COVID-19 Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The news about the virus remains fluid and ever changing, and trying to respond and make plans as you can imagine is not an easy task. Things change daily if not hourly. First and foremost, we are concerned about each of our staff as well as the safety of our clients. All decisions have been made in what we believe is in the best interest of our clients, staff and organization. Know that these plans can change and I would ask you each maintain contact with both your supervisor and the FCC Depot through this challenging time.

We will be taking the following unprecedented precautions to continue to keep both our clients and staff safe.

We have suspended programming for:

  • Day Treatment- Winona
  • Rochester -Youth Night Campus
  • The Other Door Drop In Center- Viroqua

Programs with intentional reduced programming/services include:

  • MN/WI Treatment Foster Care
  • Independent Living
  • Domestic Abuse Program- Groups have been cancelled
  • Community Support Program- Reduced services, some group/services cancelled

Contracts suspended via the vendor include:

  • Fresh Start Outpatient contract with the Jail

We expect many/most programs to have reduced services due to clients cancelling and began to see that trend yesterday. We will be watching this closely and will need to reduce staff hours accordingly. All employees have the option to choose not to work and would need to utilize sick and vacation pay followed by unpaid time off if this crisis continues. Employees who are effected have – or will soon – hear from their supervisor about needed changes. In many cases FCC employees have been given the option to work remotely, and Directors have been advised of the need to approve all remote work requests for a week at a time. These requests will ultimately be reviewed by Tita, who will review all of them to both stay informed and to assure we are taking advantage of preventative opportunities to the extent we can.

Employees affected will still need to complete a time sheet – sign and send it to your supervisor/coordinator this week before leaving. If it is not signed before you go, or you add hours during the week, email those changes to your supervisor/director. In subsequent pay periods we will follow the same process. Those with reduced or eliminated hours will have a choice of using accrued vacation and/or sick time, or going unpaid. The desired method of should be included in the email.

It is too soon to know how long this may last, but if you choose to apply for unemployment the state has the ability to confirm your income. You will then be expected to complete their requirements for the process – we have not been advised of any changes in that process at this time.

In addition:

  • Outside groups using FCC space have been suspended
  • Facilities staff have increased sanitization of public/shared spaces
  • Use of Video/teleconferencing should be utilized to reduce face-to-face meetings where possible. Instructions for GoToMeeting are below.
  • Limit outside guests to access of your whole building. As an example, our CSP clients at GVC will be restricted to the private waiting area on the first floor.
  • The front desk at all sites will remain operational and will help direct calls.
  • All clients and vendors are being advised of FCC’s response to the crisis. We will remain open to process intakes and referrals through this crisis.

We may have a ways to go before the threat is mitigated but we will all get through it together. I will be available always if you have any concerns. I remain open to any ideas you may have. Be well and stay healthy.

 

GoToMeeting is the platform we use to host video and voice meetings, and the platform can support a number of simultaneous meetings. Also note that GoToMeeting is HIPAA compliant. The app has been installed on many computers at the agency already, and it only has to be installed on the host’s machine to originate a meeting. If you need to install GoToMeeting please contact Mike Senn at (608) 317-0509 and he will walk you through the process of setting it up. Attendees will only need the link to join.

GoToMeeting   Instructions to set up a video or voice meeting

  1. Open the GoToMeeting (GTM) app and slick on “Schedule a Meeting”
  2. In the schedule window enter a meeting name in the prompt, along with the date and time. Then hit SAVE.
  3. A Meeting Scheduled window will open along with the meeting details with a link, and a prompt box that says Copy Link. Left click on that box, then open an email and right click in the body to paste the meeting details. You can then add meeting participants to the email (including yourself) and send it.
  4. You can add the meeting to your calendar, and use the link in the email to start the meeting.