Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

March 13, 2020

Thom Child and Family Services continues to pay close attention to concerns around coronavirus and the illness caused by coronavirus (COVID-19). Our top priority is always to keep our clients and staff safe and we are staying informed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure that safety. We want to keep you informed of our current planning and will continue to do so as the situation continues to evolve.

What We Are Doing to Protect Against Illness

At Thom Child and Family Services, we are taking extra care regarding the cleaning and disinfection of all of our facilities and have ensured that hand-washing supplies are available.

We are also monitoring all of our programming and ensuring that our practices promote safety in accordance to the most recent recommendations, including:

• Staff have been instructed NOT to come to work if they are ill. To promote this practice, Thom has offered unrestricted access to earned paid time off as well as access to additional paid sick time and unpaid time off.
• Staff will NOT enter a house if there is an ill person in the home or if the family is in quarantine.
• Staff have been instructed NOT to come to work if they have been exposed to COVID-19 (whether symptomatic or asymptomatic).
• Staff have been instructed to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds upon entering a home and upon leaving the home.
• If soap and water are not readily available, staff will use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Staff will clean and disinfect equipment before and after each use.

If we find we need to make any changes to our scheduled services, these changes will be communicated directly from the staff.

What You Can Do to Protect Against Illness

We ask that all members of our community be conscious of recommended guidelines:

• Families are instructed to call and cancel their appointments with us if anyone in the household is ill or has had a known exposure to COVID-19.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer if soap/water is not available.
• Avoid touching your face-particularly your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Avoid physical greetings such as hugs, kisses, and handshakes.
• Cover all coughs and sneezes. If possible, cough and sneeze into a disposable tissue and then discard it. Use your elbow only if you need to.

 Continued Vigilance

Thom Child and Family Services has an important responsibility to care for our community and we will continue to focus on health and safety. We will remain vigilant regarding the evolving situation and will adapt our practices as appropriate. Thank you for your patience and understanding and for partnering with us to keep our community healthy and safe. For more information, please visit Mass.gov or the CDC website.