Live Update to Residents-June 25, 2020
Live updates to residents on our in-house TV970 keep us informed and connected. Today’s update featured John Burns, President and CEO; Will Blackwell, Vice President Health Services; Sloan Verlander, Administrator Assisted Living; Logan Augustine, Chaplain; and The Rev. Dr. Vienna Cobb-Anderson, resident.
The following updates were shared during the live briefing on TV970.
John Burns
As of today, the COVID-19 data for Virginia includes:
• 590,404 people have been tested for COVID-19, including 16,391 since yesterday. Positive cases total 59,946, an increase of 432 since yesterday.
• The rolling seven-day positivity rate in Virginia is 6.0%, Henrico is 6.0%, Richmond is 6.6%, Chesterfield is 9.4% and Hanover is 3.3%.
• A total of 5,995 have been hospitalized. 854 people are currently hospitalized.
• There have been 1,675 deaths associated with COVID-19.
• 7,818 people have recovered from COVID-19 including 53 newly recovered.
Independent Living Off-Campus Overnight
As a reminder, if Independent Living residents travel off campus overnight, for personal or medical reasons, they will go under quarantine when they return and be tested for COVID-19 after five days. Once they receive a negative test result, their quarantine will end. If residents do not want to be tested for COVID-19, they enter 14-day quarantine when returning to campus. Please make sure to notify the Tower or Center desk when you plan to stay off campus overnight. When you return to campus, please let the desk know. This is important so that the Clinic will know when your fifth day of quarantine is and can do a test, potentially shortening the 14-day quarantine. The Clinic is not aware unless the desk notifies then of the return.
Staff Listening Sessions
This week we are hosting “Listening Sessions” with staff to hear their thoughts about racial justice, racism and how racism affects them at work and in the community. We are learning valuable lessons about what it is like to work at Westminster Canterbury Richmond if you are not white. Thank you to staff for sharing their thoughts that will help us to change for the better.
Will Blackwell
Mary Morton Parsons Health Center Updates
On June 24, we had our second Focused Infection Control Survey with the Virginia Department of Health. Surveyors interviewed staff, watched staff don and doff personal protective equipment and reviewed infection control policies. No deficiencies were found.
Last Friday, we received a 16-page document, from the Virginia Department of Health with Guidance for a Phased Reopening of Nursing Facilities in Virginia.
What does reopening mean?
Reopening means easing some of the restrictions that have been put in place to protect residents and staff during the early part of COVID 19 pandemic, and moving in a stepwise manner toward more normal operations.
The guidance provides opening in three phases. Before Parsons Health Center can move into the first phase, we have to complete several items, many of which are already complete:
- City or county has been in Forward Virginia Phase I for at least 14 days. (Virginia entered this phase in May.)
- No nursing home-onset cases in residents for the past 14 days. (We have had zero cases.)
- Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures have been implemented.
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- An individual with training in IPC to provide onsite management of all COVID-19 prevention and response activities has been assigned. (Tracey Powell is our Infection Control Preventionist.)
- Space in the facility that can be used to monitor and care for residents with COVID-19 has been designated. (This is part of our COVID-19 planning.)
- Screening of residents for any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 infection with documentation is occurring. (We screen residents in Parsons Health Center every shift.)
- Screening of staff for any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 infection with documentation is occurring. (Staff are screened with questions and a temperature check on a daily basis.)
- Universal source control and social distancing have been implemented. (Staff monitor social distancing and floor markers and other signage have been installed.)
- Facility is reporting to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Long-term Care Facility (LTCF) COVID-19 Module weekly. (This began on May 29.)
- Facility has conferred rights to VDH in NHSN
- Facility has adequate staffing as reported in NHSN
- Facility has access to adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) as reported in NHSN
- Facility has access to adequate testing as reported in NHSN
- Fit testing for respirator use for staff providing direct care for COVID-19 positive residents has been conducted. (While there are currently no residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, we are in the process of completing this step.)
- Facility testing plan has been developed. (This has been developed. Staff and residents have been tested.)
- A plan has been developed to manage new admissions and readmissions where COVID-19 status is unknown. (Those who return from the hospital are under quarantine and on droplet precautions for 14 days.)
- Phase I Attestation has been sent to the LHD local health department.
There are additional checklists for entering Phase II and Phase III that we will complete in the coming weeks. We know you are eager to visit your loved ones in Parsons Health Center; however, there are many conditions that must be met before regulations will allow this. We will provide updates on plans and progress. Thank you for your patience.
Sloan Verlander
If Assisted Living residents have any questions about information they hear on the Live Updates, please reach out to your Assisted Living team for clarification.
Assisted Living Visitation
Visitation for Assisted Living residents will begin on July 1. These plans were developed and presented to the Virginia Department of Social Services Licensing Inspector and Licensing Administrator for edits and approval. Read the full memo here. Guidelines include:
• 30-minute visits with family member or guest in a designated space.
• Both the resident and the guest must wear a mask.
• Both the resident and the guest must adhere to social distancing during the visit.
• Both the resident and the guest must sanitize hands prior to entering the room and upon exiting the room.
• No meals or outside food are allowed during visits, and no items should be brought in that cannot be sanitized prior to leaving the room used for visiting.
Assisted Living residents are reminded to stay within Assisted Living as much as possible and are encouraged to go outside for exercise and fresh air. If your family members are making deliveries at the Center Entrance on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, staff will deliver those items to your apartment rather than you picking them up. As the Promenade resumes limited service, this is for Independent Living residents only at this time. Assisted Living residents will continue to have meals in their areas of living. The Promenade services will be expanded to serve Assisted Living in the future.
Assisted Living Relicensure
This year marked our year for relicensure with the Virginia Department of Social Services. The survey began on June 16 and was completed on June 22. This survey was different than in years past as licensing staff used an alternate remote protocol necessary due to the state of emergency health pandemic declared by the Governor of Virginia. The inspector reviewed resident and staff records, physician’s orders, medication administration records, medication review, staff schedules, fire drills, health care and dietician oversight. The inspection determined that no violations with applicable standards or law were found; therefore, no violations were issued. The inspector is recommending a three-year license and is awaiting approval by the Licensing Administrator.
The Rev. Dr. Vienna Cobb-Anderson
Matthew 25:40
“I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes.
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.
Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me – you failed to do it to me.”
Prayer
We pray, O God, for change. Help us to see Christ in the faces of those whom society has pushed to the margins. Guide us to establish the justice you proclaimed for all. Open our hearts and minds to understand that of all the things we take for granted and long to do again, the only essential in this life is to love – to love you and our neighbor.
Amen.