Coronavirus Information and Resources
Palisades Village is sorting through all of the information and trying to provide an up-to-date source of local information from reliable sources. Please visit this page regularly as the information will continually be updated. With things changing so quickly, we recommend checking with providers for the most accurate status.
- Maintain social distance (that’s 6-10 feet from others), wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching your face.
- PLEASE let our many volunteers go out and get groceries or prescriptions for you. It is safer for YOU not to be out and about.
- Palisades Village is temporarily suspending services that involve a member driving with a volunteer. Most doctors are offering tele-medicine for their patients to limit their exposure.
- Questions or concerns and how the coronavirus impacts our daily life? For answers, please email the Department of Aging and Community Living: DACL.coronavirus@dc.gov with any questions, comments, recommendations, etc.
- Please call or reach out to your neighbor (again, at a safe distance please). You might also mention Palisades Village and our work to those that don’t know of us yet. We want to be here especially for those seniors in need, including those that may be in need of a welcoming voice.
- Our emergency team captains have been contacting you. Please reach out to them or the Palisades Village office is you have any needs or suggestions for virtual or phone-in events. It takes a Village to make our Village!
Current Office Operation Status:
Our Palisades Village logo is an open fence. This is a friendly reminder that you are welcome to “virtually come inside” to call us at 202-244-3310. Even though we are working remotely, a friendly voice will call you back quickly.
Current Policy on Programs and Services:
Statement on Pandemic Policy Updates and Reopening -- May 2021
Palisades Village’s main priority is the health and safety of our members and volunteers. With the objective to re-open our in-person services and activities, our Emergency Advisory Committee met to review and update its policies. We know that our contact-less services including phone buddy check-ins and our weekly soup deliveries have been effective and have provided welcome interactions among members during the pandemic. So have virtual programs on Zoom, which have been well-attended and convenient. Being cautious during the pandemic has not diminished our commitment to you- helping you remain healthy, active, connected and engaged. We would now like to add in-person services and events to our activities.
The Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the DC Department of Health have relaxed some restrictions and are allowing certain activities. However, since we serve older adults, Palisades Village will continue to be cautious and careful during this pandemic.
Village staff recently sent out a one-question survey to gain an understanding of the number of our community that has been fully vaccinated. Thank you for completing the survey! We appreciate having this information from both members and volunteers.
Palisades Village will require that when you register for an in-person event, you indicate whether you are fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated is two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and a period of at least two weeks has passed since the final shot. All in-person events will require full vaccination.
Outdoor Meetings and Gatherings:
Effective May 15, the Village may hold outdoor meetings and gatherings of up to 50 people if all participants state they have been fully vaccinated, everyone is wearing a mask correctly (except when eating or drinking) and social distance is maintained. All clubs and groups are encouraged to meet outdoors or continue meeting virtually. The first event that Palisades Village will host is a Happy Hour in mid-June TBD. Watch for details coming soon!
In the Fall, depending on the guidance of the CDC and the DC Department of Health, indoor Village meetings and gatherings may take place when all parties wear a mask correctly (i.e. covering both mouth and nose), social distance is maintained and all participants are fully vaccinated.
These standards apply to clubs and groups as well as programs or events specifically planned and administered by Village staff or committees. All these gatherings must be monitored by the organizer or host since staff will generally not be in attendance. Any problems or concerns, however, should be directed to the Executive Director.
Volunteer Services:
Transportation and in-home services will be made available to the extent volunteers are available. Both the member and the volunteer (and caregiver if needed) must be masked, and social distance must be always maintained. Volunteers accepting service requests must be fully vaccinated. There may be exceptions due to age or circumstances. Open car windows and other efforts to increase air circulation are advised. Contactless services will still be available to all members, regardless of their vaccination status.
Office Reopening:
Palisades Village will continue to carefully monitor the progress being made in our area to combat the virus and will take the appropriate steps to safely reopen the Office to visitors when possible. For the moment, however, the physical Office remains open to staff only and only to one staff member or office volunteer at a time.
Additional information:
Any member who is feeling ill with any COVID-related symptoms is asked not to participate in any in-person activities until they have had a negative COVID test. Until further notice, all in-person activities will only be open to Palisades Village members and volunteers. Under no circumstances will outside guests participate unless they are a required and fully vaccinated caregiver and abide by the Village standards described above.
We hope that these guidelines will take us through the next few months while we monitor the trends in community spread and vaccination rates. These standards are subject to change at any time, based on guidance from the CDC, the DC Department of Health, and/or the experience of Palisades Village. As always, your safety is of utmost importance to us, and Palisades Village welcomes your input and feedback as we continue to navigate through these unprecedented times.
Facts on COVID-19:
Sibley Memorial Hospital: In partnership with Palisades Village, Northwest Neighbors Village, and Cleveland & Woodley Park Village, Sibley Memorial Hospital is committed to supporting seniors in Wards 3 and 4 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DC Department of Health: Everything DC residents need to know about the Coronavirus, updated around the clock
World Health Organization: Read the latest information
CDC: The latest information on prevention, symptoms, and resources
KNOW THE SYMPTOMS
Coronavirus Testing in DC:
DC residents, 6 years of age and older, experiencing any COVID-19 symptom (fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, congestion, body aches, chills, runny nose) or with known exposure to COVID-19 should get a COVID-19 test. You DO NOT need a doctor's note for any of the walk-in sites.
Free testing is available on a walk-in basis at some DC Fire Stations. The closest in Ward 3 is:
FEMS Station 31
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2:30-7 p.m.
Vaccine Updates:
Beginning Monday, April 19, DC residents who are 65 and older will be able to get vaccinated without an appointment at walk-up sites across DC. Each site, which will administer either the two-dose Pfizer vaccine or the two-dose Moderna vaccine, will be able to accommodate up to 30 walk-in appointments each day. Residents 65 and older can walk up during the days and times listed below while appointments last. The appointments at the Bald Eagle Recreation Center are limited to residents from Wards 7 and 8 and are open to any resident from those two wards who is 18 or older.
For the latest information on the District Government’s response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), please visit coronavirus.dc.gov
To register through medical providers:
Sibley/Johns Hopkins
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Sibley Memorial Hospital is administering the COVID-19 vaccine to patients who are age 65 and older and live in Washington, D.C., per guidance from DC Health. A patient is anyone who has sought care with a Johns Hopkins Medicine provider within the last two years. If you meet the above criteria, you are on Johns Hopkins Medicine’s list to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine. Over the next few weeks, individuals who meet these criteria will be contacted via email or phone when it is their turn to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in MyChart. For privacy reasons, the notification will be titled, “You have an appointment to schedule in MyChart.” Please check your MyChart account regularly.
- Appointment Information:
- Appointments are required for COVID-19 vaccines and can be scheduled in MyChart.
- No walk-ins are allowed.
- Based on vaccine supply available to Johns Hopkins Medicine at any given time, they are randomly selecting eligible patients to schedule a vaccination.
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If you would like to get the COVID-19 vaccine, they encourage you to activate your MyChart account. MyChart is a secure portal protected by advanced encryption technology. Only you and your designated care partner will be able to access your account via a password.
- Phone number: 202-660-5623
Veterans Administration
- Veterans will be notified of available appointments directly from the Veterans Administration
Kaiser Health and One Medical
- Those of you who participate in Kaiser Health, and One Medical have probably already received notifications from those practices about their plans to administer vaccines.
George Washington Hospital/GW Medical Faculty Associates
United Medical Center
- The appointment line is 202-574-6473 Hours: 7:30 a.m.- 6:30 p.m.
Medstar Georgetown Hospital
- Georgetown Hospital is now providing immunizations to all District of Columbia residents age 65 and over. To get an appointment, call 202-444-8168 or 202-295-0669 if you are over 65.
Second Vaccine:
If you are having trouble getting an appointment for their second dose, you should email vaccinatedc@dc.gov. You should get an immediate response with links included.
After your vaccination:
On March 8, CDC released the first set of public health recommendations to guide visitation activities of fully vaccinated individuals. These recommendations offer flexibility from the public health recommendations we have been living under since the beginning of the global pandemic nearly one year ago. These recommendations apply to fully vaccinated individuals outside of healthcare settings.
For the purposes of this guidance, “fully vaccinated” means that it has been at least 2 weeks since the final dose in a COVID-19 vaccination series. In other words, 2 weeks have passed since the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or 2 weeks have passed since administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Individuals who have received only one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or for whom it has been fewer than 2 weeks since the final dose of Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson, are not considered fully vaccinated.
Fully vaccinated individuals in a private setting, such as a private home, may:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated individuals indoors in a small group without masking or social distancing.
- Visit with non-vaccinated individuals from a single household indoors without masking or social distancing, provided none of the non-vaccinated individuals or their household members are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease.
- Refrain from quarantine and testing* after exposure to COVID-19, provided the vaccinated individual remains asymptomatic.
CDC states that fully vaccinated individuals should continue to follow guidance issued by individual employers.
Fully vaccinated individuals should continue to:
- Wear well-fitted masks and social distance when in public, when visiting with non-vaccinated individuals who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease, and when visiting with non-vaccinated individuals from multiple households.
- Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings.
- Get tested if they show symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
CDC notes that travel recommendations and guidance are not being revised at this time. CDC continues to recommend avoiding non-essential travel. Fully vaccinated individuals who choose to travel should continue to quarantine following travel according to CDC recommendations and any state/local requirements or public health recommendations.
While in the car:
Food Assistance:
Need help getting groceries? Palisades Village members can have volunteers do their shopping for them. Contact the PV office at (202) 244-3310 to arrange all requests.
The Department of Aging and Community Living’s hotline is operational, and seniors who need information or assistance should call (202) 724-5626. The call center will conduct a quick assessment and connect you to the appropriate service.
COVID Informational Webinars:
Sibley Memorial Hospital, Cleveland and Woodley Park Village, Northwest Neighbors Village, and Palisades Village are offering three informational webinars for older adults.
Session 1 September 30, 2020: Get Your Answers from Sibley Medical Experts. The recording is available here.
Session 2 October 21, 2020: Staying Healthy Doesn’t Just Mean Staying at Home with Dr. Laura Sander, MD, MPH. The recording is available here.
Session 3 November 18, 2020: Building Resilience in the Wake of a Pandemic. The recording is available here.
Need someone to talk to?
Palisades Village can set members up with a phone buddy in addition to the check-ins from their neighborhood team captain. Please call the office to arrange one.
There is also DC Hotline that you can call at any time.
The Department of Aging and Community Living is offering a new free service for seasoned citizens, the call and talk line! This new service is to help prevent/minimize the feeling of isolation during this unprecedented time. Give them a call, just to talk about how you are feeling or how you are spending your days: 202-724-5626.
Masks:
Reusable masks are available for members and volunteers (limited quantity). Please contact the Palisades Village office.
Establish a Pet Plan During COVID-19:
Guidance from the Humane Rescue Alliance - The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) is urging community members to have a plan in place for their pet during the COVID-19 outbreak. Residents may experience a hospital stay or severe sickness, potentially leaving untold numbers of companion animals in need of care. Below is the HRA's guidance for a pet preparedness plan:
- Find a temporary caregiver to take on your pets if you are hospitalized.The best place for your pet, even if you are sick, is with you in your home. However, you may become too ill to care for your pet. It’s important to identify two potential caregivers and confirm that they’re prepared to care for your pet should they be called to action.
- Prepare a pet supply kit. It may not seem necessary today, but having proper supplies and information in place in advance is critical. Your kit should include:
- Name and contact information for a person who can care for your pets
- Name and contact information for your back-up in case your go-to is no longer able to help
- Food, treats, a leash, toys and any other supplies necessary to care for your pet for at least two weeks
- A crate or carrier to transport your pet
- Vaccination records
- Collar with ID tags (don’t forget to make sure their microchip information is up to date)
- Medications and prescriptions, along with instructions
- Daily care instructions
- Your veterinarian's contact information
- Know the facts. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is no evidence that people can get COVID-19 from pets. The best place for your animal is inside the home they know and love. If you aren’t feeling well but are still able to provide care for your pet, please keep them at home with you where they’re most comfortable.
For more, please see the Humane Rescue Alliance./
Chart for unravelling the symptoms of COVID-19
