This afternoon (Thursday, March 19), drug and alcohol stakeholders received the below email from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith. If you did not receive her email, please see it below in its entirety. The Secretary also provided helpful resources that can be found below:

• Return to Work Medical Verification Form
• Daily Absence Log
• Instructions for Completing Infection Control Screen
• Patient-Visitor Infection Control Screen
• Staff Infection Control Screen
• Supervisor Instructions – Staff Infection Control Screen
• Staff Instructions – Staff Infection Control Screen

Email from Sec. Smith:

Good evening,

First, I want to take an opportunity to thank each of you for the work that you are doing during this unprecedented time. As the front line of defense for our community you are making decisions and implementing procedures based on evolving guidance as we navigate unchartered waters. The department recognizes this is no easy task and fully commit to communicating timely to you as information is available.

As you develop continuity plans to mitigate COVID-19, I thought it would be helpful to share strategies that sister state agencies are adopting, as well as procedures from other states. The policies and procedures below and attached were developed for the safety of patients and staff during this time.

• The Department of Human Services recently released guidance to restrict visitors to all state centers and state hospitals in line with the Center of Disease Control. The press release can be found here which details visitation policies that you may find useful in adopting.

• Additionally, numerous attachments to this email are documents developed by Delaware for both patient and staff screenings in the event either party presents with COVID-19 symptoms.

With the spread of COVID-19 changing operations for the foreseeable future, continued flexibility will be key to successfully navigate this situation. One of the things that I have learned during my time in the drug and alcohol field is that this community is resilient. Thank you for your patience and your commitment to the individuals you serve. Together, we will get through this.

Jen Smith
Secretary
Drug and Alcohol Programs

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.