COVID-19 Update | December 11, 2020

We wanted to share the news that the FDA has authorized Emergency Use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and that residents and workers in long-term care facilities will be among the first group to receive the vaccine.

The Federal government is sponsoring the national vaccination program and has partnered with a host of pharmacies.  Special Tree selected CVS and AMAC Pharmacy Services (our local provider) as our pharmacy partners to assist in administering the vaccine to our clients.  The vaccine is not mandatory and is being offered as an additional protection to keep our clients, staff, and communities safe from COVID-19.   Our staff will also have the opportunity to be vaccinated through this program.  At Special Tree, clients and staff at the NeuroCare Campus will be the first to get vaccinated on-site, followed by Residential Services. The COVID-19 vaccine requires two separate doses given three weeks apart.  Dates for Special Tree’s on-site vaccine clinics at NCC will be assigned by CVS Pharmacy and we anticipate them starting the last week of December/first week of January. We will keep you informed of the process as we move forward. 

We understand that many of you will have questions and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine.  We encourage you to read through this COVID-19 vaccine FAQ which provides important information about the vaccine or to reach out to your Special Tree Case Manager or Residential Program Manager.  As we’ve said many times over the course of this difficult year, the safety and well-being of our clients and staff is our top priority.  Although many clients and staff will become vaccinated during the coming months, we will continue to strictly follow our current COVID-19 safety practices and protocols to slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19 including PPE usage, visitor restrictions, social distancing, and other precautions from state and federal agencies.

We are thankful to be among the first group in the nation to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and are optimistic that the vaccine will eventually enable us all to enjoy life with our loved ones again.

Here are the latest updates:

• At this time, we have no active cases of COVID-19 for clients in our system.  We were notified yesterday that a staff member at the NeuroCare Campus has tested positive for COVID-19.  We are awaiting additional test results for pending cases.
• Special Tree continues to identify, monitor, and support individuals who may have been exposed to the virus for any existing or new events.
• We continue to track our client and staff pending and confirmed cases on the COVID-19 page of our website.
• In addition to our email communications and website tracking, when there is a positive case we initiate a contact tracing list and those that have been directly exposed will be contacted by their supervisor.
• Mandatory bi-weekly testing began this week for all NeuroCare Campus clients and staff on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12pm to 5pm.
• This week, a Pediatric client at our Troy Outpatient Clinic is on a 14-day quarantine as a precaution following a post-exposure from a family member who tested positive.
• Visitor restrictions are in place until further notice.
• We are aggressively managing our supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are following best practices for disinfecting and cleaning our facilities. We continue to appropriately secure supplies in anticipation of routine needs such as the current flu season.