COVID-19 Response Plan at St. Joseph’s Villa – 2/12/21 UPDATE
UPDATE (Friday, February 10): We are excited to share that St. Joseph’s Villa employees are now eligible as part of group 1b to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. All staff are highly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity, and many have already participated. Many thanks to our HR department for their hard work in making the vaccine accessible to our team. We are proud to be able to take this latest step to help keep our clients and community safe!
UPDATE (Tuesday, September 8): St. Joseph’s Villa has begun reopening the campus to students and clients only, in phases. We have welcomed back Dooley School and Sarah Dooley Center for Autism students, and Adult Day Support participants. Daily wellness screenings for all staff and students have been established in accordance with guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), and the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE).
St. Joseph’s Villa has precautions in place to help mitigate health risks, which include but aren’t limited to the following:
- Wellness checks for all individuals on campus at a centralized location to include temperature checks and wellness screening survey upon arrival.
- Environmental / physical modifications to allow social distancing within classrooms; sanitation stations have been placed throughout campus.
- Use of Personal Protective Equipment throughout each service as required (face masks, gowns, gloves face shields, goggles, hand sanitizer).
- Students/Clients/Staff will be required to wear face masks throughout the day (as appropriate).
- Rigorous cleaning schedule to include all staff cleaning before, during and after service delivery each day.
- Limited shared resources (no group playground, gymnasium or cafeteria usage).
- Students/Clients will have their own (non-shareable) classroom supplies such as writing utensils and art supplies.
- Boxed meals will be provided individually and served in classroom.
- Constant reminders to soap and wash hands, cover mouth when coughing/sneezing etc.
- Isolated space prepared for those who display symptoms and are awaiting pickup to return home.
- Separating student/client work space 6 feet apart.
- No field trips or transportation of clients will take place.
- Outside activity will be encouraged as appropriate; recreation will be “no contact”.
- Classrooms will have limitations and there will be no gatherings of any kind (hallways, playgrounds etc.).
- All electronics will be disinfected after each use (computers, tablets, communication devices, game systems etc.).
The Villa Shoppe is closed and not accepting donations at this time. In partnership with FeedMore and the Chesterfield Food Bank, we are continuing food delivery to families in need through our mobile Villa Grocery.
A huge thanks to our friends and community partners who continue to support the work of the Villa. You help embody our motto: We never stop believing in children and their families. We anticipate a deep increase in needs as we work to recover as a community from the far reaching economic impacts of COVID-19. Your support means more than ever to our work, and we are deeply grateful for your faith in our mission. You can partner with us to provide critical services by making a gift.
UPDATE (Friday, March 27): St. Joseph’s Villa is continuing to operate remotely. We are monitoring developments and will continue communicating updates. Our Flagler Housing & Homeless Services, Crisis Stabilization Unit, and Community Based Services remain open. We are now also providing Telehealth services.
UPDATE (Monday, March 23): In compliance with Governor Northam’s decision, all Villa schools – Brook Road Academy, Sarah Dooley Center for Autism, Dooley School, and Dooley Center for Alternative Education – will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. We will communicate more information in the days ahead.
UPDATE (Monday, March 16): As we continue to take every measure to protect the health and well-being of our community, all St. Joseph’s Villa staff will work remotely with email access through Sunday, March 29. Our Crisis Stabilization Unit and Community-Based Services will remain operational at this time. Please continue to check our website for further updates.
UPDATE (Friday, March 13): Governor Northam has declared that all Virginia schools will be closed for a minimum of two weeks starting Monday, March 16. This includes Sarah Dooley Center for Autism, Brook Road Academy, Dooley School, and Dooley Center for Alternative Education. All other Villa services and administrative offices will remain open on Monday.
Here at St. Joseph’s Villa, we are committed to the health, safety and well-being of our clients, staff, volunteers and community partners and to the critical services we provide to vulnerable children and families in our community. We are closely monitoring the situation with COVID-19 and convening a cross-functional group of Villa leadership each morning to address our planning and response. The Villa has an Emergency Management Plan that includes an up-to-date Pandemic Response Plan, and we have moved to Phase II of that plan.
Currently our response includes:
- All staff and clients have received communication and CDC recommendations for prevention
- All staff have received instructions on sterilizing work areas, shared equipment, and frequently touched surfaces
- All field trips and the use of Villa facilities by outside groups have been canceled and suspended
- All individual and group volunteer activity is suspended.
- The Villa Shoppe and The Villa Grocery are closed to donations
- Beginning Monday, Culinary will be delivering boxed meals to all services, rather than having students gather in Cottage 4
- All congregate events and non-essential meetings are cancelled
We are closely monitoring the situation as well as school closures, and are committed to doing our part to prevent the spread of the virus. We will communicate changes in our plan through updates on our website and social media. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thank you, and please be safe.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Burke Barrett
Chief Executive Officer