Coronavirus Precautions

Dear IGHL and all affiliate families and friends,

We’d like to take this opportunity to keep you informed of all of our efforts to address the current Covid-19 situation.  Our goals include staying calm while being proactive and enacting an abundance of caution, keeping every one of our family; consumers, staff and families as safe and healthy as possible and to be as transparent in our efforts as we can be.

First, please be aware that we are using the guidance of the national Centers for Disease Control and the NYS Department of Health as our primary sources of information.  You can assess much of the same information by accessing www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019 and www.health.ny.gov.  As importantly, we recognize that the situation is very fluid, likely to change at a moment’s notice.  We will do our best to keep everyone as informed as we can.

Being health-related providers, using what are called “universal precautions” is standard operating practice.  All staff are well-trained in these practices, of which include;

  • The washing of hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • The use of protective gloves when needed.
  • The use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, including phones, light switches, door knobs, consumer wheelchairs (especially after being in the community) and common use devices using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes several times a day.

In additional, staff are being instructed to:

  • Keep yourself healthy by eating right, getting enough sleep and assisting your immune system as best you can.
  • Be mindful of their health condition as it relates to the known symptoms of the Coronavirus; fever, sneezing, coughing etc.
  • If at any time they are experiencing these symptoms, STAY HOME and contact your personal physician and your supervisor immediately.

We would also like to let families and friends know that we have provided our staff with the information shown above, as well as:

  • We are being extra vigilant regarding the health condition of your loved ones.
  • We have ample supplies of cleaning and disinfecting materials and have arranged for extra cleaning supplies to be delivered to all of our program sites.
  • We have arranged for additional deep-cleaning of our larger program sites.
  • We have arranged for additional cleaning of our HVAC systems of our larger program sites.
  • We are encouraging our staff to exercise caution concerning unnecessary outside recreational trips to large, indoor public areas.
  • We are asking that family and friends limit their visits to our facilities as much as possible until further notice; and to please not come to visit if you’re not feeling well yourself.
  • We are working with our medical/clinical providers in order to limit or postpone any non-essential office visits.
  • We are suspending external services coming into our programs, such as massage therapies.

      Finally, we know that communication is our greatest asset and we’ll do everything we can to keep everyone informed.  We encourage anyone with any questions regarding our agency-wide efforts to contact the executive administration offices @ 631-878-8900.