YSB adjusts to virus

The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything.

Just ask the staff of Youth Service Bureau of Jay County.

“We have experienced a number of challenges during COVID-19,” executive director P.J. Corwin said in an email interview. “Thankfully, we have not had any cases among staff or residents.”

“One issue was with staffing the residential program,” said Corwin. “We were already a little short on part-time staff and then needing to not have people come in when they were showing symptoms left us short staffed at times. Thankfully, we have great employees here at the YSB who were willing to step up and assist with coverage.”

YSB offers a number of different services. In addition to the residential program, staff members interact with young people and their families in their homes.

But it was the residential program, located at Pleasant and Arch streets in Portland, which posed the greatest challenges.

“Since the stay at home order was given, residents have not been able to leave the facility for home visits and they have not been able to have face-to-face in facility visits per state department of health and (Division of Child Services) directive,” said Corwin.

“To help residents cope with this, we have moved to virtual visits with family members and increased the frequency … throughout the week. We have also increased the number of phone calls to family they are able to make each day,” Corwin said.

With the six young people currently in residential care eager to get outside and enjoy spring, the stay-at-home order has created constraints.

“COVID-19 has severely limited our ability to do off-site recreation with the residents,” said Corwin. “To combat this we have been outside in the yard as often as weather permits.

“We have gone for short walks around town, have visited nature trails a few times, and have (gone) for car rides.”

He added, “Staff and residents are required to wash hands and/or use hand sanitizer upon entering the building. Staff wear masks for the duration of their shift. Residents wear masks when outside of the building. ... We have developed a quarantine plan for ill or symptomatic residents as well as new residents entering care for 14 days.” 

There’s also been an impact beyond the residential program.

“This impacted service delivery in our home-based Family Services and Healthy Families Programs the most,” said Corwin. “Staff were great about working with families to overcome technology issues to insure services were still able to be provided. Healthy Families have been able to do 100% of their services virtually.”