A Hendersonville homeless shelter has been able to stay open throughout the entire pandemic thanks to a partnership with Pardee UNC Health Care.

Tim Jones, the COO for the Hendersonville Rescue Mission, said it is the only shelter serving Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties that shelters men, women and children.

When the first COVID-19 cases began popping up in America two years ago, Jones feared what would happen to Hendersonville Rescue Mission and the folks who rely on it for shelter and food, especially during the tough winter months.

"We're the only game in town so it was very vital," Jones said. "This is home for a lot of people -- up to 70, 80 people at a time."

Jones reached out to Pardee for guidance. That's how he was introduced to Ivan Gowe, an Infection Preventionist for the hospital.

"Ivan did many things. He calmed us down. He told us what the pandemic probably was going to look like," Jones said. "He helped us think through what we would do."

Gowe helped Jones figure out how to keep the shelter operational throughout the pandemic, while keeping guests, volunteers and staff as safe as possible.

"The recommendations we gave to Tim was to maintain as much physical distancing as possible when the guests came in, making sure that people are practicing hand hygiene and were wearing their masks," Gowe said.

Gowe also helped the shelter develop a screening process so that when guests came in, they could determine if any guests were potentially infectious.

Additionally, Jones said Pardee even helped transport guests to a local COVID-19 vaccine clinic. He said they've seen an incredibly high rate of vaccine uptake among guests. Since last summer, the Hendersonville Rescue Mission has also required its guests to be vaccinated.

Jones said he is so grateful to Pardee for its help in keeping their doors open.

"We were able to stay open even in the worst of it," Jones said. "We saved the lives of people who were most vulnerable and would've had no place to go."

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOShttps://wlos.com/news/local/hendersonville-rescue-mission-shelter-stays-open-throughout-pandemic-thanks-to-partnership-with-pardee-homeless-henderson-county-north-carolina-unc-health-care-covid-coronavirus