May 2020

It is with great comfort that I inform you that Willow Springs Center is considered by the NV Health Department as a “COVID-19 recovered facility.” We have been successfully treating our current patients, during the virus outbreak, as their mental health needs were paramount. We felt fortunate that no patient exhibited severe symptoms, nor did any patient need medical/surgical hospitalization, which allowed for their psychiatric treatment to continue.

We have begun admitting new patients on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. We have implemented all applicable safety measures advised by the CDC and NV Health Department, and will continue for as long as needed. The safety, health and wellbeing of our patients and staff are of the utmost importance to us. We celebrate our Healthcare Heroes for their dedication and commitment to our patients and their treatment.

We also thank all mental health workers in the communities we serve for their support and patience during this time. We hope you stay well and we look forward to serving you and caring for patients. If you have any questions or concerns, please call us.

Important Coronavirus Update

Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19, is a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.  The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. If you develop a fever or cough or have difficulty breathing, or have had close contact with someone who has had a presumptive positive or confirmed positive COVID-19 test result, please seek medical attention by calling your provider’s office. For more information regarding the coronavirus, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

As leaders in mental healthcare, we are making every effort to avoid inciting unnecessary panic or anxiety among our clients and families, and we are taking every measure to protect them – along with our employees – during this dynamic situation. We are closely monitoring information provided by key government, regulatory and local entities. In the interest of protecting the health and safety of our patients, staff and our community, the following have been implemented.

Facility Services and Programs

• Our facility is fully operational. We are monitoring for symptoms in patients and staff. We are taking proactive steps to keep our patients and team members safe while serving the needs of our community. We are actively monitoring and responding to all recommendations made by the CDC and our local regulatory and health authorities.
• Community education programs may be cancelled/postponed; please see event details and follow us on Facebook for updates.
• We have implemented additional training for all employees on handwashing and hand sanitization, and strict employee and client compliance with washing/sanitizing hands thoroughly and often.
• We have increased the frequency of the required cleaning and sanitization of our facility, including intake rooms, surfaces and common areas.

We are Accepting Donations!

Our staff of healthcare providers is currently equipped to keep patients and our workers safe. However, it is expected that over the next few weeks, we will experience a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). If you are interested in providing items (donated or hand-made) to our Facility, kindly follow the user-friendly instructions here. We thank you for your generosity and your time.

• How to make a Hand-Sewn Gown- Click here to download
• How to make a Face Shield- Click here to download
• Community Face Mask Instructions – Click here to download
• Community Face Mask Instructions Video (11 min) – Click here to watch
  Provided by Providence St. Joseph Health

Limited Visitation — New Temporary Policy

The following is in effect until further notice:

• All in-person visitation has been suspended (with limited critical exceptions). We strongly encourage the use of electronic methods to stay connected with loved ones including telemedicine, zoom, and extended phone time.

ONLINE VISITATIONS

Online visitations may occur during your child’s appropriate phone call time on their unit (between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm on weekdays and 10am-6pm on Saturday/Sunday). The Zoom platform is what we are currently using.

*Online visits will be 20 minutes. At this time, families can utilize one visit per week depending on demand. If there are two primary households, please work to make accommodations to alternate weeks rather than requesting additional visits to occur during the same week.

Patients with their first initial starting with A-M will be able to have visits on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday. Patients with the first initial starting with N-Z will be able to have visits on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday.
Visits will take place on a first come first serve basis. Families will need to call the hospital phone and identify that they would like to have their weekly visit at that time. They cannot be scheduled in advance for a different day. If the Ipad is being used by another patient on the unit, the staff may call you back when the Ipad is available for use. Once you are connected to the unit, they will give you your Zoom ID code. They will log into the Ipad and once you are connected, they will enter you into the meeting. Your child will then go into the self-soothe room on their unit for their call.

*For the privacy of other children on the unit, please do not ask your child to show you others or the unit. If your child is attempting to show you their friend or anything outside of the identified space, please encourage them to respect other people’s privacy.

PHONE CALLS

Phone calls will take place between 4:00pm-8:00pm to accommodate additional phone calls. We do ask that incoming calls for patients cease at 7:00pm so that we can have the kiddo’s wrap up their evening activities and hygiene on time.

***Phone calls will increase by 1 per patient dependent on their program level. If your child has unsupervised phone calls these will occur on the unit.

FAMILY THERAPY

Family therapy will be scheduled through your child’s therapist and can be done via telephone or video conferencing.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility during this time!

Prevention

The CDC recommends individuals and families follow everyday preventive measures:

• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; especially after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60–95% alcohol.
• Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
• Stay home when you are sick with respiratory disease symptoms.

Thank you for your cooperation and for being an advocate for the health of your loved ones and all patients in our care.