We thank you for your cooperation during this community surge and our recent facility outbreak. As of midnight on January 6, 2022, we have had four additional residents and three staff test positive. Thankfully, no one is showing strong symptoms. Our positive and potentially exposed residents are quarantined and positive staff are off work. We are following CDC and department of health guideance related to contact tracing and testing.
The current outbreak, which started December 29, 2021, warranted our voluntary decision to pause accepting new admissions. While we feel there are definite benefits of open visitation, we continue to be very concerned with the community surge as well as our own facility outbreak status.
In a continued effort to manage and prevent escalation of the outbreak, we have been working with our local department of health office and are issuing a limited stop to in-person visitation in our building. This will apply to all nursing units in the building and will start at 8 a.m. on Friday, January 7, 2022. We will evaluate again on Thursday. January 13, 2022, for potentially re-opening specific units for visitation on Friday, January 14, 2022. For this one-week period, we ask your cooperation with visiting virtually. We will be limiting any in-person visits to end-of-life situations only. Please share this with your family members who do not receive this email so they are aware of our temporary halt to in-person visitation.
We continue to take extraordinary efforts to safeguard residents and staff against the COVID-19 Omicron variant. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data supports that vaccine boosters for care home residents are considered vital during the Omicron surge. We have advocated for vaccines and boosters throughout the pandemic and, as a result, have cast a safety net that ranks ahead of the national average.
As of January 6, 2022, 97% of our residents have been vaccinated and 92% have received booster shots. Our staff is 100% vaccinated. Overall, our facility staff and residents are 98.9% fully vaccinated.
The CDC is working with state and local public health officials to monitor the spread of Omicron.
Our top priority is to protect the residents, staff and families. We appreciate that you entrust us with the care of your loved ones. Our main goal is to provide high-quality care and to keep your loved ones safe.
FaceTime calls: To schedule FaceTime calls for residents in our yellow zones please contact Samantha DePaul in Life Enrichment. Samantha can be reached at sdepaul@jhep.org or 570-344-6177 ext 1314.
Our Facility’s Resident Impact (Since March 30, 2020, through January 6, 2022)
8 – Residents currently in our building with a confirmed active case of COVID 19
65 – CONFIRMED: Residents with laboratory positive COVID-19
0 – SUSPECTED: Residents with new suspected COVID-19
65 – Confirmed Staff Total: with a positive COVID-19
- Please note that test results are reported on our daily call-in line at 570-207-6711. 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
