COVID-19 has been especially trying for the 25,000 older New Yorkers we serve. Since March 2020, we’ve adapted to new protocols to keep our staff safe, while continuing to serve our clients. Learn about our COVID-19 work.
At Selfhelp, we’re hopeful that vaccinations will reduce the spread of COVID-19. Since the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines became available in New York, we’ve advocated on behalf of our clients, supporting them in their vaccination planning and scheduling and continuing to be there for them.
In February 2021, we proudly moved forward supporting vaccinations through a partnership with the Charles B Wang Community Health Center (CBWCHC). With CBWCHC, we opened a vaccination site from our Benjamin Rosenthal Senior Center and offered an allotted amount of vaccination appointments to Selfhelp staff and clients.
Given our concern for public health, Selfhelp supports all who decide to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. For more information on the vaccine, visit: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines.page.
Since March 18, 2020, much of our staff has been working remotely. Selfhelp instituted regular anti-bacterial deep cleanings at all Selfhelp offices to accommodate staff members who continued to work in person. In the spring and summer of 2020, we welcomed additional staff back to office with ample safety measures, like plexiglass partitions between cubicles, mask requirements, enforced social distancing, directional signs, hand sanitizer stations, and an office cleaning schedule to ensure staff safety.
Currently, our staff are not meeting with clients in-person and our physical senior centers are closed for everyone’s safety. To keep our clients connected, we’ve increased virtual communications and reached out to them via phone and video chat. Multiple Selfhelp programs have been hosting virtual events for our clients. In addition, we’ve referred clients to our Virtual Senior Center for daily classes, discussions, and events.
We’re closely monitoring communications from the appropriate city, state and federal government and health agencies so that we may respond appropriately to all new developments on COVID-19.
In mid-March, before Governor Cuomo’s orders, and practically overnight, our workforce went remote. But the work didn’t stop. Among a few highlights:
Though always true, it became more evident during the crisis that our staff are key to our organization. We made decisions with staff safety and well-being at the core. As we lost members of the Selfhelp community, our light got a little bit dimmer, but we grew stronger in our resolve.
We also drew inspiration from our clients, especially the Holocaust survivors we serve. Those clients had lived through the worst. Their perspective, humor, and grit gave the rest of us motivation to get through the year’s most challenging days. We helped them tell their stories through videos and media opportunities. One of our aides was named as NY1’s New Yorker of the Week.
Despite obstacles presented by the pandemic, construction began on Bergen Place, an affordable senior residence designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind in Freeport, Long Island. We also began construction on a new building in Wyandanch, LI, which will provide an additional 94 units of affordable housing.
Amid the pandemic, we undertook a significant upgrade of our Virtual Senior Center (VSC). The VSC is a virtual community that offers safe, live, and interactive classes and continues to be a lifeline for seniors during COVID-19.
Starting summer 2020, more employees safely returned to the office on modified schedules. We installed plexiglass partitions between our staff cubicles to ensure staff safety, instituted mask requirements, enforced social distancing, installed directional signs, added hand sanitizer stations, and regularly cleaned office spaces. We did all of this with guidance from experts in the field to ensure we had the best minds working to keep our staff safe.
With vaccine distribution currently underway, there is reason for hope. Our COVID story continues to unfold in front of us, but as always, we will get through it together.
COVID-19 has presented huge challenges for all of us. But, for elderly Holocaust survivors and homebound seniors, the needs continue to grow, as they cope with social isolation, food insecurity, loss of friends and loved ones, confusion, and fear.
We’re deeply grateful to the members of our community who’ve stepped forward during this time of crisis. There’s still time to help. Support Selfhelp today by visiting Ways to Give.
Find additional information on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines online from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York City Department of Health, and New York State Department of Health.
