Covid 19 – Update From Our Executive Director
April 20, 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 is unfortunately suspended again this week and weekend 4/22/21 through 4/25/21 due to the York County SC percent positive rate, which is now above 8%. While we are pleased to finally begin to try 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. If you are interested in outdoor visitation the week of 4/29 through 5/2/21, please check with your therapist on or after Monday, 4/26/21.
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.
We discovered one positive case in the resident population last week, and surmise this resident was infectious at the time she was admitted to us.
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. We haven’t seen a unit influx since late January. 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.
We are now able to provide the Pfizer vaccine to any youth over age 16. If you are interested in getting your child (over age 16) vaccinated, please contact your Case Manager and sign a consent form. We will take care of scheduling the visit and providing the transportation.
We are 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. This includes providing ongoing education on the safety and efficacy of vaccines, as well as a financial incentive-based campaign in an effort to increase New Hope employee participation in the international efforts to vaccine everyone.
The CDC continues to report increasing rates of new cases across several states, and the CDC is warning Americans to continue to remain vigilant in all mitigation strategies. 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
