As we approach the Fall, I would like to share with you our updated plan for maintaining a safe community our homes, Tharros, Teras, and Belmont. We remain Covid-19 free within our communities, and we continue taking many precautions to ensure everyone's safety.
As in the past, we have continued to develop our procedures based on government recommendations which have been adapted with the assistance of my brother:
Dr. Adrian Gardner:
Currently, several of our clients are working, and we have developed plans with them to remain safe, including providing ample PPE. We have several clients participating in online coursework, in addition to online outpatient treatment.
We continue to ask each client to complete a symptom survey daily, which we began on May 18th. That survey requires clients to identify any new or worsening symptoms, as well as a temperature check daily. With any reported symptoms or fever, the client is connected by phone for an evaluation with a NP or MD. If anyone displays common symptoms of Covid-19, they are asked to wear a mask and isolate until we can take them for testing; we are able to get clients in for testing within a few hours. In the case of any illness that resembles Covid-19, the client is tested, but we also test at least 2 others in the community to ensure greater accuracy, as the Abbot Labs system is not accurate enough to be certain based on one result.
In September, we also implemented a system of surveillance testing, which involves regular testing of the community through a lab which comes to the house each week. Tests are PCR tests, and results are delivered within 24 hours. This is a test to ensure that we don't have any asymptomatic cases active in the community, and the PCR test is the most reliable form of testing currently available.
In the event that we have someone test positive in the community, we have a plan to isolate that person in an area of the house separate from other residents. Any client in isolation will join meetings and house structure via zoom during isolation. We have also engaged a provider of commercial disinfectant services, which will disinfect the entire home to ensure that any risk of spread is minimized, in the event of a positive case in the community.
We have ample disinfectant wipes, gloves, masks, and hand sanitizers. We are providing clients with surgical masks and personal packets of disinfectant wipes and sanitizers when they are outside of the community. As we monitor cases in our area, we may require the use of surgical masks during our meetings and close contact between clients, but we have not done so yet. Our team continues to disinfect all surfaces and touch points multiple times per day, and our team is following strict protocols at their own homes too.
At this time, we welcome family visits to our communities, and encourage those visits to take place primarily outside, though inside is permitted. Visitors are asked to wear a surgical mask when inside the homes, and a screening is completed in advance for anyone who is not an immediate family member of a current client.
Our programming continues to include our morning meeting (8:30 am), an afternoon group, dinner prepared with one of our chef's and served between 5:00 pm-6:15 pm, and a recovery meeting nightly; we have a few options for outside recovery meetings now too, which all take place outside.
We have been incorporating outdoor activities and exercise, and recent activities include deep sea fishing, paintball, and kayaking on the Charles River in Boston. We also repurposed a room in the house as a gym with treadmill, rowing machine, and weights. A video-enabled spin bike and a Tonal personal trainer system are also on-site.
Lastly, we are providing ongoing education to clients about the updates available regarding Covid-19; we are monitoring state information and any Covid-19 changes daily. We have also continued to teach clients proper hand hygiene and other safe practices.
We continue to accept new clients, and we have protocols in place to ensure continued safety in our community. Please contact us as far in advance as possible for details and assistance when referring a new client into the community.
I am available for your questions. We appreciate the opportunity to support your family member, client, or referral through this important phase of their recovery and we take that responsibility seriously.
We hope you are all continuing to stay safe and well.
Paul Gardner
Founder and Director
