Responding to Coronavirus

In an effort to protect the people who come to our trainings, and to do our part in mitigating the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), we at INELDA have decided to cancel our doula training in Portland, OR that was scheduled for April 17-19. All those who registered for that class will have the option to switch to another class in the future or to receive their money back in full. An email notice to this effect has already been sent to the people registered for that class. We have not yet made a decision about canceling other doula trainings on our schedule. We are making that decision one training at a time for now. If more drastic steps have to be taken in the future, we will notify you as soon as possible. 

The next month may be critical for lessening the spike in this country’s COVID-19 cases, what epidemiologists refer to as “flattening the curve.” Large gatherings of all kinds that would have 250 or more people together in one space are being canceled by schools, businesses, sports organizations, and entertainers. While our classes don’t bring that many people together, the spaces we train in and the experiential exercises we do in class necessitate attendees being in close quarters with each other. So, we can’t maintain the kind of distance between people that would minimize the potential spread of the illness, if some people in the class have been unknowingly exposed to COVID-19. Plus, many of our attendees travel through major airports and then stay in large hotels during the training, potentially exposing them in other ways to the virus.

We also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone who reads our newsletter or comes to our website to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). That means washing your hands frequently, particularly after you have touched surfaces that other people are touching. When you wash, use soap (hand sanitizers are a second choice), and do so for 20-30 seconds—that’s the time it takes to sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat three times. Also, make sure you wash the backs of your hands, the lower palms, fingertips, and nails, as well as between the fingers down to the webs between them. Washing in this way may take creating a new habit, but it is probably the most important thing you can do to protect yourself and others.

Also, avoid touching your face as much as possible, sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm at the elbow, avoid shaking hands with people you meet, and stay at least 6 feet away from anyone who is sneezing or coughing. Certainly, if you are sick, stay at home away from others. If you have a fever with a cough or sore throat, and/or shortness of breath, contact your doctor about getting tested for COVID-19. For more information go to www.coronavirus.gov, which is the website of the CDC, www.who.int for the WHO website, or www.coronavirus.jhu.edu, which is the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

For those of you who are in private practice as doulas, your primary concern should be your own safety. If you are over the age of 70, have a compromised immune system, or live with someone who falls into either of those categories, it’s advisable to consider taking a break from doula service until the spread of the disease has greatly diminished. Even if you are not in that situation, you should use your own judgment about taking new cases until the situation with COVID-19 becomes clearer. If you are already involved in a case, you should remove yourself if a person in the circle of support around a patient has flu-like symptoms—until you know that person has tested negative for COVID-19. Of course, you can still provide some support and information through the phone or electronically.

Doulas who are currently involved in a hospice program will most likely not be allowed to continue providing service. Your hospice will be the best source of information about this. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) wrote a letter to the White House suggesting that the President declare a national emergency. This afternoon (March 13) he did that. This will most likely have no impact on volunteers being allowed to serve patients in person. But volunteers can still call patients and their caregivers to provide some support that way.

The situation with COVID-19 is changing every day. We will continue to monitor developments and inform you about them through postings on our Facebook page and through this newsletter. The entire INELDA team is here to answer your questions. We thank you for choosing INELDA and trusting us to bring you the best doula education available.