A Coronavirus Update 3/13/2020

JFGH Families, Friends and Supporters:

As we all are aware, the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has impacted virtually all of us in one way or another. At JFGH, we are monitoring news, credible sources of information, healthcare outlets and other resources to keep ourselves fully informed and adjust our supports as needed to preserve healthy and safe environments for the people we serve and our staff. Our focus is to take steps to minimize risks of exposure and decrease the spread of the virus. We have activated protocols that address our staffing needs, our medical and related supplies, access to information, training and communication needs.

We are in this together. Governments, businesses and families are all having to make difficult decisions that preserve community health and are in the best interest of their constituents. We are preparing for various scenarios, and have developed contingency plans that address, should it happen, a COVID-19 infection in one of our programs. Given that our plans may contain sensitive information specific to the people we support, these will not be made public.

Out of an abundance of caution and based on expert healthcare professional advice, effective immediately and until further notice, only the people who live in JFGH homes and our staff will be permitted to enter their homes.This involves all visitors and volunteers.

We understand that this is a lot to ask, particularly for family members, and we don’t come to this decision lightly. However, we base this protocol on guidance from a host of reliable sources, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). Because of incubation periods of as many as 14 days, it is simply not possible to know, even if we are feeling well, if we are unwitting carriers of the COVID-19 virus.

We are fortunate to live in a time when in-person meetings are not our only option to stay connected. We are working to ensure that all of the people we support in our homes have access to technology such as FaceTime and Skype so that you may still openly communicate with them. We know you want to hug them and keep them close, but at this time, being in close quarters is being discouraged as unnecessary risk.

In addition, we are adjusting JFGH operations to the following standards:

Groups and group activities of 20 people or more are to be avoided. This will impact our planned JFGH Community Seder, which has been cancelled. Other activities planned or proposed will be re-assessed against this standard, and we will update information accordingly.
We are urged to practice social distancing--maintaining a distance of at least six feet from other people. This is not possible in all circumstances, given the nature of our work; however, whenever possible, our staff and people we support will use this standard.
Individuals who are 60+ years of age and those with either compromised immune systems and/or chronic comorbidities (e.g., lung disease) are particularly vulnerable to this virus. Accordingly, JFGH will assess each individual we support to assess a level of risk, and our supports will adjust accordingly.
We have repeatedly advised staff to follow this guidance: If you are sick, stay home. It is important to remember that not all people who are sick have COVID-19. However, we are taking the most conservative approach to assessing the health status of our staff, and have implemented protocols to assure health and safety.
We are partnering with The Arc Montgomery and others to bulk order hand sanitizer. However, in the interim, healthcare professionals consistently advise that the most effective way to decrease the spread of the virus is to wash our hands with soap and water.
It is critical that we focus on the facts. Credible resources are being updated regularly. The CDC is constantly updating their website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) has released (on 12 March) an informative toolkit for the community: https://files.constantcontact.com/f401fd14401/eb8f4ef7-2c74-4695-93a2-1ae6450b010f.pdf.

These protocols, which are being implemented by JFGH and are based on current CDC, Maryland and Virginia state guidelines on COVID-19 response, the WHO and other sources, are designed to minimize risk of exposure. You may well have seen the graphic below, which shows the need to prevent the public health system being overwhelmed and thus unable to meet the needs of people infected by the virus.

As a reminder, these are the symptoms to watch for:

We know that the days and weeks ahead will bring challenges to all of us and our community. I want to assure you that we are in constant contact with our amazing staff to ensure that they understand the developing protocols and are fully supported with the resources they need. We walk alongside our community as we all strive to stay healthy and keep others healthy. We will continue to update you weekly on Fridays until further notice.

If you have any questions, please contact your program manager; Donyale Hobson Garcia, Chief Programs Officer, dhobsongarcia@jfgh.org; or David Ervin, CEO, dervin@jfgh.org