April 16, 2021
Dear St.Amant Families,
We seem to be in a bit of a waiting pattern as we watch the third wave in other provinces; at St.Amant we are continuing to wait and prepare in case Manitoba starts to see a rapid increase in cases. This week we had one Covid-19 positive in a staff person who works in our Autism Programs. That person is recovering at home. We continue to make vaccine appointments as soon as people we support are eligible and are also continuing to educate and support staff to make their appointments.
I want to thank everyone who was able to join us for the first virtual Family Town Hall on Wednesday evening – it was so nice to see some familiar faces. If you weren’t able to join, you can view the Town Hall here https://bit.ly/3wUVCqG. We also wanted to share the mental health and wellness resources the Jennifer Kilimnik referred to:
RESOURCES
- If you just need to talk or you have specific questions or concerns, there is a free, 24-hour “warm line” through Sara Riel: 204-942-9276
- Check with your health insurer to see if they provide coverage for counselling, such as EAP (employee assistance program)
- If you would like to register for the Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion: https://compassionaction.ca/eventscalendar/online-mindful-self-compassion-3/ and you can connect directly to me if you require a bursary to attend at jkilimnik@stamant.ca.
- There is a free session being delivered on Empathy & Compassion lead by Andrew Terhoch and Jennifer Kilimnik to explore the role of compassion in caregiving. https://www.cham.mb.ca/media/news/CHAM-Empathy-and-Compassion-FINAL.pdf
- To learn more about mindful self-compassion and access online self-compassion meditations check out the websites for Dr. Kristin Neff https://self-compassion.org/category/exercises/ and Dr. Chris Germer https://chrisgermer.com/meditations/
- For a phone app that gives you free access to thousands of meditations check out insight timer, available in your app store for ios and android, or at insighttimer.com.
Thanks again for joining us and we will plan another family town hall for the early fall
Stay safe and well,
John Leggat
President & CEO
