What to Look for When Entering Treatment During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges to facilities that provide substance abuse treatment and sober living accommodations. These include limited access to COVID-19 tests, scarcity of available Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the marketplace for residents and staff, and the need to drastically modify admissions procedures and develop and implement quarantining procedures. And addressing the foregoing issues involves increased expenses in a time when facilities are receiving lower-than-normal income due to the requirement to reduce the density of resident clients.

When considering a treatment or sober living situation for yourself or a loved one, it is strongly suggested that you assess how effectively the facility has handled the above challenges. You will be well-served by asking the staff of each prospective facility what measures they have taken in order to maintain safe operations during the ongoing pandemic.

What we are doing at Heartland House

At Heartland House, the safety of our residents and staff remains our number one priority. While we continue to provide superior treatment during the COVID-10 pandemic through counseling, recovery meetings, and twelve-step work, we do so while protecting the well-being of everyone at Heartland House through the following measures:

• Social Distancing – Our residents maintain a six-foot distance between each other at all times.
• Reduced Dining Area Density – Residents eat meals in three shifts so as to minimize the number of people sharing the dining area at any one time.
• Reduced Density in Living Spaces – Bedrooms with beds that are less than six feet apart have been converted to single occupancy. This measure has reduced the number of residents that we are able to accommodate but is absolutely necessary to protect everyone in our facility.
• Personal Protective Equipment – All residents and staff wear masks throughout the day.
• Symptom Checks – Each day, every resident and staff member have their temperature taken at three intervals and are checked for symptoms of COVID-19.
• Containment – We have designated one available apartment in which we are able to isolate anyone who becomes ill.
• Strict Hygiene Practices – Every resident and staff member is continually reminded through signage and verbal reminders to wash their hands, avoid touching their faces and ensure that their clothing and shoes are cleaned as needed to prevent exposure to viruses.

By engaging in these measures, Heartland House is able to continue in our mission as a place of recovery and healing from substance abuse disorder. We will do our level best to accommodate any prospective client in need of the treatment that we provide, and this includes fostering a safe environment for the client’s journey to wellness.

Financial Hardship

Like the rest of the populace, many of our clients have experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, making their challenge of recovery that much more difficult. . If you are able and would like to help our clients in recovery, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Heartland House COVID-19 fund.

Additional Information

Please visit our web page https://heartlandhouse.org/heartland-house-covid-19 to learn how Heartland House is addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.