April 23, 2020 Newsletter







April 23, 2020 Newsletter




Hill Country
MHDD Centers

Newsletter
~ April 23, 2020 ~

What’s Happenin’
A note from our Executive Director, Ross Robinson
Hello Everyone!
As I mentioned in my updates, the topic of re-opening is foremost on people’s minds and a concern for many of our employees. In an effort to assist the Texas economy, Governor Abbott has authorized a modified opening of retail businesses across the state. I’m not sure how some local governments will respond or if they have the ability to override the governor’s directive.
However, I do imagine that a natural question is how to remain safe if you want or need to shop at an establishment that has been re-opened.
DSHS has posted suggested guidelines for customers on their website. I have taken the liberty of copying and pasting them below to assist you in any decisions you make to shop.
I am a customer. How do I purchase and obtain goods from a retail store that has just re-opened?
  • Customers may purchase items from a retail location for pickup, delivery by mail, or delivery to the customer’s doorstep, but may not enter the premises.
  • Retail to-go: All payments should be done over the phone or internet if possible, and contact should be minimized if remote payment is not available.
  • Purchased items should be delivered by the employee to the backseat or trunk of the customer’s vehicle whenever possible to minimize physical contact with the customer.
  • Employees must wash or sanitize their hands after each interaction with a customer, and whenever possible, must disinfect any item that came into contact with the customer.
  • Retail delivery to customer’s doorstep: All payments should be done over the phone or internet if possible, and contact should be minimized if remote payment is not available.
  • Purchased items should be delivered by an employee or third-party carrier and delivered to the customer’s doorstep. The employee or third-party carrier may not enter the customer’s house or business.
  • Retail delivery by mail: All payments must be done over the phone or internet.
  • Purchased items should be delivered by mail without customer contact.
  • The customer should wash or sanitize their hands after the transaction.
I hope that this information is useful and assists you and your loved ones to stay safe and healthy.
Take care, everyone!!!

Meet the Self-Care Response Team
by Caleb Krause
Hello, everyone!
As some of you already know, part of the Incident Command group is a
Self-Care Response Team made up of
Lisa Cisneros
and
myself (Caleb Krause)
. We are both excited to share and inform our fellow Hill Country team members in the numerous components of Self-Care. Our goal is to not only provide everyone with Self-Care ideas but to also help promote Self-Care within the agency and hopefully within your own personal lives outside of work. If there is at least one glimpse of hope in the unprecedented times we are living in, it’s that people have continued to thrive despite every major pandemic in the past. So, one day this will all be a memory. But the skills we learn to cope with and adapt to a new way of life that has been all but completely upended, will only make us stronger when things go back to “normal.” There’s no telling how long that may be, but until then please stay tuned for an assortment of Self-Care tips, games, educational information, and of course possible ways to implement Self-Care when everything seems to be working against you! We look forward to helping all of you in your Self-Care journey!


Would you like the chance to win some great self-care prizes?
All HCMHDDC employees are invited to play self-care bingo
with us for a chance to win
1
of
2
prizes!
Print and complete the Hill Country Self-Care Bingo card at the link below, send it back to Corrie or Lisa Cisneros by
Monday May 4th
,
and be entered into an employee drawing.
Winners will be drawn on
Tuesday May 5th
.


Steps for Kindness
Steps for Kindness is a nationwide event to connect and celebrate together by taking 5,400 steps wherever you are, in support of the 1 in 54 U.S. kids with autism. This is event is hosted by Autism Speaks.

Public Service Announcement from the CDC on Homemade Cloth Face Coverings
Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19:

Parents: Sudden changes in routine, as well as being home all the time can be hard for children.
Signs of stress include:
• Excessive worry or sadness
• Unhealthy sleeping or eating habits
• Difficulty with attention and concentration

Get tips for talking with your child about coronavirus: 
More information here
Did you know?
You can schedule through MDLive for not only medical appointments, but also therapist and psychiatrist appointments as well? MDLive is a benefit offered to employees and can be used to receive services for sick visits. However, you may not be aware that you can also schedule appointments to speak to someone for anxiety, relationship issues, depression, PTSD, insomnia, or trauma services.
For more information,
Click here

Do you have a kiddo at home who loves to read?
Looking for (yet another) fun thing to keep the kids entertained at home right now? Texas-based writer John R. Erickson is reading excerpts from his popular family and children’s series, 
Hank the Cowdog
, and posting them online, complete with actual cowdogs frolicking in the background! Click the link below to get more information:


Attention: Blue365 Members!
All Blue365 members and their extended family members will have complementary access to eM Life for 90 days. Blue365 members receive a 100% discount for a price of $0. This offer expires June 30, 2020.
New live, interactive programs are available every day, and on demand content is available 24/7.
eM Life delivers live, interactive mindfulness programs multiple times throughout the day, led by expert, certified teachers. These mindfulness programs offer an oasis of social connection as you navigate the recent challenges of the “new normal” including social distancing, financial stress, mindful parenting, working remotely, and address a variety of chronic conditions.
Programs included with this offer are:
  • The Mindful Daily – Experience daily new topics in live 14-minute sessions offered seven days a week, multiple times a day to fit your schedule
  • Stress Less, Live More – Reduce stress while improving physical health, emotional well-being and more
  • Weight Balance For Life – Create healthy habits for sustainable weight loss
  • QuitSmart Mindfully – Develop the skills to support tobacco cessation within six months
  • Better Living With Diabetes – Learn ways to cope with the emotional and physical limitations of the condition
  • Plus, access hundreds of hours of on-demand with content covering Financial Stress, Mindful Parenting, Sleep Meditations, Working With Remote Teams, Relationships and more.
To access this program, or other benefits of Blue 365, log in to your BCBS account and click the Blue 365 link on the left hand side of your homepage.

Please visit the
Pobble Website for more fun activities you can do with kids (without increasing their screen time)!


GOT NEWS?

Do you have information to contribute toward the next issue of the newsletter?
We want to include you! If your location has info, kudos, or ideas to share, please e-mail Corrie

Visit Hill Country MHDD Centers on Facebook!

Follow Hill Country MHDD Centers on Facebook to stay up-to-date on news about our organization! If you have a story you think should be posted on our Facebook page,
click here
to send your info to Maria Baskett, Executive Assistant/Board Liaison.

Did you know that when you shop with AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation donates a portion of your purchase price to the charity of your choice – at no additional cost to you? Choose from over one million non-profit organizations (including Hill Country MHDD Centers) – you can even change your preferred charity each time you shop!

Promoting Independence, Community Integration, and Recovery


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