Reena is committed to doing everything we can to protect the health and safety of our individuals, their families, our staff and volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to monitor all directives and implemented our emergency health procedures over 3 weeks ago in order to be ready. The information and direction are based on the data we have now and may change as new information is provided.
At this time, Reena does not have any presumptive or confirmed cases of COVID-19. Our staff are continuing to be screened each day and are monitoring individuals for any signs of influenza-like symptoms.
Starting tomorrow, the majority of Reena’s residential individuals will be supported in their homes and will not be attending day programs. We are committed to ensuring life within the homes carries on as close to normal as possible by keeping groceries and supplies in stock and offering creative programming to bring meaningful activities into the home, as well as safe activities outdoors, applying the principles of social distancing. This excludes our typical activities, like movies.
We recognize many of the day programs in the Developmental Services Sector have closed. For a very small minority of our residential individuals, it is important they are provided with their day program, as it is considered an essential need. It would be challenging for these individuals to be managed successfully without these programs, and for the health and wellbeing of themselves and others, we must continue providing their day program routine and structure. Reena also remains open to families with children living at home who are reliant on us for our support during this challenging time. While maintaining this small day program for these few individuals, we are taking the necessary precautions, including enhanced cleaning measures and social distancing within small group activities.
Many families have chosen not to send their son or daughter to day program or March break. We respect that choice and are offering full refunds for any programs that are cancelled.
Further, there has been an update to our visitor policy. In order to ensure a safe and secure environment for our individuals, Reena staff will only allow visitors into any of our locations who are providing an essential service that cannot be left uninterrupted. These essential visitors will be screened accordingly before entering the home.
We encourage families to continue interacting with their loved ones, either in-person or virtually. When families visit the home, they will be required to self-screen before entering. If they answer ‘no’ to all the screening questions, they will be asked to check-in with a staff member before entering. These families may also choose to take their loved ones out for a walk or other safe activities. However, if the family answers ‘yes’ to any of the screening questions, they will not be allowed to enter the location and if they choose to take their loved one out, then they must remain with them for 14 days.
We regret the inconvenience this may cause but, we must do everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to our individuals and the people who provide care to them. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
We will continue to monitor the situation and are fully prepared to act on advice and direction from Public Health and the Ministry.
We encourage everyone to visit trusted public health websites to ensure you get the most accurate and up-to-date information.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.publichealthontario.ca/
Please contact the Supervisor of your family member’s home for further questions or to talk about specifics around programming and technology for virtual engagement.
Sincerely,
Bryan Keshen
President and CEO
Federal Government Corona Virus Update
Contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or your local public health unit if you’re experiencing symptoms of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
