Elizabeth Gregory Home places the health and wellness of our clients above all else. We are always striving to ensure that our Day Center is a safe space for everyone. While we have yet to see any confirmed cases among the women that use our services, we are acutely aware that many of them fall into high-risk categories due to their age and underlying health conditions.
Because of this, we are taking extra precautionary measures at the Day Center to ensure that we minimize any opportunity for the spread of the virus.
Here’s what we are doing to protect the women at EGH:
- Requiring each woman to wash her hands upon entry into the Day Center. This must be done before they even sign in at the front desk or sign up for any of the day center services, and is monitored by EGH staff and volunteers.
- Increasing signage Day Center signage, including posters with graphics regarding proper handwashing techniques and information flyers from Seattle Public Health on coronavirus prevention as well as signs and symptoms.
- Wiping down surfaces and door handles with bleach solution every hour throughout the day.
- Quarantining staff who fall in the vulnerable adult category.
- Getting daily updates on recommendations from the CDC, W.H.O., and Seattle/King County Public Health.
If we observe that any client is presenting symptoms aligned with COVID-19, flu or even the common cold, we request that they
- Wear a mask. King County Public Health has offered masks, hand sanitizer and other related supplies to all homeless providers, free of charge.
- Provide space for temporary isolation for clients we suspect have COVID-19 while we contact King County Public Health for instructions on next steps.
We will continue to be proactive and appreciate the support of our community partners as we continue to support vulnerable women during this stressful outbreak.
