To the Editors:
At Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County, we have been working tirelessly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to care for the residents of the communities we serve. We have taken extraordinary measures to protect the health and safety of our patients and their families as well as our staff, volunteers and the public.
We are enormously grateful to the community for their generous support of our nonprofit agency and for the personal sacrifices they have made during this unprecedented public health crisis to stay home, stay safe and slow the spread of the coronavirus.
As Connecticut institutes guidelines for reopening the state and the “new normal” begins to take shape, I want to assure you that Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County continues to go above and beyond to safeguard the health and well-being of those in our care.
As public health nurses, our staff has extensive knowledge and experience and has always adhered to careful infection reduction practices. We continue to be especially vigilant now including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), rigorous hand hygiene and maintaining safe social distancing.
We have advanced technology in place that enables us to conduct real-time, interactive, virtual Telehealth visits to complement our in-person home visits.
Each of our staff members has received additional, intensive instruction in the delivery of expert, compassionate clinical care in accordance with all local, state and national guidelines and requirements for the safety and health of our patients.
We are offering bereavement support groups and community health presentations via Zoom.
As a service to the community, we have instituted our Ask a Nurse hotline to field questions about the coronavirus and any other health concerns. Members of the community are invited to call 203-834-6341, ext. 500 or send us a healthcare question via email to health@visitingnurse.net and a nurse will respond as soon as possible.
We are available to consult with businesses on public health and safety measures as they re-open.
These are challenging times for everyone but I am encouraged by the progress we have made and inspired by the outpouring of community spirit that we have experienced during this crisis.
Please continue to follow the CDC guidelines for health and safety and consult the CDC website at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html for important updates. And, as always, if you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us at 203-762-8958 or 1-800-898-HOME.
Stay well.
Sharon M. Bradley, RN, MSN, DNP