- Good afternoon Fowler Family!
- COVID UPDATE:
- Yesterday, 1/5/2021, Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 2427 additional positive casesCOVID-19 in Dallas County and 17 deaths as well as record high hospitalizations for the third day in a row
- Our peers are experiencing devastating numbers – communities just like Fowler are experience both high resident and staff cases
- One community has over 79 cases with over 20 team members out
- I want you to think about that
- None of us operate with extra staff. Every staff member is essential. Every time a team member goes out, it is a hardship on the remaining team
- I say this for several reasons:
- I want to thank our team for pulling together this past year to get the job done
- Many of you were asked to do things you have never done before
- We have had numerous incidents of staff filling in for others in different capacities
- You have all been part of the solution of whatever challenge was presented, and you never said no – thank you
- We have not experienced the crisis that some of our peers are experiencing but I sleep at night knowing, that if we were in crisis, each of you would dig deeper and give more
- My confidence lies in knowing that while you may not have “signed up” for this, you did sign up to love people, pursue excellence and make a difference
- And you live those values daily
- I want to thank our residents and families for your unbelievable support
- Encouraging words, notes, and your very acceptance and compliance of everything that has been thrown at you
- We have learned a lot from you about perseverance
- Another reason I mentioned the devastation at other communities, is that it could just as easily be us
- There is an old saying – “There but for the grace of God go I”
- This is attributed to several theologians and writers but essentially it means, it could be me; it could be us
- We must stay vigilant and proactive in our efforts
- On Tuesday, Billie spoke to our compassion for those who are experiencing or who have experienced COVID
- Today, I want to speak to what we can each do to help minimize the risk of getting COVID
- We have said from the start – individuals make choices daily that can be a risk for contracting COVID
- Choosing to eat at a restaurant can be a risk because you take your mask off to eat and you lose that layer of protection
- Choosing to be in a public space with a large crowd, can be a risk because it is more difficult to maintain the recommended 6-10 feet of distance between people which is a layer of protection from the droplets that hang in the air
- Washing your hands after being in a public space can be reduce risk
- Each of you control your personal risk factors and you control the risk to your neighbors and to our staff
- At all times, exercise our Love Your Neighbor Basics
- If someone you live with has been exposed or has tested positive, you need to isolate from that person; wear a mask in your home; sleep in separate rooms; use separate bathrooms, sanitize – whatever it takes
- And lastly, we have another opportunity to protect each other, to prevent great devastation at Fowler
- Next week we will start our Vaccine Clinic
- Residents and staff in Jackson, Pearl, Ebby House and who work in support services, can receive their first dose next Wednesday, 1/13
- FCA staff and Assisted Living residents can receive their first dose next Friday, 1/15
- Residents and staff will be assigned a time slot.
- Consent forms must be completed and submitted along with a copy of insurance cards by 12 noon Friday, January 8 for the January 13 Clinic date for those who live and work in PNCC, JLC and The Ebby House.
- WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BE VACCINATED
- Here are some facts for you to consider in making this critical decision
- The actual vaccine is free; the pharmacy can bill for their time to administer it and insurance will pay for it
- If you are a team member without insurance and you want to be vaccinated, please notify your manage
- We are receiving the Pfizer vaccine
- The vaccine requires two doses for full protection
- This vaccine is not a live virus vaccine – you will not get COVID from the vaccine
- You will not test positive from COVID after receiving the vaccine
- The vaccine is 95% effective in protecting you from getting COVID
- That means 95% of those who receive the vaccine will not get sick from COVID
- The is believed that the 5% who do get COVID, will not be as sick
- In a few cases, people with extreme allergies, have had extreme allergic reactions to the vaccine – generally these are people who carry epi-pens and know they are at risk for anaphylaxis shock
- For this reason, you will be monitored for 30 minutes after receiving your vaccination
- Almost 3 million people in the United States have been vaccinated and only 11 have had severe allergic reactions
- One question that has been raised – if you have already had COVID, should you get vaccinated. The answer is YES. We do not know how long your anti-bodies remain in your system. The goal is to vaccinate a majority of the population in a short time so that we can have a tremendous impact on the reduction of cases, therefore the reduction of hospitalizations and deaths.
- Another question that has been raised – will the vaccine alter my DNA – the answer is NO. The vaccine we will receive is a Messenger RNA vaccine [mRNA vaccine]. mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept. This means the mRNA cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.
- If you do not receive the vaccine next week, you will have another opportunity on Wednesday, February 3.
- CVS will be back at Fowler to administer Dose 2 for those who received their first dose on 1/13. They will administer another round of Dose 1 at that time
- We will continue to provide educational materials to you in hopes that all at Fowler will be vaccinated
- If you have more questions, please send an email to the COVID email below and we will do our best to answer
- FOWLER UPDATES:
- We announced a while back about our new Notification System – Voice Friend
- Team members, residents, and family members were asked to sign up for notifications
- Voice Friend will become our primary way to communicate to you and it provides announcements to all instantly
- Once implemented, we will no longer make personal calls regarding a COVID incident in our independent living areas – you will be notified by notices on the bulletin board and it will be your responsibility to check that bulletin board
- We need your response by 1/12 if you want to receive the Voice Friend notification directly to your phone
- RESIDENT BIRTHDAYS!
- 1/1 Genie G and Lou R E (FCA)
- 1/6 Marlene K (FCA)
- 1/8 David S and Janice A (FCA)
- 1/13 Joyce R (FCA)
- RESIDENT MOVE-IN ANNIVERSARIES:
- 1 Year- Jane P (JLC)
- 1 Year- Karen L and Veda S (FCA)
- 2 Years- Linda J (FCA)
- 3 Years- Marion B (FCA)
- 10 Years- Preddy P (FCA)
- UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Celebration of Life Service will be on Monday at 2:30pm – it will not be in-person, you may participate by watching Channel 6
- Lastly, yesterday was a difficult day for our country. We watched something we never thought we would see at our nation’s capital. Our history of a peaceful transfer of power has been disrupted. Our nation is hurting. We are a people of prayer and Chaplain Venessa will now lead us in prayer
All COVID Updates are posted on our website – www.fowlercommunities.org/covid19/
COVID Hotline: Phone: 214-515-7184 • Spanish Speaking Line: 214-515-1385
Email: Covid19info@fowlercommunities.org
COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week toll-free at 833-986-1919
