COVID-19 Preparedness
Dear Stakeholders:
In response to growing public-health concerns about coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to share what our companies are doing to prioritize the health and wellness of the people we serve, our staff and the community.
We are following the guidelines defined by the Minnesota Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization. In addition, we’ve been reviewing information issued by other organizations, including Johns Hopkins, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), OSHA and the American Red Cross. Our activities include:
- We are refining our emergency response plans and modifying them as the need arises. We are approaching this as flexibly and conscientiously as possible to ensure the maximum protection and support for the people who are our stakeholders. We believe we all have an obligation to each other to engage in best practices for health and hygiene.
- The Officers and senior management staff are meeting regularly to update our plans, policies and practices as new information becomes available, and to continue learning as much as we can in order to make informed decisions.
- We have increased our cleaning protocols using products such as Purell and alcohol sanitizing sprays, which have been found to be effective against viruses such as coronavirus.
- We are implementing a policy with our staff to limit group sizes to 10 or less.
- We are asking employees who are showing symptoms to stay home and call their health care professional.
- We are providing hygiene education to our staff, the people we serve and our stakeholders throughout our businesses and on social media for greater community education.
- We will continue to modify our policies and practices as the situation warrants. Please use the following link to address questions you may have of the organization. We will answer your questions directly. CORONAVIRUS QUESTIONS?
For more information on our response to COVID-19 please review our COVID-19 Business Preparedness Plan
Wishing you all well!
Corporate Social Responsibility
Thank you all for helping us create opportunities to help families and our communities. A special note of thanks to our Headwaters team members who have been working day and night to create these opportunities for all.
More than a year later, there are still unanswered questions as well as more to learn about the coronavirus. The impact of the disease has been universal. Within a span of a few months COVID-19, a Coronavirus infection, has spread to more than 188 countries and regions, with more than 670,000 confirmed deaths through the end of July, 2020 (Johns Hopkins). Headwaters Relief Organization has been present from the very beginning and will continue to strongly support sound public health measures.
Our other efforts, Mask sewing, Phone Pal program and Home School Assistance Program are still ongoing. Thank you everyone who made those beautiful and colorful face masks. We were able to distribute them to front line workers when there was a scarcity of masks in the market.
Thank you all for helping us create opportunities to help families and our communities. A special note of thanks to our Headwaters team members who have been working day and night to create these opportunities for all.
Headwaters Relief Organization created a set of story books to demonstrate how resiliency is fostered through active engagement, skill development and empowerment. “When We All Wore Masks” helps to explain Coronavirus to children and teach health, safety, and coping skills. “When We All Stayed Home” helps explain the COVID-19 and to assist children and families process their feelings and cope with the uncertainty of this time.
Training on how to use the book has been designed to be applicable to caregivers with any background from the community. These books do not require any prior mental health training or specialized professional background to be used effectively. All caregivers receive this training prior to the distribution of the books. These sessions also focus on avoiding any potential trauma that might develop in a post disaster fragile mindset of the children and community.