As so many businesses that are directly impacted by Covid-19 we are painfully aware of how fear can lead to misdirected anger and rumors. We would like to ask our families and community to help us support our residents and care giving heroes by knowing the facts about Corona Virus and sharing them with others. The CDC has published a wonderful document called “Know the Facts about Covid-19” found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/share-facts-h.pdf.
We wanted to share how we have incorporated this guidance to support our team of heroes and how you can support them during this difficult time.
1) Diseases can make anyone sick.
As our Administrator Mark Matthews shared in this letter: https://fairhavensseniorliving.com/2020/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/C-19Letter-FHSL.pdf , we have been doing everything possible to protect our residents from the beginning. Our number one priority is the care and well being of the residents we care for every day and consider family.
2) For most people, the immediate risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low.
This does not mean that we don’t take precautions seriously. In addition to having a community of people that are at higher risk, we have a staff that comes to work, even though they may fear getting the disease and/or taking it home themselves. We honor them and we thank them.
3) Someone who has completed quarantine or has been released from isolation does not pose a risk of infection to other people.
We have carefully screened our employees from the beginning to ensure they do not have risk factors for spreading the disease. We decided early on that the best way to protect our vulnerable population was to make sure we minimized the risks of exposure by being pro-active in prevention.
4) There are simple things you can do to help keep yourself and others healthy.
Even before the Corona Virus, our facility has invested time and money in being sure every employee is well educated and supervised to practice proper preventive measures to protect themselves as well as our residents. We require our team members take continuing education courses on all aspects of medical standards as part of their employment requirements. This includes a wide range of subjects such as medical hygiene.
5) You can help stop COVID-19 by knowing the signs and symptoms:
Our staff has been made aware since the first evidence of this virus spreading to the US of the signs and symptoms to watch for: Fever, cough, shortness of breath or other changes in health that may be related to this virus. We started screening every employee at the beginning of their shift before letting them come into the building as soon as we knew there was a risk.
6) You, our residents’ loved ones and our community can make a difference!
Your love, support and prayers for our staff of heroes, our facility, your local community and the world matter. Please remember we are in this together. We need you and we are here for you and your loved ones.