Page 19 - June/June HER 2020

19 JUNE HER
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cause they are older. ... It’s not just an age thing, it’s a numbers thing. Normally, we have so many people just come through the building volunteering each month. If we were to have a COVID positive, it would knock us out of business for two weeks, if not longer,” she said.
Now several months out from the initial panic and newly imposed regulations, Smith says the Jackson House was able to successfully maintain operations, but the changes they made could stay in place permanently.
“We have always operated one-on-one and that’s not the case right now. Going forward, we’re going to have some changes. We’re going to have the screens and the things set up so that we can reduce the chance of spreading anything. We already have one of those lights in the living room. People don’t think about that, but the lights they have in the doctor’s offices, and then the health departments in places like that kill the germs. ... I had those serviced right before all of this happened, thankfully.” she said.
Smith attributes Jackon House’s prepared- ness to her tendency to research, to the expe- rience she gained after the hurricanes in 2005, and to those who volunteer their time and talents. Although operations have changed, the “core crew” at Jackson House continues to serve the community daily.
“I research all the time. I probably don’t realize it but even when I’m on Facebook, I’m looking. I know that not everything is true, but I look at something and I research to see if it’s true. There are innovative things that come out of social media that you may not hear about on
Preven tthe m is u s e of p res crip tion d ru g s
bylocking up yourmeds.
www.artakeb ack.org www.occ.n et.org
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