Category: Uncategorized

Our values, vision, and mission together with your well-being and the well-being of people who use our services continue to be our top priority during the current pandemic.

This week, look for the following updates:

SUPPORT PEOPLE TAB

• COVID-19 Weekly Preparedness Checklist
  • The COVID-19 Weekly Preparedness Checklist has been updated for the week of May 13th to May 20th. 
  • The Hand Sanitizer Recall List (on the U:\\ drive) was updated (May. 12th, 2021), please confirm the removal of recalled sanitizers from all locations.
  • The IPAC Practices section has been added to the checklist
    • This section will replace the supervisor audit tool
• Supervisor Audit Tool During COVID-19
  • The checklist will no longer be required to be completed each week, the addition of the IPAC Practices on the weekly checklist will replace this tool
  • The supervisor audit tool will be available as a resource if a more focused approach towards IPAC practices is required.
• Flowcharts for guidance on COVID-19 exposure for people supported.
  • Updated to include guidance when a person supported develops COVID-19 like symptoms with no known exposure
• COVID-19 Screening Protocol
  • Updated to clarify when the additional questions are to be completed at direct support locations

RAPID TESTING FOR COVID-19

Christian Horizons is working to introduce rapid antigen testing for COVID-19 at our direct support locations throughout Ontario and Saskatchewan as another precaution to ensure a safe work environment. A rapid antigen test for COVID-19 is a self administered nares swab (not a deep nasal swab), with observation from a trained user, that produces results within 15 minutes.  If someone were to test positive for COVID-19 with a rapid antigen test a confirmation test from a COVID-19 testing location would need to be completed afterwards.

Rapid antigen tests are only completed on individuals who are asymptomatic. If someone were to present and during screening state they have symptoms of COVID-19 a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test from a testing location would need to be completed to confirm if a COVID-19 infection is present or not.

The completion of a rapid antigen test does not replace the need for current infection prevention and control practices but adds another layer of protection for employees and the people who use our services.

This week MCCSS approved our expression of interest bringing us one step closer to be able to make rapid testing available in Ontario. Similarly, we are quickly progressing through the steps to receive access to the rapid tests in Saskatchewan.

COVID-19 VACCINE WEBINARS

There will be a webinar this week on Friday May 14th from 2pm – 3pm the following will be discussed:

• Rapid Antigen Testing
• Changes in Long Term Care guidance and what that could mean for Christian Horizons
• AstraZenecca update including information on the potential for a second dose with one of the mRNA vaccines
• 2nd dose of a COVID-19 vaccine timeline

COVID-19 VACCINE UPDATE

On May 6th in Ontario anyone with an intellectual or developmental disability and their caregivers will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by registering under “High Risk Health Conditions”. ConnectAbility has produced a number of plain language resources and videos to help answer questions which can be found here

 

Thank you for your continued work and dedication, your commitment and tenacity to provide the best service and supports is exceptional!

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Questions or suggestions about any of the resources listed on the site?
Send us an email to let us know: covid-19@christian-horizons.org

Our values, vision, and mission together with your well-being and the well-being of people who use our services continue to be our top priority during the current pandemic.

This week, look for the following updates:

STAY AT HOME ORDER

On April 7th, 2021 Premier Doug Ford announced a stay at home order for Ontario in order to combat the third wave of COVID-19 that is currently enveloping Ontario and threatening to overwhelm our health care system. The stay at home order began at 12:01 am on April 8th and will be in place over the next four weeks. In response to this the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services moved all of Ontario into enhanced precautions. How this impacts day to day activities can be found here:

• COVID-19 Current Activity Restrictions

SUPPORT PEOPLE TAB

• COVID-19 Weekly Preparedness Checklist
  • The COVID-19 Weekly Preparedness Checklist has been updated for the week of April 15^th to April 21^st.
  • The Hand Sanitizer Recall List (on the U:\\ drive) was updated (Apr. 7th, 2021), please confirm the removal of recalled sanitizers from all locations.

Christian Horizons has been working closely with a number of local public health infection prevention and control (IPAC) teams to review our guidance documents. The reviews have lead to a change in our wording around the use of gloves during an outbreak. It has been recommended by the IPAC teams that gloves are to only be worn during an outbreak when in direct contact with someone who uses our services, when cleaning, or handling potentially contaminated items ex. laundry. This is to help protect the skin, prevent breakdowns and encourage frequent and proper hand hygiene with alcohol based hand rubs or soap and water. The following documents have been updated to reflect this change:

• Personal Protective Equipment Frequently Asked Questions
  • Updated to reflect resources and public health guidance about glove use during outbreaks
• COVID-19 Response Checklist
• Employee COVID-19 Response Checklist
• Quarantine Zone PPE Caution Poster
• Person Supported COVID-19 Exposure Guide

COVID-19 VACCINE WEBINARS

This week there will be a webinar on Friday April 16th at 2pm register here, the following will be covered:

• Updates on the available vaccines within Canada
• Variants of Concern
• Is there any evidence that vaccines are working?
• District specific breakout sessions will take place in order to discuss any local developments since our last webinar.

COVID-19 VACCINE UPDATE

We continue to see more public health units with plans for vaccine access for direct support professionals, people who use services and essential caregivers. A consistent for this roll out across both provinces is the need to move quickly once our communities have access. Christian Horizons continues to work provincially to advocate for vaccine access in those public health units that may be lagging behind.

MASKS

Over the past couple of weeks concerns have been raised nationally regarding  counterfeit N-95 masks and the use of graphene in commercially available medical masks. Christian Horizons PPE Taskforce has contacted our distributor for N-95 masks and we have been assured that the counterfeit concerns do not apply to our available supply of masks. Similarly, all of our major suppliers of commercial masks across the organization have been contacted by our PPE representatives.  They assure us that it is unlikely that their masks contain graphene. Importantly if graphene is a component of a mask, it should be identified on the box.  We continue to work on this issue, but we also encourage employees to check masks at the location at which they work.  If a box of masks labelled as containing graphene is found, please set aside the masks (identified as “do not use”) and notify the supervisor.

Thank you for your continued work and dedication, your commitment and tenacity to provide the best service and supports is exceptional!

◊

Questions or suggestions about any of the resources listed on the site?
Send us an email to let us know: covid-19@christian-horizons.org

Our values, vision, and mission together with your well-being and the well-being of people who use our services continue to be our top priority during the current pandemic.

This week, look for the following updates:

SUPPORT PEOPLE TAB

The COVID-19 Weekly Preparedness Checklist has been updated for the week of January 14th, 2021 to January 20th,  2021.

• COVID-19 Weekly Preparedness Checklist

At 1201am on Thursday January 14th all of Ontario entered lockdown with a stay at home order. Proof of employment letters for direct support professionals can be obtained from program managers as supporting documentation to being an essential worker.

COVID-19 VACCINE WEBINARS

On Thursday January 14th from 2:30pm – 3:30pm our first webinar was hosted for employees to ask questions related to the COVID-19 vaccines. A working group has been established with representation from within Christian Horizons and the people who use our services to help determine future webinars. Additional webinars have been scheduled over the coming weeks that will be open to employees, people who use our services and their family members.

January 18th and 22nd – Dr. Linda Moriarty 

Dr. Moriarty is a research scientist and the director of the Moriarty Research Lab at the University of Toronto. The Moriarty Lab is an infectious diseases research lab, with a focus on blood borne pathogens. Dr. Moriarty hosts daily zoom calls for the public to engage with research scientists and ask questions related to COVID-19 vaccines.

To register for the January 18th webinar, and to include a question click here

January 29th –  Marwah Younis Damani PharmD

Marwah Younis Damani is a pharmacist with a focus on the developmental sector. Currently she is the medical director for Community Living Toronto. Marwah and her pharmacy student will be joining us to discuss the COVID-19 vaccines. It is possible that two weeks from now additional vaccine options will be approved in Ontario this will allow for an up to date webinar on what is available.

February 5th – Dr. Phillip Dwek

Dr. Dwek is an infectious diseases specialist primarily working in Oshawa. Dr. Dwek completed his internal medicine specialty in 2015 at Western University and went on to specialize in infectious diseases at the University of Toronto completing his training in 2019. More information about Dr. Dwek’s webinar will be available in the coming weeks.

COVID-19 VACCINE UPDATE

A media release by the Ontario Government found here was released on January 13th. Within this release our sector has be identified as a priority group in Phase 2 of vaccine rollout. Phase 2 is likely to start in late February but start times may vary depending on local situations. Phase 2 is expected to be completed by July 2021 at which time close to 10 million Ontarians will have been able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. There are many factors that can influence this timeline however, this is exciting news.

In preparation for phase 2 and to help guide educational resources direct support professionals will have access to a survey from Dr. Yona Lunsky about the COVID-19 vaccine. It is strongly encouraged that direct support professionals complete the survey to help identify concerns and questions within our sector.

With continued information being released about COVID-19 vaccines, an additional web page focused on COVID-19 vaccine information has been released with links to relevant government resources, discussions with experts, and resources for the people who use our services. Direct support employees are strongly encouraged to review the material on this page in order to have up to date information around different vaccines safety and efficacy.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Resources Web Page

An excellent video explaining mRNA vaccines can be seen below, it has been created by Rob Swanda a PHD candidate at Cornell University. Rob has additional videos on his YouTube channel giving simple explanations to commonly asked questions.

 

 

Thank you for your continued work and dedication, your commitment and tenacity to provide the best service and supports is exceptional!

◊

Questions or suggestions about any of the resources listed on the site?
Send us an email to let us know: covid-19@christian-horizons.org

Pandemic Fatigue

“Pandemic Fatigue” can occur when we begin to experience a sense of burnout and become tired of pandemic measures that impact our normal life routines. Pandemic fatigue may present itself as a natural response to following strict health measures and restrictions for such a prolonged period of time. These days, we may feel inclined to ignore public health guidance or simply begin to drown out the messages and warnings related to the continued risk of COVID-19. It is important that we remain vigilant and conscious of all of our efforts to protect people who use our services, friends, families, and ourselves. Please continue to wear your masks properly, wash your hands often, and be mindful of physical distancing. Our What Mask to Wear, When Poster, Hand Wash Poster, PPE Frequently Asked Questions, and other resources are available for you to review at any time. It is important to remember that our actions impact a greater number of people than just ourselves and our immediate social circles. For more information, you can visit the Wellington, Duffering, Guelph Public Health article by clicking here.

Thank you for your continued work and dedication, your commitment and tenacity to provide the best service and supports is exceptional!

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the COVID-19 Visiting Record (formerly, the COVID-19 Visitor Checklist) for tracking visitors in Ontario! In response, we have updated the Visiting Record in the ODB (Operations Database). Among the improvements made are:

• a drop-down menu to select the type of Visiting Record and
• a built-in notification system to alert supervisors when records are created and completed.  

All locations are required to document visits using this record. Enhanced visitor and home visit restrictions have now been put in place in some communities by MCCSS. Please click here for a summary of these restrictions, also available on the COVID-19 Resource page. No matter which community you serve in, please continue to use the COVID-19 Visiting Record in the ODB to track visits in your community.

“Thank you!“ for your ongoing diligence in this documentation. By using the ODB, we can securely access any needed information for reports or for the Ministry should it be requested. We have also heard that electronic submission reduces the amount of work involved in printing, scanning, and securely storing these records.*   

With the recent improvements, this is a great opportunity for your team to review the COVID-19 Visiting Record together!
If you have questions, please connect first with your supervisor or with Lo-an Tran, Operations Manager, at ltran@christian-horizons.org.  

The new COVID-19 Visiting Record will be available in the ODB on, Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00 AM. Please refer to the Instruction Guide – linked to in the visiting record – for more details.  

The COVID-19 Resource Group

*Note: In the event of an ODB outage or internet connection issues, a Word version of the form can still be downloaded from the COVID-19 Resource Page.