Memo-COVID-19 Update-January 5, 2021
FROM: John Burns, President and CEO; Will Blackwell, Vice President Health Services; Debra Jacobsen, Administrator Residential Living; and Sloan Verlander, Administrator Assisted Living
SUBJECT: COVID-19 Update
DATE: January 5, 2021
Vaccinated Today for a Stronger Tomorrow – that’s our theme and cheer for 2021! COVID-19 vaccination began at Westminster Canterbury Richmond this week.
COVID-19 Vaccination Updates
A two-day vaccination event began Monday, January 4, for Mary Morton Parsons Health Center residents and employees. Additional vaccination clinics will be scheduled in the coming weeks for the rest of our community. Please refer to Westminster Canterbury’s COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (December 30, 2020). We will provide updates as we receive more details from CVS Health, our COVID-19 vaccine provider.
Parsons Health Center
On Friday, January 1, we learned that two residents of Parsons Health Center Third Floor tested positive for COVID-19. These residents moved to our reopened COVID-19 positive unit where they will be cared for by a dedicated team who will work only in this area. The resident who tested positive on Thursday, December 24, has since recovered. Routine testing for Parsons Health Center residents and employees continues twice weekly per guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Assisted Living
On Sunday, January 3, we learned that a non-clinical employee of Assisted Living tested positive for COVID-19. On Monday, January 4, we learned that a Certified Nursing Assistant in The Gables and Monticello tested positive for COVID-19. Per guidelines from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), all residents in The Gables and Monticello are in quarantine and will be tested. Anyone who was impacted will be contacted directly.
Employee Cases
On Monday, January 4, we learned that an Information Technology employee tested positive for COVID-19. A total of seven employees are currently recovering in quarantine off campus after testing positive for COVID-19. A number of others are in quarantine due to experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 or after being exposed to someone who has tested positive.
Visitation, Programs and Services
Westminster Canterbury follows the latest guidance from CMS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and VDH in our response to the pandemic. Visitation and many programs and services are currently suspended. Westminster Canterbury has no immediate plans to resume visitation due to new cases in our community and rising infection rates in the Richmond region. In January, we will safely resume some services including Salon Services, Transportation for non-essential appointments and Fitness and Aquatic Center appointments.
Follow the Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Prevention
Infection rates of COVID-19 are rising all around our region and Virginia. Please take special care to stay home, monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID-19 and follow these guidelines in the coming weeks to help protect yourself and others.
• Wear a mask at all times when around others. Always carry a mask with you.
• Wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer.
• Always maintain social distancing of at least six feet.
• Everyone must be screened before entering our community.
• Follow enhanced safety and disinfection recommendations from the CDC, CMS and VDH.
• Stay home if you do not feel well and contact your physician.
• In-person gatherings with individuals outside your household are discouraged. Stay connected by phone or in virtual ways.
Ongoing Updates
• Stay up-to-date with us online. Check the COVID-19 Update page and blog at www.WCRICHMOND.org.
• Live Update videos air on our in-house TV970. Recordings are available later on www.WCRICHMOND.org, www.facebook.com/wcrichmond or on TV971 daily at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Our next Live Update is Tuesday, January 5, at 3 p.m.