As an organization committed to health and healing, Open Sky would like to take a moment to share the heightened preventative measures we have taken to continue serving adolescents, young adults, and families in crisis, while concurrently responding to COVID-19 concerns. We are committed to supporting public health officials in containing this pandemic while continuing to meet the urgent needs of our students and families.
Highlights of Our Response:
Open Sky has established a COVID-19 Task Force comprised of our Executive Leadership Team, Risk Management Committee, an independent Risk Management Consultant, and our Medical Director. The team monitors information daily and implements recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, along with state and local public health authorities in all decision-making and COVID-19 communications. Some of our relevant COVID-19-related procedural practices include:
Admission Protocols:
- Added additional screening criteria questions to our admissions and application process to assess exposure and clinical features of COVID-19.
- All pre-admission physicals include specific screening for the clinical features of COVID-19.
Field and Program Protocols:
- Daily checks on every student in the program for the clinical features of COVID-19, as well as field guides and other treatment team members coming into and out of the field.
- Increased frequency of regular programmatic hygiene procedures (e.g., supervised hand washing and hand sanitizer usage and other CDC informed hygiene practices).
- Provided procedural information to our staff on how to report any issues related to COVID-19. Should a student present health concerns in the field, we have systems in place to support the health of both the student as well as his/her teammates and staff.
- Attention to increased “social distancing” in group settings.
- Inservice education for staff and students to cultivate increased awareness and accountability around hygiene protocols and infectious disease prevention.
Travel Protocols:
- Requests for all staff and parents to follow travel advisories set forth by the US Department of State and report relevant information to Open Sky.
- Eliminated all non-essential business travel and large group gatherings, through the end of April.
- Approved visitors and family members sign a contract to follow Open Sky and CDC recommended hygiene protocols.
COVID-19 Resources
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The World Health Organization
- A brief assessment to help determine if you should be tested for COVID-19.
- Primary symptoms of COVID-19: Fever, cough, shortness of breath
Driven by our core values of courage, community, and excellence, Open Sky remains committed to promoting health and mitigating risk for our students, staff, and community members. As guidelines surrounding COVID-19 are ever evolving, we will update our communications/website regularly to ensure information is current and timely.
If you have questions about Open Sky’s response to COVID-19, please reach out to us at: health@openskywilderness.com.
March 14th, 2020