Since the Santa Clara County Public Health Department updated the shelter in place order everyone in the Bay Area, including CFCG staff, are expected to work from home as much as possible in order to protect ourselves, our coworkers, clients and family members from Covid-19 exposure. This is a business plan for handling the current public health crisis.
Please read this updated plan and bring your questions to Beth and Marté.
Overall guidance for safety:
For your own safety, and to protect your clients and families, and the community, we recommend that all staff continue follow all county and state guidance about sheltering in place, avoiding gatherings, avoiding travel, and taking all hygiene measures. Here at CFCG we do have people who work in this space who have underlying medical conditions that make us vulnerable, and we all need to work together to ensure a safe workplace.
Protect yourself and your family:
Stay home. Go home if you become sick.
Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap & water frequently.
Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. If you do, wash your hands.
When you cough or sneeze, use a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Do not use your hands to cover a cough or sneeze. Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing.
Sanitize your work spaces before and after use.
Use teleconferencing:
CFCG therapists and counselors will use Zoom teleconferencing and phone calls for sessions and meetings as much as possible. We will continue to work from home as best we can through this crisis.
How to get supplies you need for work:
In keeping with the Public Health Department order from 3/31/2020, CFCG staff may come to the office in order to collect supplies necessary in order to work from home. If you need anything from the office but do not wish to come to the CFCG, Beth or Marté can be available to bring you work supplies from the office.
Using the CFCG office:
If a CFCG staff member is not able to work from home, please do the following:
Notify Beth and Marté about the situation. With approval from both the owner and manager, a healthy staff member will be permitted to work in their office on a day to day basis using teleconferencing.
Keep it clean. Staff who go to the office will need to use preventive measures throughout the work day including:
thorough and consistent hand washing,
using sanitizing spray (in kitchen) at start & end of work day,
using paper towels or tissues to open door knobs, touch light switches, etc
sanitizing high touch objects/surfaces between sessions,
physical distancing between people etc.
Keep track. A record is posted in the kitchen to track who is in the office and to confirm that they have used sanitizing spray on "high touch" and shared surfaces. These include all light switches, door knobs and handles, and bathroom keys. We will keep track of this until the public health order is lifted.
In-person sessions:
At this time on April 3, 2020, CFCG is not offering routine face to face sessions, however staff may consult with Beth and Marté about specific clients and situations that require face to face sessions. A client may be considered for a face to face session if clinically appropriate and if they are safe and healthy, and if the family of the client is following the shelter in place orders of the county and region. If a member of the household is not able to follow the order, for example a medical care provider, grocery worker or other essential workers, then for everyone’s protection, face to face sessions are not advised, and teleconferencing is recommended. The CFCG staff member will determine if the client/family is healthy and following public health guidelines prior to each session. In the office, if you are holding face to face sessions, please follow these guidelines:
Ask clients and family members to arrive close to their appointment time. Please do not keep clients and family members waiting in the waiting room.
Clients and staff will wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water at the start and end of every session, drying their hands with a clean paper towel. Family members are encouraged to wash their hands at these times also.
Maintain 6 or more feet between staff and clients as much as possible. Arrange furniture in your office to facilitate this safety measure.
Ensure that tissues and paper towels and a lined trash receptable are available for clients before sessions.
If a family member is not part of the session with the client, they are asked to wait in their car or outside the Chantel Building and to practice social distancing while waiting. Staff will schedule sessions and meetings with sufficient time between sessions to wash hands when appropriate, and use sanitizing spray between sessions.
In case of any illness among clients, family or staff: CFCG generally has had a policy of not seeing clients with contagious illnesses in the office already. This is even more true now. Clients with a household member who is experiencing any medical symptoms of any contagious illness, particularly upper respiratory infection/Covid 19 is instructed to cancel the face to face session and reschedule for teleconference session.
If any staff member believes they or a household member may have been exposed or suspect they are developing symptoms consistent with a contagious illness (particularly any upper respiratory system illness including Covid 19) please promptly notify both Marté Matthews and Beth Proudfoot by email and/or phone. Anyone who seems to be ill or caring for someone who is ill will not return the CFCG offices until they have been free of symptoms and completed sufficient isolation/quarantine per their doctor’s guidance and CDC guidelines, to be completely safe in the workplace.
If you are sick, please do not come to work. Cancel your sessions or ask Beth or Marté for assistance to contact your clients. Take care of yourself. Rest and contact your doctor for further instructions.
If you become sick while you are in the office, please use sanitation & safety measures in the office, and promptly leave to go home and rest. Notify Beth and Marté about your symptoms/illness as quickly as possible to protect others. Please contact your medical care provider for information and instructions about care and medical testing.
Please continue to be safe, and ask for support when you need it, so we can all get through this difficult period. Please bring your questions and concerns to Marté and Beth’s attention so we can help solve problems with you. We look forward to seeing each other and our clients in person again when it is safe to do so.
April 3, 2020