In any number of ways, the Dane County community is coming together to support those working on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak. The latest example is a collaboration among UW Health, UnityPoint Health–Meriter, and Epic to open a temporary childcare center for the children of essential health care staff.
Epic is providing, at no charge, the use of its building on Tokay Blvd., as well as free, nutritious meals cooked by its culinary team.
UW Health is providing funding for furniture and other essential items needed for the daycare, and the center, which will care for children ages six months to 13 years, will be staffed by Meriter and UW Health employees. Other front-line health care provider organizations could join this effort.
With health systems under the gun of a growing pandemic, the collaboration fills a timely need for health care workers in Dane County. “Right now, it’s paramount that we remove barriers so that our health care teams can come to work if they’re able,” states Meriter President and CEO Sue Erickson. “This partnership has stepped up to help make that possible, and we’re proud to be part of it.”
The childcare center is expected to open as soon as updates to the space are completed within the next few weeks.
Special precautions are being taken. To minimize the risk of infection within the center, the space is being designed to facilitate social distancing and keep people in separate parts of the building. The building will be deep cleaned by a professional cleaning service every 12 hours.
In addition, all staff are trained to wipe down surfaces after leaving a room. At drop-off, only one family may enter at a time and temperatures will be taken of all children and adults at the time of check in.
The building on Tokay Blvd. originally served as a school, then housed Epic’s headquarters from 1994 until Epic moved to its current campus in Verona.
In 2018, after severe flooding rendered unusable the Sauk Trails Clinic of Group Health Cooperative-South Central Wisconsin, the building was repurposed as a temporary clinic space for GHC-SCW staff and patients.
