Family Promise adapts to COVID
Joe Ader
Family Promise of Spokane took COVID seriously, modifying programming and setting up isolation procedures at the beginning of the pandemic. While those measures worked for eight months, Family Promise learned of its first confirmed COVID-19 case on Thursday, Nov. 5, said Joe Ader, executive director.
That day a guest staying at the Open Doors Emergency Shelter called from a doctor's office saying they had tested positive.
"We immediately arranged for that guest and their family to be transported from the doctor to an isolation facility and we contacted the Spokane Regional Health District to begin the contact tracing process," he said.
Since then, Family Promise has worked with the Spokane Regional Health District and CHAS (Community Health Association of Spokane) staff. After the initial diagnosis, contact tracing determined this family had been in close contact with two other guest families and three of the staff members. The two families were tested and isolated and the three staff were tested. Each family and one staff member were notified on Friday, Nov. 6, that they tested positive for COVID-19.
After CHAS tested all shelter guests and staff who had been at the shelter since Monday Nov. 2, they confirmed 17 positive cases between guests and staff, Joe said. The cases were currently asymptomatic or have just minor symptoms.
All guests at the Open Doors Emergency Family shelter were quarantined on site for at least a week. Family Promise is not taking any new guests or allowing anyone besides staff into the building on East Mission. The Hartson Ave. location was not affected.
Donations may be dropped off at the front door after ringing the doorbell, Joe said.
He also invites community members to write guests notes of encouragement to familypromiseofspokane.org/give.
For information, call 747-5483 or email ehughes@familypromiseofspokane.org.
Copyright@ The Fig Tree, December, 2020
