We thank you for your cooperation during this community surge and our recent facility outbreak. All resident tests this week have been negative. This week we had 2 staff positive results. We are following CDC and department of health guidance related to contact tracing and testing. We will continue weekly testing for staff and residents until we have a 14 day period of no additional positives. Our next full house testing day will be Monday 2/14/2022 for staff and Tuesday 2/15/2022 for residents.
Our resident units are now in green status with the exception of our regular isolation yellow zone on the 4th floor used for new admissions and hospital returns.
During winter, there is an increased desire among families to visit our facility. We welcome you but encourage all to continue to follow safety tips regarding COVID-19. We are following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance regarding safeguards for residents and staff. Our healthcare guidelines are often more guarded to protect our vulnerable population.
You may see additional questions regarding vaccination status in our screening procedures in accordance with CMS requirement. At this time, you may or may not choose to disclose your vaccination status. Under the current CMS visitation guidelines, vaccination is not currently required to visit. If you are in a post-infection or post-exposure stage, we request that you refrain from visiting until after 10 to 14 days.
Please refrain from visiting even if you have minor symptoms such as a runny nose or sore throat. According to the CDC, people exhibiting these symptoms are testing positive for COVID.
It is very critical that all visitors adhere our visitation guidelines which can be found at Visitation Guidelines on our website. Adherence to all core guidelines are required which includes maintaining social distancing and wearing face coverings during the entire visit.
We follow guidance from the CDC, Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS as well as the latest COVID-19 infection control guidance with relation to its impact on our residents and visitors.
Our top priority is to protect the residents, staff and families. We encourage and recommend booster shots as a primary way to safeguard residents and staff against the COVID-19 Omicron variant. For information about vaccination rates at nursing homes, please refer to CMS’s Care Compare site through Medicare.gov. Learn about vaccines near you and the CDC’s fact sheet.
As of February 11, 2022, 96% of our residents have been fully vaccinated and 89% have received booster shots. Our staff is 100% vaccinated and 79% of those eligible have received a booster. Overall, our facility staff and residents are 98.6% fully vaccinated and 83% of those eligible have received a booster.
Our Facility’s Resident Impact (Since March 30, 2020, through February 10, 2022)
0- Residents currently in our building with a confirmed active case of COVID 19
100- CONFIRMED: Residents with laboratory positive COVID-19
0 – SUSPECTED: Residents with new suspected COVID-19
105 – Confirmed Staff Total: with a positive COVID-19
- Please note that test results are reported on our call-in line at 570-207-6711 which is updated daily when we have new positive results. Family members and all others impacted by the virus will be contacted directly and provided with results and updates.
Thank you again for entrusting us with the care of your loved ones. If you have any questions, we are always available for you.
Sincerely,
Mary Rose Applegate, MBA, RD, NHA
Administrator
