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Oriana House facilities adapt to the ‘new normal’
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: July 31, 2020
Since opening in 1981, Oriana House Inc. has faced its share of challenges, but one of the greatest ones by far has been keeping its services running during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said Oriana House Executive Vice President of Administration Bernie Rochford.
Based in Summit County, Ohio, the nonprofit community corrections and substance abuse treatment agency has 25 locations across the state that service residential and non-residential clients referred by the courts, prisons, healthcare providers and other sources, including self-referral, for substance use disorders. The agency also runs the Summit County ADM (Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services) Crisis Center, which provides detoxification, assessment and treatment to county residents.
Rochford said while the facilities never closed or stopped taking referrals as a result of the pandemic, the agency did see a 40% decrease in the number of residential clients during the state’s stay-at-home order.
“Initially we took steps to limit the number of clients so we could practice social distancing,” said Rochford. “We did see a major increase in our electronic monitoring program related to our pretrial release clients and as an option to placing clients in a residential setting.”
In early March, the agency formed a committee made up of executive, administrative and program staff to direct the implementation of its pandemic plan and address ongoing issues surrounding client, staff and public safety. The committee met daily for the first two months and then three times per week in an effort to stay on top of the ever-changing landscape.
“Recommendations from the CDC and Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction evolved almost daily,” said Rochford. “It was important for us to stay current.
“Like most agencies and healthcare providers, in the beginning we had problems acquiring face masks, hand sanitizer and other products. We now have an ample supply of the personal protective supplies and have implemented recommended protocols.”
While Oriana House did manage to avoid major outbreaks at all of its facilities, in early May, just as the bars and restaurants were opening, 35 clients and five to seven staff members at the Terrence Mann Residential Center, a male halfway house in Akron, tested positive for COVID-19.
“We isolated and quarantined everyone affected,” said Rochford. “Those not affected were sent to another Oriana House facility. Due to the reduced number of referrals we have temporarily closed the Terrence Mann facility and moved all of the clients to another facility on the Glenwood campus.
“We have made adjustments for safety and our hope is that anyone who needs treatment will not delay getting it,” he said.
“We follow the screening criteria set by the Ohio Department of Health and CDC to determine whether a client or staff member has symptoms,” said Rochford. “We also do temperature checks and we have spaced out our cafeteria and group areas and both clients and staff are required to wear masks.”
Rochford said counselors are utilizing telehealth services more often to deliver chemical dependency and cognitive-based treatment, which was previously done exclusively in a group setting.
While changes needed to be implemented to ensure safety, Linda Weyandt, public relations specialist at Oriana House said the agency kept key services intact and made sure clients and loved ones never lost touch.
“We have been able to maintain visitation with our clients and their families through Zoom and phone calls, as family and sober support are very helpful in the recovery and reentry process,” said Weyandt. “Oriana House case managers and treatment staff continued to meet with drug court clients and Summit County recently held its first successful virtual drug court graduation.
“We have also continued our GED programming under pandemic safety guidelines and several clients in Summit County and Cuyahoga County were able to obtain their GED certifications during this time,” she said. “The employment readiness class continued and clients with jobs were able to work. Client job searching has resumed under safety-controlled conditions.”
The agency has experienced a 15% decrease in funding since the pandemic began, leading to furloughs of more than 100 employees, said Rochford. Some of those employees have returned to similar or other positions, but as of mid-June there were still more than 85 staff members on furlough.
“As a result of COVID, arrests are down and the courts have a limited docket which has resulted in fewer referrals,” he said. “The majority of our funds come from fees for services provided to clients and with fewer clients our revenue dropped. We have had to prepare for a continued reduction in our residential population for sometime in the future.
“Our staff has done an amazing job adjusting to this ‘new normal,’” said Rochford. “They have stayed focused on providing needed services to the clients and the community. Clients are still in need of our services despite COVID, and in some respects, factors such as unemployment and isolation have made the substance abuse and mental health services we provide even more critical.”