Five Weeks In – Keeping People Safe and Healthy

Good Morning;

We have been living and working in this state of emergency for five weeks now and I want to thank everyone for their patience, calmness and hard work.  There have been a lot of changes to  adapt to over the past five weeks and I wanted to review and remind you of the importance of these measures.  These are emergency measures though, and we hope to start moving back towards normal soon, following the Provincial Health Officer’s advice.

1. We are staying home.  Except for essential services (our front-line workers and the support they need) and essential activities, like getting groceries, we are staying home or close to home, and keeping our distance from others.   Our staff will continue to check in with families who are keeping their sons and daughters at home right now and offering assistance.  Let us know how we can help.
2. We are preventing infection:
   1. Wash our hands
   2. Don’t touch our eyes, nose or mouth
   3. Stay home when sick
3. We have adjusted staff schedules to have as few staff as possible coming in to people’s homes.  We have ensured that staff keep their same number of hours and found them work in other locations.  We have also had staff focus on one location, rather than moving between two or three locations.
4. We have closed the office.  There is still lots going on at the office, but people only come to the office by appointment.
   1. On Wednesdays, Judy will have supplies and forms ready for pick up.  Please email her before Wednesday with your requests.
   2. On Thursdays, Grace and Monika will reimburse receipts.  Email your receipt totals to pettycash@spectrumsociety.org and we will have reimbursement ready.
   3. On timesheet submission days, you can PDF your staff schedules, or take a photo of them, and email to payrollstaff@spectrumsociety.org by the times outlined on the payroll schedule.
5. We have Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). We have been purchasing and making personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies and have spent over $15,000 on equipment and supplies to ensure our staff and the people we support can stay safe and healthy.  You can request cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment through your manager.  Thank You to the B.C. Chinese-Canadian Charity Group Society for their major donation of Personal Protective Equipment!
6. We have been over communicating. Daily email updates have helped people know what is happening at Spectrum and in BC.  You can review the updates on our website at:
   1. https://www.spectrumsociety.org/human-resources/corona-virus-covid-19-updates/

It has been a whole community effort to stop the spread of the Corona Virus, and it seems to be working.  The number of people in hospital is dropping and health officials are cautiously optimistic that we have avoided the surge of sick people in emergency departments that other countries experienced.  CBC has an article on the next steps for BC as discussed by the Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry:https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-covid-19-activities-allowed-and-not-1.5536860

Thank you, everyone for caring for each other, for your patience and understanding.  Let us know if you have questions or need assistance.

Sincerely,

Ernie Baatz
Executive Director
Spectrum Society for Community Living
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www.spectrumsociety.org
cell: 604-644-1474

Susan Stanfield
Director, Communications and Quality Assurance
Spectrum Society for Community Living
3231 Kingsway, Vancouver BC, V5R 5K3
Express yourself.  Build your network.  Find your voice.

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