October 23, 2020
Dear St.Amant families:
Thank you for your continued support for our staff. We keep hearing wonderful stories from staff about the kindness and compassion you are showing our team in this challenging time and it means so much to us to be working in partnership with you to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your family.
This week, we became aware of two staff who work in two different homes within the Community Residential Program (CRP) who have tested positive for Covid-19. We also became aware of a staff person who works within Human Resource Services who tested positive for Covid-19. Our Occupational Health Services team with support from Public Health has been working through the contact tracing for all three cases. We are monitoring all residents in the affected CRP homes very closely and, as of today, no one we support is showing any symptoms in these homes. A huge thank you and acknowledgement to staff for using the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) appropriately, this is proving to make a significant difference in the risk level assessed to staff, and in turn, our ability to maintain appropriate staffing levels. Our thoughts are with the staff who are affected – we understand they are all recovering at home.
For the past seven months, the Pandemic Planning Committee has been coming together weekly, sometimes daily, to plan and respond to the needs of our organization as we respond to Covid-19. At this time, as the numbers of positive cases are increasing in Manitoba and specifically the Winnipeg region, and as we have begun to see a few positive cases within our organization, we are initiating the Incident Command System (ICS).
The ICS is a response team that is proactively working together to ensure that our organization is prepared to manage our resources effectively (staff, supplies, support) in the worst case scenario of large numbers of people we support and/or staff being Covid-19 positive. As the ICS starts to implement the pandemic plans that have been developed by each program and service, you will hear more about our plans to respond, and how you may be able to help.
As we navigate these uncertain times, we have been reminding staff and want to remind you, too, that it’s important to be kind and compassionate with yourself. Please ensure that you are following the Public Health guidelines to keep yourself safe, and be sure that you reach out for support in you need. It’s normal to feel out of sorts, and to miss your regular routine. It’s not normal to feel paralyzed by anxiety, hopeless or alone. Some supports that are available:
Manitoba Government Online Virtual Therapy
Sara Riel Warm Line
Aulneau Renewal Centre Wellness Check
I cannot stress how incredibly proud I am of the St.Amant team and how they have been working together to support your loved ones in the best possible way. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Wishing you all a good weekend.