Dear Joya families, staff, boards, and community:
Joya remains vigilant in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Washington State. We are following the guidance of the CDC, our Spokane Regional Health District, Washington State Department of Health and our Medical Director. We will continue to update our response as new information and guidance becomes available.
Governor Jay Inslee announced on March 13 that all public and private K-12 schools in Washington State will be closed from March 17 until at least April 24. Joya understands that while this decision is necessary, it has a tremendous impact on our staff and the families we serve. We are doing everything we can to ensure the health and safety of our staff, while planning for the unique and specialized needs of the children and families we serve. We strive to be good stewards of reliable information and resources.
What is Joya going to do?
In addition to the hygiene and heightened sanitizing measures outlined on our previous communication, all Joya groups will be cancelled, effective March 16th until April 24th or until further notice.
We will remain open to the greatest extent possible for evaluations, individual therapy, and home programs. We are currently exploring telehealth options and intend to offer that as a remote option in the coming weeks.
School and childcare closures will undoubtedly impact the number of staff available to provide services. You can expect a phone call from a member of your child’s team to discuss a temporary change based on your family’s individual needs and service availability.
All families will be contacted by phone at the beginning of each day before a child has scheduled services. The Joya team member will ask:
• Has anyone in the household or in close contact had a fever, cough in the last 72 hours?
• Has anyone in the household or in close contact been tested for COVID-19/Coronavirus?
If we are unable to reach you, your child’s services will be canceled.
All of our service providers will wash their hands with soap and water before and after each appointment.
Surfaces (mats, tables, etc.) will be sanitized between uses.
Frequently touched surfaces will be sanitized repeatedly throughout the day and again at the end of each day.
Staff will stay home if they are sick or exhibiting symptoms such as fever or cough.
Staff will not bring toys to or from home programs.
We will remove toys from shared spaces in our building, such as the entryway, clinic area and family resources areas.
How can I learn more?
We can all take steps to help share accurate information about the illness and minimize the
impact on ourselves and the community. The following are reliable sources of information:
Washington State Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control
Spokane Regional Health District
Joya will update our website and social media with new information as it becomes available. Please check frequently for further communication. The safety of our families and staff is our highest priority. Thank you for taking precautions to protect our community and those we serve.
Sincerely,
Colleen Fuchs
Executive Director
Joya Child & Family Development