Dear Family and Friends,
Weekly Update 10-16-2020
We have completed entire-site testing on October 13th. This week, we had only one staff member test positive for COVID-19. We are happy to announce we had NO new residents test positive for COVID-19. Unfortunately, we had one resident who previously tested positive for COVID-19 pass away. Our next round of testing will be conducted on Tuesday October 20th.
You may have heard in the news that care centers are able to re-open to visitors. Even though we are excited to open up our care center for indoor visits, it is tempered by the fact that part of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) guidelines are that there can be no new onset of COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days and facility cannot currently be conducting outbreak testing. At this time, we do not fit the guidelines to resume indoor visitation. We will continue to monitor our COVID situation and keep you updated on our plans to re-open safely.
For your planning purposes, please see the following strict guidelines that will be enforced when indoor visitation resumes:
- All indoor visits MUST be scheduled in advance.
- Visitors must be screened prior to entering the care center for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
- All visits must be conducted using social distancing.
- Visitors must wear a mask covering both nose and mouth while in the care center. Residents must wear a surgical mask during the visit.
- Proper hand hygiene must occur (use of alcohol-based hand rub) throughout visit.
- Visits may be restricted to a designated area within the building.
- Physical contact (hugs, kisses, handshakes, etc.) continues to be restricted to protect everyone from potential virus transmission.
- Visitors will be limited to two visitors per resident; the total number of visitors in the building will be limited; and the duration of visits will be limited.
- Visitors must adhere to all infection control policies (ICP) and staff should provide monitoring for those who may have difficulty adhering to ICP
- Cleaning/disinfecting high frequency touched surfaces and designated visitation areas must occur after each visit.
- All items brought to the visit must be left with staff for disinfection and not passed to the resident during the visit.
Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.
Please follow our Facebook page (@Guardian Angels Health and Rehabilitation Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Shane P. Roche, Administrator, at 218-231-8106 if you have any questions or concerns.