Sunshine Village

Sunshine Village Re-Opening during the COVID-19 Crisis

As Sunshine Village continues its REOPENING PLAN, we are looking forward to welcoming all of our clients back in the coming months – and are taking many precautions to keep everyone as safe as possible.  We have been hard at work to adapt to the new way of providing services – both at our sites and in peoples’ homes with our Virtual and Remote Services (VARS) program.

We are following the latest guidance from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services as well as the local Boards of Health of the cities and towns are sites are located in.

As a first step, we are opening gradually and will limit client counts based upon spacing requirements of 113 square feet per client and employee, practice social distancing and eliminate threats wherever possible. We detail this careful approach in our COVID-19 CONTROL PLAN, which you can find on this website’s Policy Page under Agency Updates.

Not all clients are able to return in the initial phases of the reopening – given personal risk, transportation issues and/or spacing issues – however we are hoping that restrictions will be lifted or modified in the future so that all clients can return to us.

Below you will find a SUMMARY of the steps we’re taking to insure more GREAT DAYS at Sunshine Village.

Sunshine Village General Protocols

We look forward to welcoming clients back – now or sometime in the future based upon restrictions.  While we hope that the overall experience will be as GREAT as usual, there are some changes clients should expect, including:

• A screening process upon arrival has been instituted, including a temperature check.
• Employees are required to wear masks while in program and common areas and will frequenting encourage clients to also wear masks as much as tolerable.
• Social distancing guidelines will be instituted within program areas as much as possible, including spaced seating.
• Frequent reminders will be given – and signage posted throughout all buildings – about respiratory etiquette and proper hygiene protocols.
• Groups of clients and staff will remain together in their own room and each group will use the same bathroom to limit contact with people.
• Limiting the use of bathrooms to one or two people at a time – and staffing bathrooms so clients can be encouraged to properly wash hands.
• An isolation room has been identified within in each building should anyone become ill during the day.  If this happens, a friend or family member will be expected to pick up the client within an hour.
• Temporarily suspending culinary activities and community outings

Our Commitment to You

We are taking the following steps with our employees to optimize safety:

• Employees understand their need to behave responsibly, including staying home when they are ill – and we have modified our paid time off policies to allow this.
• Employees will be wearing masks when required and follow recommended social distancing practices when safely able to (given the need to support clients.)  No-contact behaviors have been implemented – sadly, no more hugs or handshakes.
• We will be cleaning and sanitizing surfaces rigorously and frequently.
• Employees will frequently wash their hands and using hand sanitizer between washings – and encourage clients to do so too.
• We are conducting meetings and trainings virtually whenever possible.
• We have implemented policies so that computers, phones and equipment are not shared.  Each client will have their own personal storage container for their own supplies.
• We will continue to maintain our HVAC systems to insure their safe and optimal operation.
• Clients (and their families) and employees will be notified about an exposure (which means they were in close contact – within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes – with someone who is either COVID-19 positive or presumed to have COVID-19) while maintaining confidentiality.

Sunshine Village Cleaning and Sanitation Protocols

We have always prided ourselves on maintaining a clean environment for your enjoyment. Now we’re doing even more and the new standards are detailed in our COVID-19 CONTROL PLAN, and includes:

• Enhanced cleaning protocols in all spaces, including bathrooms and common spaces, where we will conduct continual cleaning of high-touch surfaces throughout the day.
• A “Decontamination Team” will provide disinfecting throughout the program areas or entire building, at the discretion of management, when a client or staff member is presumed to have COVID-19.
• We have suspended the use of kitchen appliances in program areas.
• All buildings have UVC LED Sterilization Wands to disinfect phones, electronics, remote controls, WII consoles and other high touch items.

Sunshine Village Training

We have always taken the professional development of our employee seriously – and now more than ever – insure that employees understand our new policies and protocols.

• Programs will continue to comply with OSHA’s standards on blood born pathogens.
• All employees will go through the COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness Training Series, which will be administered prior to reopening to all returning employees.
• All employees will be required to read and understand the organization’s COVID-19 CONTROL PLAN.
• All clients will be provided with training in proper hand washing techniques, respiratory etiquette, social / physical distancing, signs and symptom on illness and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, as able and applicable.

What We Ask of Each Client (and Their Family)

If before arrival each day, a client is not feeling well and shows any symptoms of Covid-19 (fever, dry cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell), please stay home and stay safe.  If a client (or someone they live with) falls ill, we request that they seek immediate medical attention and notify us.

Thank you for your continued support.  We are HOPEFUL about our future – and look forward to welcoming you back to our GREAT DAYS at Sunshine Village – where everyone SHINES!