In this COVID-19
communication we will cover the following:
COVID-19 variant updates
Support, Inc. vaccine clinic
COVID-19 Operating protocol update
COVID-19 variant updates
As of December 2021, the Omicron variant is the main variant spreading in Colorado. This variant likely spreads more easily than the original COVID-19 virus. Data is showing that vaccine effectiveness against infection for two doses of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) is approximately 35%. A COVID-19 vaccine booster restores vaccine effectiveness against infection to 75%. The COVID-19 vaccine decreases the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Getting vaccinated and getting boosted is the best way to protect yourself, the individuals we support and our community.
2. Vaccine updates & vaccine clinic
Support, Inc. recognizes the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine for the individuals we serve, providers, families, and employees to ensure we have access to all the tools to protect ourselves throughout the pandemic. Last year we hosted two vaccine clinics at our Aurora office. We are excited to announce we will be hosting another clinic on Wednesday January 26th. This clinic will offer first, second and booster dose appointments of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. The clinic will be by appointment only. Your Residential Program Coordinator or supervisor will contact you over the next week to two weeks to provide you more details and schedule appointments for those who are interested.
3. COVID-19 Operating protocol update
The CDC updated their COVID-19 exposure and isolation
guidance this week. We will be updating our operating protocol and procedures
accordingly and will communicate these changes within the next week.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or your supervisor. We will continue to provide updates through email, our website and our Facebook page.
The Safety Committee is reaching out to bring you some
interesting and helpful safety information! Each month you will receive an
e-mail from the safety committee regarding different safety topics. If you have
topics you think would be helpful to your Support Inc. team, or you would be
interested in joining, feel free to connect with anyone on the safety
committee!
January Safety Topic:
New Year, New Immune System!
While we might think we know everything about our bodies
and keeping them healthy, especially during this pandemic, there are still
tips, tricks, and general information that could potentially save our lives!
Be aware of some of the stressors in your everyday life. Ongoing stress makes us susceptible to illness and disease because the brain sends defense signals to the endocrine system, which then releases an array of hormones that not only gets us ready for emergency situations but severely depresses our immunity at the same time. A couple of mind-body therapies to help are relaxation exercises, positive thinking, behavior modification techniques, and social support.
Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases. But does it help to boost your immune system naturally and keep it healthy? Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system.
Z’s are another natural immune system booster. “Your immune system is like your computer — it needs moments of rest so it doesn’t become overheated.” When you’re sleep-deprived your body churns out stress hormones to keep you awake and alert, which can suppress your immune system.
Make sure to get your health checkups! As much as we (including myself) may despise the doctor, we need make sure that if there are issues, they are getting addressed in time. It becomes difficult to control/treat issues once they are at an advanced stage. But course correction at an early stage is much easier.
Always read direction labels on your cleaning products! They are there for a reason, while we may think that mixing cleaning solutions will clean better, mixing certain chemicals can harm our lungs and our skin. Make sure to also check labels to ensure you are using the proper PPE (gloves, goggles, etc.) when handling the solutions.
Finally, just like mom and dad said, eat your fruits and vegetables! Fruits and vegetables are heavy in vitamins and nutrients and can help your immune system as well. Combining the right foods and supplements is key to staying healthy. Specifically, they are rich in Vitamin C, which reduces the duration of the common cold.
The Safety Committee is reaching out to bring you some interesting and helpful safety information! Each month you will receive an e-mail from the Safety Committee regarding different safety topics. If you have topics you think would be helpful to your Support Inc. team, or you would be interested in joining, please reach out to you Residential Program Coordinator to connect with anyone on the Safety Committee.
December safety topic: Being safe with electricity!
Did you know 150 home fires per year happen because of holiday lights or decorative lighting, accounting for $8.9 million in property damage each year, as well as occasional injury and rare fatality??
Here
are some helpful tips for you to ensure you’ll be safe this holiday season!:
Inspect
all electrical decorations for damage before use. If you notice cracked or
damaged sockets, loose or bare wires, and loose connections, do not
attempt to use these as they are hazardous and may cause a serious shock
or start a fire. Tip: LED lights are the best. Not only will they use up
to much less power, but they run cooler, are less of a fire hazard and are
long-lasting
Most of
us use extension cords when decorating for the holidays. Do you know if
your extension cords are properly rated for their intended use? According
to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, faulty extension cords
cause 3,300 residential fires each year,
resulting in 50 deaths and 270 injuries
Do not overload electrical outlets.
Overloaded electrical outlets are the number one cause of electrical fires
during the holiday season. Avoid overloading outlets and plugging high
wattage appliances into one outlet
Never
connect more than three strings of incandescent lights at a time. More
than three strands can blow a fuse, and is also high risk to cause a fire
because the wires overheat
Water
your tree. Dry trees are a fire hazard!
Protect
cords from damage. To avoid shock or fire hazards, cords should never be
pinched by furniture, forced into small spaces such as doors or windows,
placed under rugs, or attached by nails or staples
Turn
off, unplug, all decorations and extinguish all candles before going to
sleep or leaving your home
Keep
candles away from anything flammable – especially a Christmas tree. Also
pay attention to what is above candles; the hottest place is right above a
candle. Paper, cardboard, synthetic fabrics and decorations can all easily
catch fire
Please join us in congratulating our most recent Family Caregiver of the Month, Roxie! The following write-up is provided by Kali, Residential Program Coordinator with the Loveland Team.
I started working with Roxie in August of this year. In the short time we have worked together, Roxie has shown the highest level of patience, empathy, and compassion for J and the willingness to learn. During our second meeting, I went over the file review with Roxie and showed her some areas in which we were lagging with compliance. Roxie assured me that she would try to do her part to increase our next file review score, which she has. Roxie is also very swift when notifying me about consult visits, as well as turning in consult notes in a timely manner. At each visit, J does not miss an opportunity to let me know how much of a positive influence Roxie has been in his life and I can see why. Roxie truly embodies many of the characteristics of a great Host Home Provider.
Thanks for all that you do Roxie-we are happy to have you here at Support Inc. Congratulations for being Family Caregiver of the month!
The people we serve have a wide variety of options when it comes to celebrating the holidays. Some individuals spend the time with their families. Others enjoy the company of their host home providers. For Jim, he enjoyed Thanksgiving with his providers, Juanita and Lendy! The three of them, along with two other individuals in the home, took an amazing road trip California. From Las Vegas to Disney, Laguna Beach and back to Vegas, Jim had quite the adventure in late November.
Jim enjoyed a week-long trip beginning with a road trip to
Las Vegas. Juanita reports the majority of these details, on Jim’s behalf, with
his permission. Juanita relays that they started with gambling in Las Vegas,
people watching and spending time at the aquarium. The fish provided great
entertainment in a calm and intriguing environment. Afterwards, Jim perused the
strip and reportedly felt mesmerized by the holiday lights.
The group traveled to Disney next. Between the Christmas
Parade, shopping and meeting all the characters, Juanita described this as a
highlight of Jim’s trip.
“We grabbed some funds from his trust, so he could shop at Disney Land. Jim looked great in his new Mickey ears, and we could tell he enjoyed picking out several souvenirs!!”
It was hard to pull themselves away from Disney, but alas, the
show must go on. Jim, Juanita and the crew continued their adventure to Laguna
Beach, their final destination. The weather was warm and breezy with
breath-taking views of the ocean. Juanita took Jim and the other two
individuals to see the beach, and they enjoyed a stroll along the sand. Juanita
remembers their picnic fondly, with a blanket in the sand and yummy snacks for
all to share. Spending time in Laguna Beach was calm and relaxing, a great way
to wrap up the trip before returning home.
When asked what was Jim’s favorite part of his vacation,
Juanita suspects it was Las Vegas and Disney Land. She relays this was very
exciting for him. When asked what Juanita enjoyed most, she said, “This was
first time taking Jim on vacation with us. We greatly enjoyed his presence, his
smile and his enjoyment as we explored a few places together!” Juanita also
admitted that returning to Las Vegas on the way back was fun, as well.
What makes this most incredible is, Jim is in respite with
Juanita and Lendy, a temporary placement! We are blown away to their commitment
of individuals in respite; it’s not every day that someone in a temporary home
is able to travel to such nice locations. Jim has been with Juanita for the
last 6 weeks and Jim will be given a choice where to live once that decision
needs to be made, with Juanita as an option. To top it all off, Jim and their
other two individuals traveled to Steamboat a few days later. Additionally, a
Florida trip is in the works for next year.
Ultimately, we love to read of Jim’s adventures. We’re so
happy for the care that Juanita and Lendy provide him, and we hope to hear of
more travel in the future!
Support, Inc. is a residential service agency that provides support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If you or someone you know could benefit from DD services in Colorado, please email us at Intake@supportinc.com.
Emily has come a long way since starting with Support Inc
in 2012. Her team is extremely proud of seeing her grow into the confident,
intelligent, and independent woman that she is today.
Emily has always wanted a job; in September, she finally
achieved her goal and started working at Clay and Glaze. She will be assisting
with clay projects, glazing and recycling. Before starting her new job, Emily
was sharpening her skills by helping Support Inc. sort out documents, shredding
and even learning how to work the copier and fax machine! Emily has also taken
on a leadership role in day program and assisting her peers whenever needed. In
addition to everything mentioned, Emily has become quite the fashionista! Often
setting trends with her peers in and outside of day program.
Way to go, Emily! We’re so proud of you and excited to watch your continued growth at Clay and Glaze!
We’re so excited to share the recording from our Clinical Webinar yesterday morning! If you missed it, please see the link below. Chris Sharkey, Jamy Wetzel-Little and Faith Wilkins join us for a discussion on what makes Support, Inc.’s Clinical Services unique! From our person-centered approach to trauma-informed care and consideration of heart rate variability, we take a closer look at our services and who could benefit from them. Following the lecture, we have another half hour of discussion for questions and feedback.
In this COVID-19
communication we will cover the following:
Omicron variant
Vaccine updates & booster dose clinic
COVID-19 Operating protocol update
COVID-19 Omicron variant
On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified a new variant, B.1.1.529, as a Variant of Concern and has named it Omicron. The first case of the Omicron variant was detected in the United States on December 1st. The individual, who is fully vaccinated, recently traveled internationally. The developed mild symptoms that are improving and has been in self-quarantine since symptoms developed. The WHO is working with researchers around the world to conduct studies to better understand the Omicron variant.
In previous communications we discussed that all viruses are
continually changing through mutations. A variant has one or more mutations
that are different from other variants in circulation. As expected, multiple
variants of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) have been documented across the globe.
Scientists compare the genetic differences between viruses to identify variants
and how they relate to each other. Variants are labeled using the Greek
alphabet (i.e. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.) as way to identify and discuss
variants by non-scientific audiences. The CDC classifies variants into three
classifications, variant of interest (VOI), variant of concern (VOC) and
variant of high consequence (VOHC). The CDC has classified the Omicron variant
as a variant of concern (VOC).
The recent emergence of the Omicron variant further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and prevention strategies to protect against COVID19.
Vaccine updates & booster dose clinic
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends all adults
aged 18 and over get a COVID-19 booster shot. Individuals who received the
Moderna or Pfizer vaccine should get a booster dose 6 months or more following
their second dose. Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
should get a booster dose 2 months or more following the initial vaccine.
Individual’s may choose which vaccine they receive for their
booster dose. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) allow for ‘mixing and matching’ the booster dose vaccine type.
Side effects of the booster shot are similar to the side effects after the
second dose series. The most common side effects are fatigue and pain at the
injection site. Most side effects are mild to moderate. To relieve side effects,
use or exercise the arm you got the shot in, drink plenty of fluids and apply a
cool washcloth to the injection site.
We have contacted our partners at Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to request support to host a booster dose clinic. We hope to offer a booster dose clinic at our Aurora office after the new year. As we work with CDPHE to plan the clinic we will provide on-going updates.
COVID-19 Operating protocol update
We have updated our operating protocol and COVID-19
procedure to reflect the current guidance from Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)
regarding the testing window following a known exposure. Individuals who are
unvaccinated should quarantine following a known exposure to COVID-19 and get
tested 5-7 days after the last date of exposure. Individuals who are fully
vaccinated and asymptomatic following a known exposure do not need to
quarantine but should wear a mask in public and get tested 5-7 days after the
last known exposure.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or your supervisor. We will continue to provide updates through email, our website and our Facebook page.
Thank you,
Laura Viers
Associate Director of Quality Assurance
T :: 970-667-7424
ext. 200
Jeremy Boudreaux has a lot to be thankful for this year. He is living independently in his own apartment, landed a job on his own and is planning a big Thanksgiving feast to celebrate.
Jeremy has Support, Inc. in his corner cheering him on and giving him the support he needs to live life on his own terms. Jeremy is 28 years-old and has mild intellectual disabilities. For the last seven years, Jeremy has worked with Support, Inc. and their team of caregivers that provide him with the help and support he needs, when he needs it – from integrated health care services and life skills development to access to community-based social activities and more. His team knows him well. When Jeremy decided he wanted to live independently in his own apartment, his team helped him identify and set goals that would help him make his dream a reality. By meeting each goal, Jeremy was able to make a safe transition from living with Host Home Providers to residing in his own apartment. Support, Inc. helps Jeremy remain safe, healthy and independent.
Jeremie has been enjoying apartment life for the last year with his dog, Zeus and his bearded dragon, Alex. His sister lives within walking distance. He loves cooking and honored his mom’s memory this Thanksgiving by cooking from her recipes. His Thanksgiving menu includes spinach casserole, cornbread casserole, green bean casserole, pecan pie and, of course, turkey with garlic and butter.
On Thursday, Jeremy visited with family in the early afternoon and served up his delicious side-dishes. Jeremy reports having a great time with his nephew and sister, Erika. Jeremy made a turkey and decided to leave it at his apartment for leftovers. This is “Italian style” turkey turned out well, and Jeremy plans to share the leftovers with his sister.
This year, Jeremy is grateful for his independence, his apartment, his job, his friends, his team, his dog Zeus, and his bearded dragon Alex. And we’re grateful to support Jeremy as he continues to thrive in the community!
Jeremy wants to share his story and let other people in similar situations know that, with the help of organizations like Support, Inc., they can live independently, too.
About Support, Inc.
With more than 32 years of experience, the Support, Inc. team offers a wide range of residential, day and clinical services to clients across the front range of Colorado. Support, Inc. has a unique, whole-person approach that allows caregivers to develop a deep understanding of each individual’s needs. As a Program Approved Service Agency (PASA), Support, Inc. is Medicaid certified and its programs are approved by the State of Colorado. Support, Inc. is redefining the life experience for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and is a leading provider of community-based solutions for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
If you know someone on the DD Waiver in needs of residential supports, please contact us at intake@supportinc.com.
As you are probably already aware, the state of Colorado approved 667 new waiver slots for people to receive services on the DD waiver, starting in July of 2021. In August, the Operations Team began the process of over-hiring and onboarding Residential Program Coordinators in preparation for that growth. In addition, we hired a new Associate Director for the Denver Metro region to fill a previous opening. Given the volume of new team members, we thought we’d sent their pictures and bios out, as many of you will be seeing them around town very soon! We are ecstatic that so many people in need of services are being given the opportunity to receive them and we are excited to add so many new faces to our Support, Inc. team to meet that call. Please give them a warm welcome!
Hello, everyone. I’m Jonathon Labissiere. I’ve been in Behavioral Health for four years. I came from Spectra Autism Centers, where I was a teacher and Residential Behavioral Technician for children ages 8-19. Before that, I was a supervisor at Devereux Behavioral Health for two years.
Hello all. My name is Danielle Geiger and I have been with Support Inc. since April 2020. I was recently promoted from Direct Support Professional to Residential Program Coordinator here at Support Inc., Loveland. I have been working in the IDD field as a DSP for the past 7 years where I was able to take individuals out into the community, work on daily living skills, as well as offer individuals the tools and resources to assist them in having the best quality of life possible.
I was raised within the IDD community since birth. My grandmother made her home into Milligan Group Home before I was born and was able to give amazing quality of life care for over 40 years to individuals with severe medical needs. My mother is also a long-standing Host Home Provider for Support, Inc.
I attended college and graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice with an emphasis on Psychology. I am a Colorado native although I did move to Alaska but quickly came back to beautiful Colorado. Nothing compares to home! I enjoy spending time with my son, my mom, my niece, and nephew, my 2 cats and my dog. My passion is to assist individuals to be successful in their everyday lives as well as have the best quality of Life possible. I am so excited to be a part of the Loveland Residential Team!
Hello everyone, my name is Malika Zekaria and I am joining Support Inc as one of the new Residential Program Coordinators. I was born and raised here in Colorado and my parents were and still are, host home providers. While I was in college, I got certified and began assisting my parents and really enjoyed it. Throughout college, I studied Public Health and my specific focus was on behavioral health. I look forward to continuing that passion here at Support, Inc. and gaining all the knowledge I can from all of you! In my free time, I enjoy reading poetry, trying new food, and drink a few too many iced chai lattes.
Hello Support, Inc. My name is Kylle Hodges. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your team! I am excited to onboard as a Residential Program Coordinator. I have a B.A. Degree in Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. I have over 5 years experience with the Community Center Board (CCB) as a case manager and worked for the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) with Student Achievement Services for Special Education in the Individual Learning Center directly supporting students’ learning activities and life skills for 5+ years. I have always enjoyed working with this population and look forward to more opportunities to engage and grow with the clients, family and team members alike.
On a personal note… I am married to my husband of over 20 years, and we have two children, now young men. I love being a mother, cooking, traveling and fine arts. I also love the Spring and Fall seasons, and Christmas is my favorite time of the year because of warm hearts, the snow, the gatherings around the tree and great food to share with family and friends!
Hi, my name is Morghan and I will be joining Support Inc. as a Residential Program Coordinator. I am originally from Reno, Nevada and moved to Colorado a little over a year ago. Prior to Support, I worked as a Juvenile Corrections officer for the state while finishing my BA in Psychology. I am super excited to be learning this role and learning from my fellow peers as this is not something I have experienced before! Outside of work, you can find me outdoors with a camera in my hand or spending time with my family!
Hello everyone. My name is Danyelle Grajeda and I am very excited to join the Support Inc. team as an Associate Director of Operations. I have a B.S. Degree in Psychology from Colorado State University. I worked at a Residential Treatment Facility, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, for almost 13 years before being offered the opportunity to join Support, Inc. I worked as a Direct Care Provider for about 6.5 years in different capacities, with kids and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. I managed Residential programs, and I managed our Training department during my time with Devereux.
On a personal note, I enjoy hanging out with my niece and nephew and my little cousins any time I can, and I’m looking forward to getting a dog soon! I look forward to meeting everyone and working with you.
