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:

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 aggressively protect clients and staff in as many ways as possible.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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 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:

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 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.