Live Update to Residents-February 11, 2021
Today’s Live Update on our in-house TV970 covered the latest news at Westminster Canterbury Richmond. It featured John Burns, President and CEO; Debra Jacobsen, Administrator Residential Living; Glendon Kemp, Manager of Security; and Vanessa Perry, Pastoral Care Administrator. The next Live Update will be Tuesday, February 16.
The following updates were shared.
John Burns
COVID-19 Updates
An Independent Living resident of the Tower tested positive for COVID-19 this week after showing mild symptoms and is quarantined at home. After contact tracing, we believe that the risk of exposure to others is low.
A Dining employee has tested positive for COVID-19. A total of three employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 are in quarantine at home. Due to the new case in a Dining employee who works in the kitchen, a small number of very important culinary positions have been exposed and will need to quarantine for 14 days.
The Dining department has made the difficult decision to suspend the Canterbury Room Take-Out Option until quarantined staff return to work. The culinary team will consolidate their staffing to cover the vacancies created by these exposures. We are sorry for this temporary inconvenience.
Vaccination
Our final Assisted Living vaccination clinic for residents and employees to receive their second doses is Tuesday, February 16. (This is a change from what was announced in the Live Update.) This vaccination clinic will only be one day. Employees are reminded that they must come for their second dose on Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released some new guidance related to what fully vaccinated people will be required to do if they are exposed to someone who is infected with the virus. Westminster Canterbury follows all the latest guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the CDC and Virginia Department of Health (VDH) as we manage next steps after an employee or resident tests positive for COVID-19 or is exposed to someone who has tested positive.
Being fully vaccinated means that you have had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and that two weeks have passed since you received the second dose. It takes two weeks to build full immunity after the second dose of vaccine.
At this time, everyone – including vaccinated persons – should continue to follow current guidance to protect themselves and others, including wearing a mask, staying at least six feet away from others, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands often, following CDC travel guidance and following any applicable workplace guidance.
The new guidance says that vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria:
• Are fully vaccinated
• Are within three months following receipt of the last dose in the series
• Have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure
The guidance is different for those who live in healthcare settings. Residents and employees should continue to follow the same protocols. If you have any symptoms or find out that you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus, please reach out to your physician or the Clinic. We will always consult with VDH to determine the plan for the next steps that fit your situation. The guidance is changing all the time as we learn more about the virus. We will continue to share those updates and help you navigate the changes.
Next Steps
As our community is vaccinated, and we hopefully continue to move forward with fewer and fewer cases of COVID-19, our teams are working on the plans and criteria for reopening and restarting certain programs. We will share more in the coming weeks. We continue to approach our next steps with an abundance of caution. Thank you for your partnership in moving our community forward in safe, healthy ways!
Debra Jacobsen
Independent Living Vaccination
We are preparing for the second Independent Living vaccination clinic on February 24-25.
Prior to our first vaccination clinic, Independent Living residents were asked to complete the CVS consent form. This process needs to be completed again for our second vaccination clinic. There is a detailed memo in your box outlining the process. If a form was placed in your box and you did not receive the COVID-19 vaccination on campus at Westminster Canterbury, please return the blank consent form to the desk. Completed forms should be returned to the drop boxes by noon on Tuesday, February 16.
We do have access to the forms you completed for the first vaccination clinic and plan to review the second round of consent forms after they are returned. If you need any assistance filling out your consent form, we will open the helpline again beginning on Thursday, February 11. Please call ext. 1570 to leave a message. A staff member will call you back as soon as possible.
We will provide a schedule for your floor closer to the second vaccination dates on Wednesday, February 24, and Thursday, February 25. The process will remain the same starting in the Sara Belle November Theater at your scheduled vaccination time. You will receive your paperwork and wait in the theater until your name is called.
We hope to be as successful with this process as the last time. Thank you in advance for your patience and support as we complete the vaccination process.
Glendon Kemp
Inclement Weather
All safety measures are in place for the forecasted snow and ice. We are prepared to handle significant snow over the weekend. Our Facilities and Grounds teams will work around the clock to ensure that operations are running properly. The snow may impact some areas, such as transportation, which may shut down if conditions are unsuitable for transporting residents. Food delivery may be slightly delayed to Independent Living residents. Essential personnel are being housed on campus to ensure that all needs are met.
The Engineering Team will actively work on snow clearing operations. It is important to allow the snowplow drivers and snow-clearing equipment adequate space to perform the job safely. Please avoid going outside during the overnight hours to allow clear work zone areas, free of pedestrian traffic. In the early dawn hours, please avoid walking in main drive lanes and parking lots. Please stay on the sidewalks and always be visible to oncoming traffic. Try to walk only on sidewalks that have already been cleared and avoid walking on uncleared sidewalks. If you approach an area that has caution tape or cones blocking an entrance or sidewalks, please do not cross this line as it has been deemed unsafe. These areas will remain closed until they can be cleared and are safe to use. Thank you for your understanding.
Vanessa Perry
Pastoral Care Updates
A Sermon for Every Sunday will air on TV970 this Sunday at 4 p.m. The Transformation Sunday message will be offered by Rev. Carla Pratt Keyes, pastor of Ginter Park Presbyterian Church.
Signups are still being taken for the Lenten Spiritual Practices using Gospel Text study group, led by Rev. Bob Hetherington. The sessions will reflect on the weekly Gospel text in a repetitive, reflective way. Sessions will begin on Wednesday, February 17, lasting seven weeks. Please call Vanessa Perry at ext. 1502 to sign up. Participants will need to have access to a computer for these virtual sessions.
Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
“Don’t Quit” by Edgar A. Guest
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low but the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit…
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit!
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many failures turn about
When we might have won had we stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow…
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out…
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.