Community Outreach Wisconsin

Community Outreach Wisconsin COVID-19 Response

 Updated 01/30/2023

As many of our community partners, we continue navigating the challenge of offering our services while safeguarding the health and well-being of individuals we serve and our dedicated staff.  Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have implemented important changes to our practices and are happy that Community Wisconsin Outreach staff are able to have in person contact with participants and families again.

Below you will find updated information about our respective programs and an abbreviated overview of major safety protocols:

• Our Olin office will continue to be closed for most visitors. Community Outreach staff have the option to work out of their respective homes to reduce the total number of staff present in our office at any given time. Stepped up hygiene and cleaning/sanitization protocols following CDC and OSHA guidelines are being implemented. N-95 or surgical masks are provided for all staff and visitors and are highly encouraged.
• Team meetings for all programs will primarily continue via conference calls or online meeting apps. Community Outreach staff are happy to host HIPAA compliant meetings via Webex. Small in-person meetings are possible in our shared conference room.
• The TIES clinic will continue to operate via tele-health.
• Community Trainings will be offered both in-person, but also in an online format.
• All Community Outreach staff will perform daily symptom checks, will work remotely when symptomatic and have easy access to no-cost campus testing and home tests. All staff are provided with face masks, hand sanitizer, and necessary cleaning/disinfecting supplies. WIN nurses have access to additional PPE.
• Home visits with TIES consultants should ideally take place in open spaces in the community. This may include a home’s front or back yard, a park, or other appropriate open spaces, e.g., a porch or a larger room that is well ventilated and allows for distancing. During visits, TIES consultants will wear masks (one clean face mask per visit), use hand sanitizer (prior, during, and after a visit) and maintain social distancing as much as possible.
• Home visits with WIN nurses will be scheduled when in-person assessment or hands-on care may be needed. WIN nurses have access to single use covering gowns and gloves and are trained in infection control techniques. During visits, WIN nurses will always wear masks (one clean face mask per visit), complete hand hygiene prior, during and after a visit and maintain social distancing as much as possible. Nursing judgment will guide which additional PPE is needed during visits.
• Prior to a home visit, Community Outreach staff will inquire if individuals and their caregivers are symptomatic. If individuals visited do not have masks staff can provide them.
• Community Outreach staff will assist in contact tracing efforts by UW and/or Public Health agencies as requested.

We will continue to monitor state and local data, follow CDC, DHS, City of Madison, and Dane County Public Health guidelines as well as Waisman Center and University of Wisconsin-Madison policies and procedures and will adjust this plan as needed.

Additional information about UW-Madison’s Covid-19 response can be found at https://covidresponse.wisc.edu/ .

Please reach out to us if you have any questions. We can be reached at our typical phone numbers and email addresses.