What You Need To Know Now About COVID-19 In Florida
Adults 60 and older and those with underlying medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease are more likely to develop seriuos illness. Heres what you can do right now.
Call before you go
Call your health care provider or County Health Department if you have a fever, cough or shortness of breath and returned from international travel or a cruise in the last 14 days.
Wash for 20 sec.
Wash hands often with soap and water – 20 seconds or longer (or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol).
Avoid touching your face
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands or after touching surfaces.
Practice Social Distancing
If you are around other people, keep 6 feet between you when possible. Avoid hugs, handshakes, large gatherings and close quarters.
A Message From Our CEO
June 28, 2021
As of June 28, Phoenix House Florida outpatient in Brandon will be providing all services in person in the office.
Following continued CDC and Department of Health guidelines for healthcare facilities, all services will be provided in person with PPE and social distancing required at all times.
In an effort to follow the established guidelines while also providing for the safety and well-being of our staff, patients and visitors to our facilities, we appreciate the support in adhering to this new process.
At our residential program in Citra, we are continuing with preapproved visitors and the following limited visitation hours and number of visitors:
- The men’s program visitation is on Saturday from 1-3 pm
- The women’s program visitation is on Sunday 1-3 pm
- Both days allow for only one visitor for 30 minutes with proper PPE and social distancing required.
Thank you,
Maria Alvarez
President & CEO
Phoenix House Florida
A Message From Our CEO
July 21, 2020
As of July 17, Phoenix House Florida outpatient in Brandon will be providing the initial clinical assessments in person in the office.
All assessment will be provided in person with PPE and social distancing required at all times.
All other services such as groups and individual will remain telehealth.
In an effort to follow the established state and county guidelines while also providing for the safety and well-being of our staff, patients and visitors to our Hillsborough county office located in Brandon, we appreciate the support in adhering to this new process.
Thank you,
Maria Alvarez
President & CEO
Phoenix House Florida
A Message From Our CEO
July 08, 2020
On July 6, the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group established a face mask mandate to help curb the spread of coronavirus, adding accountability for individuals.
Under the amended order, individuals can now be cited for a civil offense and fined $150 for not complying. In addition, under the newly amended order, business operators will now be considered complying with the order if they take four steps. Phoenix House Florida will be taking these steps and they include:
- Posting signage about the face mask requirement
- Announcing the requirement over the company public address system, if possible
- Requiring employees to wear masks (unless they are exempt)
- Asking customers to wear a mask at all times while in the company buildings, offices and place of business
In an effort to follow the Hillsborough county guidelines while also providing for the safety and well-being of our staff, patients and visitors to our Hillsborough county office located in Brandon, we appreciate the support of the public in adhering to this new policy.
Thank you,
Maria Alvarez
President & CEO
Phoenix House Florida
A Message From Our CEO
April 15, 2020
Visitor Restriction Emergency Order Remains in Place
On March 15, 2020, the Division of Emergency Management issued Emergency Order No. 20-006, prohibiting all visitation at facilities in Florida, except in very specific circumstances.
This Emergency Order does not expire until May 8, 2020, as its effective date corresponds with the effective dates of Executive Order 20-52.
Restrictions listed in the Emergency Order continue to remain in place, and Phoenix House Florida will follow this order by restricting visitors to both of our locations including family, friends, loved ones and any outside visitors so that we can continue to ensure the safety and health of our patients and staff.
The full Emergency Order is available here.
Admissions at PHFL residential program will take place Monday-Friday, 9am-2pm.
We have established an admission protocol. Highlights to pay special attention to are:
- All referrals must include COVID-19 screening including temperature and a complete medical and psychological history; as well as current medications.
- If transport is necessary, a maximum of two patients will be transported at a time and patients must wear a surgical mask or greater during transport to Citra
- Patient must have recent COVID 19 screening with no elevated temp
- Patient must provide history of living arrangement for the past 14 days or more of before admission to establish nonexistence of symptoms
- The day prior to admission, the PHFL admissions department will call and confirm that the client has had no new medical concerns from the time of the screening
As we’ve said from the beginning, the health and safety of our patients, families, loved ones and employees is our top priority. We strive to provide the upmost quality care to all we serve through our mission of healing individuals, families and communities challenged by substance use disorders and related mental health conditions.
Sincerely,
Maria Alvarez
President & CEO
Phoenix House Florida
A Message From Our CEO
April 8, 2020
Since the emergence of COVID-19 in Florida, Phoenix House Florida (PHFL) has taken immediate action to protect our patients and staff in our locations. We are open for limited admissions in our residential program on a case by case basis under extensive admission protocols to ensure the safety and wellness of our patients and staff.
Admissions at PHFL residential program will take place Monday-Friday, 9am-2pm.
We have established an admission protocol. Highlights to pay special attention to are:
- All referrals must include COVID-19 screening including temperature and a complete medical and psychological history; as well as current medications.
- If transport is necessary, a maximum of two patients will be transported at a time and patients must wear a surgical mask or greater during transport to Citra
- Patient must have recent COVID 19 screening with no elevated temp
- Patient must provide history of living arrangement for the past 14 days or more of before admission to establish nonexistence of symptoms
- The day prior to admission, the PHFL admissions department will call and confirm that the client has had no new medical concerns from the time of the screening
As we’ve said from the beginning, the health and safety of our patients, families, loved ones and employees is our top priority. We strive to provide the upmost quality care to all we serve through our mission of healing individuals, families and communities challenged by substance use disorders and related mental health conditions.
Sincerely,
Maria Alvarez
President & CEO
Phoenix House Florida
A Message From Our CEO
March 23, 2020
As we face a time of unprecedented health challenges in our communities, I want to ensure you that Phoenix House Florida is dedicated to continuing our mission of healing individuals, families and communities challenged by substance use disorders and related mental health conditions.
Our top priority is for our patients, families, loved ones and staff to be safe from the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The guidelines we follow are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Florida Department of Health and will be followed at both of our locations in Brandon and Citra.
We are taking proactive steps to maintain a safe and healthy workplace and adopt practices protecting the health of patients and employees. Therefore, we have suspended admissions to our residential program. We plan to offer admission again.
We will begin telehealth at our Outpatient programs in Brandon starting this week. Please follow our website for continuous updates.
Thank you for your continued support of Phoenix House Florida and stay healthy!
Sincerely,
Maria Alvarez
President & CEO
Phoenix House Florida
Emergency Order Visitation Limits at Residential, Skilled Nursing and Long-term Care Facilities
March 16, 2020
Today, at the direction of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz issued an Emergency Order tightening the temporary restrictions for all individuals entering residential and long-term care facilities.
For the next 30 days, all individuals will be prohibited from entering:
- Nursing homes
- Assisted living facilities
- Group home facilities
- Developmental disabilities centers
- Homes for special services
- Long-term care hospitals
- Transitional living facilities
- Intermediate care facilities for the developmentally disabled
- Adult mental health and treatment facilities
- Adult forensic facilities
- Civil facilities
- Adult family care homes
Limited exceptions will apply:
- Family members and friends during end of life situations
- Hospice or palliative care workers caring for residents in end-of-life situations
- Any individual providing necessary health care to a resident
- Facility staff
- Facility residents
- Attorneys of records for residents in adult mental health facilities for court related matters if virtual or telephone means are unavailable
- Representatives of the state and federal government seeking entry as part of their official duties, including, but not limited to, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, representatives of the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, the Department of Elderly Affairs, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, protection and advocacy organizations under 42 U.S.C. s. 15041, the Office of the Attorney General, any law enforcement officer, and any emergency medical personnel.
Further, any of these individuals seeking entry into the facility under a limited exception will not be allowed into the facility if they meet any of the screening criteria below:
- Any person infected with COVID-19 who has not had two consecutive negative test results separated by 24 hours
- Any person showing, presenting signs or symptoms of, disclosing the presence of a respiratory infection, including, cough, fever, shortness of breath, or sore throat
- Any person who has been in contact with any person(s) known to be infected with COVID-19, or a close contact of someone known to be infected with COVID-19 within the past 14 days
- Any person who traveled through any airport within the past 14 days
- Any person who traveled on a cruise ship within the last 14 days.
In addition, the facility must discourage residents from leaving the facility. Residents returning to the facility will be screened for the above criteria before allowed reentry.
Please note that ALL facilities must also keep documentation of all individuals screened at the facility. Documentation may be done on a standardized questionnaire or form. The documentation must include:
- Name of the individual
- Date and time of entry
- The documentation used by the facility to screen the individual showing the individual did not meet any of the screening criteria, including the name and signature of the screening employee.
An Important Message from Our CEO, Maria Alvarez
March 15, 2020
Phoenix House Florida’s top priority is for our patients, families, loved ones and staff to be safe from the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID 19). At this time, no one knows how severe this outbreak will be. Given this uncertainty, we are taking proactive steps to maintain a safe and healthy workplace and encourage and/or adopt practices protecting the health of patients, employees, visitors, and others. The guidelines we follow are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Florida Department of Health and will be followed at both of our locations in Brandon and Citra.
These guidelines represent our best judgment, at this moment, about practical steps we can all take to reduce the risk for ourselves and for each other. We also want to ensure the continuity of services for our patients. Our medical department is continually monitoring the prevalence of this virus in and around our communities and is implementing precautions that will help keep our facilities as safe and healthy as possible as well as posting flyers containing information on how we will handle everything from screening visitors and potential admissions to illness within the facility.
In an effort to stop the spread of the virus and ensure the success of our patients in their treatment by remaining healthy and engaged, we have suspended visitation of any kind including family, loved ones and any other outside visitors at both locations in Brandon and Citra until further notice.
We are taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and are reminding everyone of the following:
- Use good hand hygiene.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover cough and sneeze.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend that people who are well to wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Facemasks should only be worn by persons who are sick or persons caring for them.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and hard surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
We will provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers throughout our facilities.
Cleaning sprays and wipes will also be provided to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. In addition, regular professional cleaning of spaces will be put in place.
We are committed to protecting our patients, families, community partners, employees and the community and will continue to remain open while providing the highest quality care through our mission of healing individuals, families and communities challenged by substance use disorders and related mental health conditions. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and share updates with you as they develop on our company website.
Please stay safe and protect your health!
