July 2

COVID-19 Update

As we have expressed many times, our goal at Special Tree remains first and foremost to do all we can to slow or prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to keep our clients, staff, and communities healthy and safe.

Currently there are no clients with active cases of COVID-19 in our system. After many weeks of keeping the virus out of our facilities completely, we did have one team member test positive at the NeuroCare Center this week, with three additional staff tests pending.

For this reason we are taking measures at the NeuroCare Center to return to some of our previous facility efforts to prevent the spread of the virus:

At the NeuroCare Center, most routine client activities are once again restricted and will take place in individual client rooms to reduce exposure risk (meals in rooms, activities...

June 24

Residential Visitor Restrictions Set to Lift as NCC Restrictions Extend to July 12

Here are the latest updates:

Last week, the Governor issued a new Executive Order 2020-123 to enhance protections for patients and staff which requires skilled-nursing facilities like the NeuroCare Center (NCC) to have testing standards. Those requirements affect our visitor restrictions at NCC which have been extended through July 12th as well as our quarantine protocols for new admissions and readmissions at NCC which increased from 10 days to 14 days.

Visitor restrictions for our Residential homes are set to expire this Friday, June 26th. Our NeuroCare Center and Residential team leaders expect to receive specific requirements for visitor access to facilities from the State of Michigan and are awaiting communication on this. Families will receive a communication from their Special Tree primary...

June 9

A New Stage in our Recovery

Great news! Not only have we made it through another week of no new COVID-19 cases, our state has entered a new stage in our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the Governor lifted the Stay Home, Stay Safe order as the entire state moves into the “Improving” phase of the MI Safe Start Plan. We want to thank our clients, staff, family, and friends for doing your part to get us here and for your patience and support as we continue our efforts to prevent the spread of the virus. Check out our new data graphs which track active and total COVID-19 cases on our website where you can follow along for current information.

We know many of you have questions about Special Tree’s next steps in COVID-19 recovery.

We want to emphasize that our current safety protocols and procedures...

June 1

Another Week of No New Cases

Welcome to June! We’ve made it through another week of no new COVID-19 cases. We’re thrilled that our numbers are decreasing as we continue practices to aggressively protect clients and staff in as many ways as possible. Check out our new data graphs which track active and total COVID-19 cases on Special Tree’s COVID-19 page where you can follow along for current information.

Here are the latest updates:

The Troy Neuro Skills Outpatient Center is open for therapy with Day Treatment Services resuming the week of June 8th. COVID-19 team members are meeting with all teams prior to reopening to review Executive Order 97 guidelines as well as our safety protocols and procedures including screenings protocols, enhanced practices for disinfecting equipment, social...

May 22

No New Cases

Thank you for your continued support as we make our way through COVID-19. We're happy to report no new staff or client COVID cases this week. To date, of approximately 150 clients in our system, 8 have tested positive for the virus. Of 650 employees, 20 have tested positive. Currently we do not have any admitted clients with an active case of the virus. We are grateful and hopeful in seeing our numbers decrease, and we continue practices to aggressively protect clients and staff in as many ways as possible.

Here are the latest updates:

The Troy Neuro Skills Outpatient Center will reopen the week of June 1st for essential therapy with Day Treatment Services resuming the week of June 8th. As we did with our Saginaw location, we will implement enhanced practices for disinfecting equipment, social distancing...

May 15

Flattening the Curve

Wow, it has been more than two months since we saw the first official case of COVID-19 arrive in Michigan on March 10, and nearly that long since we had our first client at Special Tree diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 27. Since then we have seen our terrific staff step up to manage the crisis with determination, implementing practices and protocols as we navigated new territory in care and rehabilitation.

This week marks our first week since the start of all this that we can report NO NEW CASES of COVID-19 for either our staff or clients. To date, of approximately 150 clients in our system, 8 have tested positive for the virus. Of 650 employees, 20 have tested positive. Currently we do not have any admitted clients with an active case of the virus. (!) And although we are grateful and hopeful in seeing our numbers decrease, we also continue practices to...

May 6

COVID-19 Update

We've heard from EMTs who are dropping off clients, consulting physicians from other facilities, case managers, and others who say, "Whatever you are doing at Special Tree, keep it up. It's working!" We are celebrating 5 client recoveries and 12 staff recoveries. We are so grateful to our staff for keeping up with all of our precautions, and for the patience of the families and friends of our clients who have adhered to the visitor restrictions and the difficulty of being separated for such a prolonged period of time.

We currently have one admitted Special Tree client with an active COVID-19 positive case. To date, of approximately 150 clients in our system, 7 have tested positive for the virus. Of 650 employees, 19 have tested positive. We continue to protect our clients and staff in as many ways as possible to slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

We're...

May 1

Transitioning to more active rehabilitation

Thank you for your patience and support as we make our way through another week of COVID-19. To date, of approximately 150 clients in our system, 7 have tested positive for the virus. We currently have one admitted Special Tree client with an active COVID-19 positive case. Out of roughly 650 employees, 17 have tested positive.

We continue to protect our clients and staff in as many ways as possible to slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 team is exploring opportunities to get our clients back into active rehabilitation as soon as possible.

Telehealth visits have been very successful for many clients to continue their rehabilitation. These will continue for now, and we will transition clients back to traditional in person therapy when appropriate

We are implementing enhanced practices for disinfecting equipment,...

April 23

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we make our way through COVID-19

To date, of approximately 150 clients in our system, 7 have tested positive for the virus. Out of roughly 650 employees, 14 have tested positive.

Our COVID-19 team continues to examine how we can best communicate information to you, our staff, and our communities. We’re committed to providing you with up-to-date information on how we’re dealing with the challenges presented by COVID-19 as well as ensuring we meet ever-changing requirements and guidelines from the CDC, State of Michigan, and other accrediting bodies.

This week, Special Tree’s Leadership team met to begin planning for the next phase of COVID-19 – when the Governor’s Stay-at-Home order expires on April 30th. Those plans will include how to safely reopen Special Tree and what that means for our staff and for families who are anxious to see their loved ones. As we mentioned in last week’s communication, we’...

April 17

Providing Care in Challenging Times

Thank you for your continued support as we make our way through COVID-19. To date, of approximately 150 clients in our system, 5 have tested positive for the virus. Out of roughly 650 employees, 13 have tested positive.

We continue to protect our clients and staff in as many ways as possible to slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Even before the pandemic started, Special Tree had good practices in place to keep infectious diseases from spreading. The strategies the CDC recommends to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities are many of the same ones we have always employed to guard against influenza and other seasonal illnesses. As you know, Special Tree also has many resources in-house that make us uniquely positioned as a long-term care provider to respond to the pandemic including 24/7 onsite nursing and respiratory care and...

April 10

Continuing to keep our clients, staff, and communities healthy and safe

In our last communication, we shared many of the ways that Special Tree is keeping our clients and staff safe and healthy. We’re continuing to follow the most up-to-date guidance from the CDC to reduce client exposure and to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As America and Michigan adapt to a steady rise in COVID-19 cases, it seems no community has been untouched by the crisis, including Special Tree. Our daily operations certainly look much different than they did just one month ago. We’re thankful for our staff’s continued commitment, flexibility, and heart as we make our way through each new challenge, and for the ongoing patience and support of the clients, families, vendors and friends of Special Tree. Our goal remains first and foremost to do all we can to slow or prevent the spread of the virus and to keep our clients, staff, and communities healthy and safe.

We continue...

March 27

Our Special Tree team is working each day to keep our clients safe and healthy.

We want to start by sharing with you how much we appreciate our incredible frontline care staff. Their dedication to our clients and continued efforts to provide fabulous care in the midst of this crisis has been truly amazing. Each day brings a new set of circumstances to deal with and they continue to show up with a positive attitude, flexibility, and dedication.

Here are some of the latest developments and what we’re doing to manage COVID-19 at Special Tree:

As communicated earlier today, a client who had recently resided at our Romulus NeuroCare Center later tested positive for COVID-19 after being transferred to the hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries, this client rarely left his private room at the NeuroCare Center and had little to no interaction with other clients. The client was stable and there were no symptoms to suggest he...

March 27

NeuroCare Center Update

Last night, Special Tree was notified by Beaumont Hospital Wayne that a client who had recently resided at our Romulus NeuroCare Center had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Due to a separate health incident, he had been transferred to the hospital where he later died. The client had been asymptomatic for the virus while at Special Tree. Although his overall condition had been serious, he had been stable and there was no reason to suspect he had contracted the illness.

Our deepest condolences go to his guardian and family. The loss of a client is always difficult for our Special Tree team.

As we grieve, the safety of our clients, staff, and community remain our focus. Upon hearing this news, Special Tree immediately activated our COVID-19 emergency protocols. Staff at all of our facilities are following the latest CDC guidelines and established infection control...

March 20

Special Tree helps clients stay connected and avoid social isolation

As COVID-19 continues to spread, we want to assure you that Special Tree is taking the appropriate measures to keep our clients, staff, and families safe.

Our most important goal is to mitigate the effects of this crisis and manage the situation as best as we can. We are making decisions and, if necessary, modifying current practices to align with that goal. Each day, our COVID-19 Watch Team connects to monitor symptom and illness status, review updates from the CDC, WHO, and the Michigan Department of Health, discuss staffing and communication needs, and make real time decisions to actively manage the latest developments.

Per Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order on March 14, 2020, visitor restrictions are in effect at all Special Tree locations which includes family, friends, deliveries, vendors, and others. We have reduced traffic in our buildings by temporarily...

March 15

Visitor restrictions effective immediately

Now through April 5th

Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered late Friday night that entry to Michigan health care facilities be restricted to personnel who are essential for medical and daily care. For this reason we are moving our timeline up for visitor restrictions to begin today, effective immediately.

The executive order bars anyone not necessary for medical care, support of activities of daily living like bathing or eating or not visiting under exigent circumstances from visiting facilities. The ban on visitors began at 9 a.m. today, Saturday, March 14, and runs through 5 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2020.

March 13

New Procedures and Restrictions

This week, it was announced that the coronavirus (COVID-19) has arrived in Michigan. Special Tree is closely monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and is continuing to do everything possible to keep our clients, staff, and visitors safe. Our leadership and infection prevention teams are meeting regularly to assess the latest developments, to prepare our staff, and to diligently review the latest CDC guidelines to monitor symptoms across all of our facilities. Please see the attached document which outlines our efforts.

The general strategies the CDC recommends to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in care facilities like Special Tree are the same strategies we use every day to detect and prevent the spread of viruses like inﬂuenza and other seasonal illnesses. Special Tree is also taking multiple steps to strengthen our coronavirus-related restrictions and guidelines to...

At Special Tree, we are always on guard.

The general strategies the CDC recommends to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in care facilities like Special Tree are the same strategies we have always had in place and continue to use every day to detect and prevent the spread of respiratory viruses like influenza. Some of the ways we do this include:

Using best practices for monitoring infection control
Training staff on universal precautions and contagious illness prevention
Providing flu shots
Tracking client and staff illness
Enforcing illness related return to work guidelines for staff
Encouraging hand hygiene and cough etiquette
Asking visitors to stay away if they have symptoms or illness
Conducting emergency preparedness drills
Keeping our facilities clean and sanitized
and more

Here’s what we’re doing about COVID-19:

The true impact of a COVID-19 outbreak in a U.S. community cannot be predicted. However, we have been taking steps to protect our clients and staff in as many ways as we possibly can. At Special Tree we:

Have a Watch Team carefully monitoring COVID-19 who are making decisions daily to protect our clients and staff
Are following the recommendations from the CDC, WHO, and local authorities
Ramped up our screening protocols for clients and team members, with a higher alert to respiratory symptoms
Consult frequently with our Respiratory Team, on-site 24/7 at the NeuroCare Campus, for their professional expertise relating to clients who may exhibit respiratory concerns or COVID-19 related symptoms
Have examined our current policies and procedures around infection control to ensure we are properly prepared should an outbreak occur
Have carefully reviewed our emergency preparedness and outbreak response plans
Continue to enforce standard precautions and prevention techniques we already have in place to prevent the spread of illness and disease

What you can do:

Frequent hand hygiene with hand sanitizer or soap and water, washing for at least 20 seconds.
Keep work surfaces, linens, dishes, eating utensils and shared equipment clean and disinfected daily.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or use your shoulder if you do not have a tissue.
Follow the guidelines to stay at home and reduce your interactions in the community as much as possible.
Refrain from visiting Special Tree locations while we have visitor restrictions in place.
Get information from reliable sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), the Michigan Department of Health and governing bodies in your city of residence.

COVID-19 at Special Tree: Facilities Data

Data shared includes the best information available as of the date shown about currently admitted patients or clients who have tested positive for COVID-19 (who may or may not display symptoms), currently admitted clients who are presumed positive after displaying symptoms who are under watch/awaiting test results, and the total number of clients who have tested positive since Special Tree began compiling COVID-19 data on March 4, 2020. These charts provide a system-wide overview. Click here for facility specific data.

Total number of clients with a positive COVID-19 test result.
Total number of clients currently admitted with a positive COVID-19 test result.
Data compiled since March 4, 2020

SEE FACILITY SPECIFIC DATA

Helpful links for COVID-19 Information
State of Michigan Executive Orders CDC Website Michiagn Department of Health
Tweets by CDCgov	STOP THE SPREAD OF GERMS SHARE FACTS ABOUT COVID-19

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST COVID-19 UPDATES

At Special Tree, we are always on guard.

Here’s what we’re doing about COVID-19:

What you can do:

COVID-19 at Special Tree: Facilities Data

Helpful links for COVID-19 Information