Skylands Standing Up To The Covid Crisis
/As it has for the rest of America and the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised challenges and forced changes for the Skylands Center community.
It's been almost a year since the pandemic hit with full force in New Jersey. This has been a difficult time of adjustment for staff and consumers as we stayed focused on the number one goal of keeping consumers safe and healthy.
And we have some good news to share:
As of mid-February, all Skylands consumers and staff are healthy.
The still hard to get COVID vaccinations are being administered to each of our consumers whose guardians have approved it.
Vaccinations have also been made available to all staff.
Our early access to vaccinations was made possible in part by a special program introduced by Walmart in New Jersey, specifically for group home residents and staff.
Of course, the pandemic continues as a major health threat and Skylands continues with state-mandated health precautions to minimize consumer exposure to the virus. These precautions include:
Our Day Habilitation Center program in Hackettstown remains closed.
With the center closed, residents of our two group homes in Fredon and Randolph are restricted to those homes and their surrounding properties, with exceptions for health care visits.
Visits by our consumers to their family homes remain suspended, but staff has been helping families do visits through digital apps like Zoom and Face Time.
Visits to the group homes by parents and guardians have recently been authorized by the state, with strict social distancing required.
All staff members and any visitors to the group homes must wear masks, have their temperatures taken and fill out a brief health questionnaire before entering either of the homes.
We continue to follow state COVID guidelines for frequent hand washing and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.
The willingness of Skylands staff to put the needs of our consumers before their own personal convenience has been a major asset for us as we move through this crisis. Staff who normally work in the day center have been flexible about taking shifts at the group homes.
In the early days of the pandemic, when little was known about the virus and public apprehension was highest, all Skylands staff swallowed whatever personal anxieties they felt and reported for work to care for our vulnerable consumers.
"I'm delighted but not surprised at the way our employees have responded," said Nicole D'Ambrosi, executive director of Skylands Center. "We have a good team and that makes all the difference at a time like this."