March 26, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians/Social Workers/School Providers,
There have been quite a few changes over the past two weeks in relation to the COVID-19 virus in La Crosse, WI. On Tuesday, March 24, 2020 there were two cases of COVID-19 in La Crosse, Wisconsin that were identified as resulting from “community spread.” This means that we have cases in La Crosse County of COVID-19 which cannot be linked to a person with COVID-19 or to travel. We have not had any staff or students diagnosed with COVID-19 at Chileda.
In response to this news of community spread of COVID-19 within the county, we have made the decision to close our main building, except for the commons, starting on Monday March 30, 2020. The safety and well-being of students is always our top priority, but we are exercising this additional precaution during this time in light of the current circumstances.
During this time, some of our staff will be working remotely to limit the number of people in and out of the building. We have developed systems to ensure that our students continue to have educational programming while in the houses and we will continue to provide structured activities with opportunities to gain skills throughout the student’s day.
We continue to monitor our staff every day for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 upon entering Chileda to ensure our staff and students are healthy before they begin their work day. Our Health & Wellness staff are also monitoring signs of respiratory symptoms and fevers of students during med passes.
We feel that this is what is best to maintain the safety of students and staff. If at any time we have a confirmed case of COVID-19 on campus or with a staff member who has been working recently we will notify families and social workers as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to your child’s Case Manager.
We will continue to keep you updated as we receive more information or experience any changes.
Sincerely,
Terri Gowey
Chief Operating Officer
March 18, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians/Social Workers/School Providers/Vendors,
The situation with COVID-19 has continued to quickly evolve in the state of Wisconsin and La Crosse County. Today we received news that La Crosse County has its first reported case of COVID-19. We continue to follow and take additional measures to provide for the safety of students and staff at Chileda. These measures have included our restriction of visitors on Chileda’s campus, continuing with standard precautions (hand washing, protective equipment) and increased cleaning efforts of frequent touch points.
Beginning tomorrow we will be screening our staff as they come to work for symptoms of COVID-19. This is an additional effort that we are taking over the next two weeks to ensure the safety of staff and students.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) those at highest risk are older adults who have serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease. The La Crosse Department of Public Health nurse also recognized that the children we serve are not at risk of serious complications from the COVID-19. The safety of our staff and students continues to be our number one priority.
We will continue to keep you updated as we receive more information.
Sincerely,
Terri Gowey
Chief Operating Officer
March 18, 2020
“La Crosse County confirms two cases of COVID”
While there are now two confirmed cases in La Crosse County, we are continuing to take precautions at Chileda to keep students and staff safe.
March 17, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians/Social Workers/School Providers/Vendors,
As the situation related to COVID-19 continues to evolve quickly, we have received notice today from Governor Tony Evers that schools will continue to be closed until the ban is lifted. It was reported as of today that there is community spread in the state of Wisconsin, however we do not have any confirmed cases in La Crosse County as of today.
We want to reassure you that we will continue to provide for the safety of the students in our care. We will be following the guidance of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), La Crosse County Health Department and Governor’s office in relation to visitation and monitoring our staff coming into the building. Under the direction of DCF, the restriction on visitation will continue until the ban is lifted by the Governor. We will continue to work with families to ensure family connections through video conferencing such as Skype.
We continue to understand how challenging this is for families and will work to increase your time with your child through video conferencing. Please contact your child’s Case Manager to arrange increased phone and Skype contacts.
Our visitation restriction for vendors, social workers, and school providers will also continue until the ban is lifted.
We will continue to keep you updated as we receive more information.
Sincerely,
Terri Gowey
Chief Operating Officer
March 16, 2020
In compliance with the Government shutdown of all public and private schools in the state of Wisconsin, Chileda’s school program will close from March 18th through April 6th, though we will continue to provide Residential services to our students. The safety of all of our students and staff continues to be our top priority as we take every measure to prevent the COVID-19 virus from entering the Chileda campus. Thank you all for your understanding and support during these uncertain times.
Sincerely,
Terri Gowey
Chief Operating Officer