July 17, 2020
Dear Residents, Families and Caregivers,
We at the Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania thank you for entrusting us with caring for your loved ones. We strive daily to provide the very best in care.
That is why we have introduced WE CARE, our commitment to reach for continuous improvement with a goal of open and respectful communication.
WE CARE
The primary goal of WE CARE is to welcome open communication. This communication includes any concerns or suggestions that you may have as family members.
As we informed you last week, the WE CARE training in the facility has continued. Training for our leadership team was provided and front-line training began on Tuesday of this week. We requested the staff of JHEP to make a pledge to the WE CARE program and so far 104 pledges were signed!
In normal conditions, prior to COVID-19, WE CARE concern rack cards would have been available to family members throughout the facility for your convenience to complete should you have a concern or suggestion. Because we are not in normal times, and family members are not in the facility to access a rack card, the WE CARE concern cards will be placed on JHEP website.
This online form may be completed directly or by simply downloading and emailing a PDF. This form allows communication but is not to replace phone calls or e-mails that you are already utilizing but just another way for us to best serve you and your loved ones.
The forms are being tested and we will provide a direct link in future letters.
Testing
We are scheduled for whole-house COVID testing of residents and staff July 20th and 21st, and then again on July 27th and 28th. We are awaiting results from CVS testing that were completed on Monday, July 13th.
As a reminder, JHEP set up an automated toll-free number that is updated daily with any new COVID-19 positives. That number is 570-207-6711.
As stated in last week’s letter, the guidance and directives to nursing facilities is to have 14 consecutive days without any positive COVID results and no new respiratory symptoms before we prepare our reopening plan.
Window Visits Continue
Window visits are still on the same schedule as last week. For more information, please visit our website story: https://jhep.org/coronavirus/window-visits/
Please remember:
- The last window visit each day is 4:15 p.m., concluding at 4:30 p.m.
- The visits are one 15-minute session per resident, and we ask that you limit visits to three visitors at a time.
- And, in the interest of ongoing safety, all visitors must wear masks.
Other COVID-19 updates
In order to keep you informed, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has made an announcement this week that they will be providing ALL nursing facilities across the country with additional tools and resources to expedite testing. We will keep you informed of any/all changes in our testing strategies as we learn more about this government intervention. Testing is key to the reopening plan so we anxiously await additional information. In the meantime, we continue to manage the testing as described above.
Additionally, as you may already be aware on July 15th, Gov. Wolfe implemented more ridged restrictions based on the recent spikes in COVID. While nursing homes are not specifically mentioned in the restrictions, the American Health Care Association is urging governors to continue the strict visitation policies for nursing facilities for the safety of residents and health care workers.
Activities
Our LE staff is planning a “Dog Days of Summer Week” from July 26th through August 1st. Families who would like to participate with their loved one may email a short sentence or two of their favorite or funniest summer memory together. We will incorporate those stories into our “Dog Days of Summer Week” presentation.
Email your stories to Sherri Collins, Life Enrichment Director, at scollins@jhep.org. Please include the resident’s name and your name, and send by July 24, 2020. We also plan to have some fun pictures to share about this event.
Please stay safe and we hope to be able to see you soon.
Sincerely,
Mary Rose Applegate, MBA, RD, NHA
Administrator
