Weekly Update: 09/03/2020

Our residents and staff were tested for a 2^nd time on August 31^st.  We are pleased to share that no additional residents or staff tested positive for COVID-19.  This means we can discontinue weekly point prevalence testing (PPT) for all residents and staff at Guardian Angels Health & Rehabilitation Center.  Additionally, we will be allowing patio visits again on September 3^rd. Please contact Kelly Squires, Activity Director, at 218-231-8119, to schedule your visit.

	Tests Positive	Tests Negative	Tests Pending	Total Tested
Residents	0	79	0	79
Staff	0	103	0	103

This week, CMS and MDH released new testing requirements for our care center’s staff and residents that are effective immediately. “Facility Staff” is defined broadly, to include employees, consultants, contractors, volunteers, and caregivers who provide care and services to residents on behalf of the facility, and students in the facility’s nurse aide training programs or from affiliated academic institutions.  The requirements outline routine testing depending on our county positivity rate:

• Low: Monthly testing in counties with less than 5% positivity
• Medium: Weekly testing in counties with 5-10% positivity
• High: Bi-weekly testing in counties with greater than 10% positivity

The rule also requires testing in three scenarios: (i) symptomatic individual identified; (ii) outbreak (new case arises in facility); and (iii) routine testing.  While CMS does not recommend routine testing of residents unless the resident leaves the facility regularly, it does require routine testing of staff.

Currently, our policy is to test residents and staff if they are symptomatic, had exposure to someone positive and during a known outbreak in our facility like we have just experienced. Due to our county positivity rate, we will now be testing all staff monthly. This frequency is subject to change pending our county positivity rate.

We appreciate all the support, prayers, and offers of help that we’ve received. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Shane P. Roche, Administrator, at 218-231-8106 or by email at sroche@guardianangels.sfhs.org.