Homeless shelters conduct COVID-19 testing before volunteers return

Homeless shelters work to bring back volunteers

The sidelines, they are part ofwhat we do.Eric Burger/Executive Director,Shelter KCIt's an opportunity for thehomeless, to engage with ourvolunteers, that they can senda message of love, they cansend a message that you'reimportant that you have value.THEY TOOK THE FIRSTSTEP BY INVITING SWOPEHEALTH TO TEST ALL THEIRGUESTS AND STAFF FORCOVID-19.Eric Burger/Executive Director,Shelter KCsome baseline testing, tomake sure they didn't havepeople that were justasymptomatic.THE RESULTS FOR ALL OFTHEM CAME BACKNEGATIVE.A TESTAMENT TO THEPOLICIES "SHELTER KC"PUT IN PLACE AT THEBEGINNING OF THEPANDEMIC.Eric Burger/Executive Director,Shelter KCWe started saying, 'hey, youneed to stay home with us' Sowe said, 'if you're going tostayhere, you cannot come andgo' And we still could go towork, still do a walk, but forthe most part was isolating thepopulation from other people.SWOPE HEALTH BROUGHTOUT THEIR MOBILE UNITFOR THE TESTING AT"SHELTER KC" LASTTUESDAY AND THE"SALVATION ARMY" THISWEEK.Julie Richards/Director ofInfectionPrevention and Control, SwopeHealthWe want to make sure thatthe homeless shelter have setup a thing for them if they'repositive so we don't want tojust have someone positiveand they're like ok bye see youon the streets or whatever.They are making sure thatthey are self-isolated for 14days in a safe environmentwhere they're going to getfood and shelterNEXT TUESDAY THEPUBLIC HEALTH PROVIDERIS SET TO TEST THEEMPLOYEES AND MORETHAN 300 CLIENTS OF THE"CITY UNION MISSION'.MEANWHILE "SHELTER KC"PLANS TO WELCOMESMALL GROUPS OFVOLUNTEERS TO HELP IN AFEW WEEKS.Eric Burger/Executive Director,Shelter KCThe bigger challenges is thelonger this goes is gettingpeople to all keep their guardup, and so its thatcontinual--'okay?

You're not insocial distance because youhave to do something, so youneed to wear a mask'"IN KANSAS CITY.

ANDRESGUTIERREZ.

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