Our New Normal: Social Distancing

posted on Friday, August 7, 2020

Bringing you a "behind the scenes" look at how it's going with each COVID-19 precaution we are taking. Today we'd like to discuss social distancing - what is it, why is it so important, and how is it going?

What is it? Social distancing means keeping a safe space between yourself and other people. To practice social distancing, you must stay at least 6 feet from other people in both indoor and outdoor spaces.
 
Why is it so important? The goal of social distancing is to limit exposure by reducing face-to-face contact and preventing spread among people in community settings. It is especially important to stay 6 feet away from those who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
 
How's it going? We are so impressed with the EPI family.
 
First we start with educating - our workforce and the people we serve. We talk about what is it, why it's important, and we encourage each other.
 
Then, we focus on what we can do while taking precautions and we get creative. We are taking advantage of the great outdoors and this great weather.
 
Our Day Habilitation, pictured above, has been taking part in many outdoor activities like trail trimming volunteer work or playing bocce ball for some fresh air and exercise at Big Woods Lake - where they can safely maintain these social distancing guidelines at all times. When indoors, we make sure our groups are small and that we have enough space to spread out while also wearing masks.
 
Our Employment Services are supporting persons as they return to work and learning how to remain safe in each of their workplaces. Learning what 6 feet really looks like in each of their unique work environments.
 
In our homes, our residential program, we also social distance by getting outside - gardening, bike rides, going for walks, grilling, visiting parks, finding new interests to explore and more. When we're inside, we work to be comfortable but aware of our spacing.
 
Oh, you should see the creativity at our Hawkeye Child Development Center (in fact, you can by following our Facebook page). Those little ones and their teachers have fun with water stations, they raised and released butterflies, they read stories about the importance of spacing out, and even video chat the friends who have been at home.
 
Our teams have gotten quite good at meeting and staying connected through virtual meetings and video calls.
 
Our Vehicle Repair Services welcome repair work from the community as a way to give back to this great community. Our vehicle repair garage gives us plenty of space to work on vehicles while social distancing. Give us a call - we can help you out.
 
We recognize risk factors and/or comfort levels will vary person to person. At the same time, one person's decision effects the whole. Giving people their social distancing space is just one way we can look out for each other.
 
We know you've gotten creative too and have found ways to stay connected with your loved ones while working with us to keep everyone safe. Thank you! Let's keep working together and we thank you for helping us keep everyone we care about safe.
 
You can also visit our COVID-19 Response on our website for the most up-to-date information.