Wednesday, April 8, 2020<\/p>\n
To Our Community,<\/p>\n
First and foremost, I hope that this letter finds you and your families safe and healthy. As we find ourselves in the midst of the unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic, NCSS is committed to continuing to provide all essential services, as ordered by our Governor and the Agency of Human Services (AHS). As you can imagine, decisions are made as new information comes in and this is a very fluid process.<\/p>\n
On March 24th<\/sup>, Gov. Phil Scott ordered Vermonters to \u201cstay home\u201d and \u201cstay safe\u201d to slow the outbreak of the coronavirus in Vermont.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe Governor\u2019s order directs Vermonters to stay at home, leaving only for essential reasons, critical to health and safety,\u201d said a statement from the governor\u2019s office that afternoon.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cEffective March 25, 2020 at 5:00 p.m., all businesses and not-for-profit entities not expressly exempted in the order must suspend all in-person business operations\u201d\u00a0(VT Digger 3\/24\/20) <\/em><\/p>\n On March 26th<\/sup>, the Governor announced that schools will remain closed to in-person instruction for the balance of the 2019-20 school year and to implement plans for remote learning. <\/em><\/p>\n By working with our State partners, we have taken significant steps to adapt our supports to our changing landscape.\u00a0 As of this writing, we are now providing the vast majority of care through electronic mediums such as phone, and video conferencing.\u00a0 All of our sites, except 107 Fisher Pond and Residential sites, have been closed to the public and we are supporting staff to work remotely. With the exception of our residential teams, and a few other unique services, almost our entire support system has become electronic.\u00a0 We will protect our employees from COVID-19, while concurrently providing high quality care to the people that need it the most.\u00a0 We have adapted and are providing needed care through electronic structures.\u00a0 We also can deploy core emergent staff to support individuals that are considered \u201chigh risk\u201d, providing well checks or needed services.\u00a0 We are committed to continuing our partnerships with community stakeholders and providing essential care coordination on behalf of clients through means that promote safety and quality care.<\/p>\n If you are finding yourself or someone you know in need of crisis services,<\/p>\n please call 802-524-6554 ext. 1.<\/p>\n For more information, please see the following resources:<\/p>\n https:\/\/dail.vermont.gov\/novel-coronavirus-information<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/mentalhealth.vermont.gov\/information-coronavirus-covid-19-0<\/a><\/p>\n