Covid 19 – Update From Our Executive Director
April 6, 2021
Dear Parent/Legal Guardian/ Treatment Ally:
On behalf of the entire team at New Hope, we are grateful for the opportunity to serve your child and family during these difficult times. We hope this letter finds you and your family well. In consultation with our Medical Services Team, I would like to again update you on the current status of Covid-19 at New Hope Carolinas.
Outdoor visitation began April 1. Thanks to all who participated last week and followed our guidelines. Unfortunately, we are suspending this opportunity for the week of 4/8/21 through 4/11/21 due to the rising percent positive rate, which locally is now above 7%. While we are pleased to finally be able to offer this important opportunity for you and your child, please understand that we have an obligation to do so safely, and that we reserve the right to suspend this process at any time, based on weather conditions or local/internal infection rates. I’m attaching our guidelines for your convenience. If you are interested in outdoor visitation the week of 4/15 through 4/18/21, please check with your therapist on or after Monday, 4/11/21.
Due to the current trending of infection rates, coupled with clear guidance from the CDC, we DO NOT support any therapeutic home visits (THTs) or inside visitation over the upcoming weeks. Remember, “through the glass” or video conferencing continues to be available. Please schedule all visitation through your therapist.
I am very pleased to again report that we do not have ANY positive cases in our resident population! We haven’t seen a unit influx since late January.
We continue to require testing of all residents and encourage the testing of all employees on a weekly basis. In addition to weekly testing, we are also requesting a negative test for any new admission and we continue to monitor all residents daily for symptoms. We are also continuing to test and quarantine any new admissions or current residents who are away from our building for any reason, as a precaution. If we see any hint of an influx on any unit, we will test and quarantine the entire unit and stop all admissions to that program. If any youth tests positive for Covid-19, we will notify the parent/Legally Responsible Person (LRP) and encourage his/her parent/LRP to take the youth to their permanent residence for quarantine. When that is not feasible, we will quarantine the youth here.
Our employees continue the vaccination process and we continue our educational and incentive-based campaign in an effort to increase employee participation. We are also continuing our entry screening and other detailed processes in place designed to track and monitor the wellness of our employees and further limit the spread of Covid-19 in our building.
The CDC is now reporting an increase in new cases across several states, and the CDC is warning Americans to continue to remain vigilant in all mitigation strategies. Simple mitigation strategies like masks and distancing continue to be necessary to ensure the safety of our residents and employees. Your patience, understanding and continued cooperation and adherence to these necessary restrictions are appreciated.
Thank you again for allowing us to care for your child.
Sincerely,
Sam E. Phifer, LCSW
Executive Director
