sweeper Pads soaked with Sani-Prime spray to clean the MR bore from entry up to the interior air vent. Please leave the scanner fan OFF while disinfecting, and then turn ON after 3 minutes in order to air out the scanner bore. You can subsequently adjust the fan for subject comfort as needed during the scan session.
4. Clean all used pads and positioners with Sani-Cloth wipes. Notify Laima if any are torn or fraying.
5. Clean any coil used inside and out with Sani-Cloth wipes.
6. Clean all ancillary equipment that was used such as bellows, plethysmograph, earmuffs with Sani-Cloth wipes.
7. Clean all common surfaces such as door handles and scanner buttons.

Station 6:Testing Room
1. Use Sani-Cloth wipes to wipe down the table surface and chair arms.
2. If using any supplies from the filing cabinet, be sure to wipe down both the supply container and any handles that were touched.

Station 7: Bathroom
1. Use Sani-Cloth wipes to clean door handles, faucets.

Station 9: Conference Room
1. Use Sani-Cloth wipes to clean door handles, conference table, chair arms.
2. Be sure to keep the conference windows open (there is a block limiting opening to 6” or less) whenever present.

Station 10: Room 050
1. Use Sani-Cloth wipes to clean areas that have been touched such as door handles, conference table, chair arms, etc..
2. We advise keeping the windows open when in use (there is a block limiting opening to 6” or less) whenever present.
3. Users can access Room 050 by exiting through the exterior door immediately outside CNI’s main entrance. However, users must return to CNI via the main entrance of Psychology. This will require users to walk up the exterior stairs and around to the front of Building 420.





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