A message from the Executive Director in response to the coronavirus

A message from the Executive Director in response to the Coronavirus:

St. Mary’s Home for Children has been actively monitoring the evolving events around the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and working on a preparedness plan. During this developing situation, I would like to assure those we serve, our staff, the community, and all other stakeholders that St. Mary’s Home for Children is focused on the health and safety of our clients, our dedicated staff members, and the community.

We are keeping apprised of the State’s response to the novel coronavirus and are cooperating with state mandates and recommendations to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are committed to ensuring that the needs of our clients are met safely and as effectively as possible as we navigate this evolving situation. In light of state mandates and recommendations, St. Mary’s is taking the following actions as of Monday, March 16, 2020:

• George N. Hunt School: Our campus school is on vacation for one week. Our school administration will develop distance learning plans for our students during this vacation week to prepare for a possible extended school shut down.
• Outpatient and Community-based Services: In order to limit the number of people on our campus and protect our clients/staff, we will be suspending all face-to-face office and community-based services until the end of March. Our clinicians and care managers will continue to support clients telephonically (over the phone). Suspending face-to-face interactions will be re-assessed at the end of March.
• Residential Programs: In order to protect residential clients and staff, we will be suspending all off- and on-campus visits between residents and family to prevent the possible spread of the virus, as well as suspending off-campus outings for residents. We are preparing a residential quarantine space in the event one of our residents is found to have the virus. We are also increasing the amount of cleaning/sanitizing done throughout campus and constantly reinforcing good hygiene practices for our staff and young residents.
• Staffing: Only essential personnel will remain on campus. Other staff will work remotely to ensure St. Mary’s administration is able to continue in order to provide our services.

We recognize that these actions may be difficult for the families we serve but we are making these choices out of an abundance of caution to help mitigate the potential spread of the virus through personal contact. We feel that it is in our community’s best interest to follow State guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of all. St. Mary’s Home for Children, always a strong community partner, will do our part to prevent the spread of the virus and stand ready to assist our clients to get through this difficult time.

Wishing you peace and good health,
Carlene Casciano-McCann