COVID-19 positive tests in facility and community halting visitation

As you likely are all aware, Hamilton County and all surrounding counties are experiencing the worst increase in the number of positive cases and positivity rate since the pandemic began.  As well, we are in what I hope to be the final stages of ending an outbreak here within the facility that began in November.  Due to these factors, we are still not providing indoor or outdoor visitation at this time except in End of Life and Compassionate Care situations as defined below.  Until new cases in our facility cease and the positivity rate turns below 10% in the community, we are certain it is best to temporarily restrict visitation.

Information on active cases at Standifer Place

You can read our overall cases, active cases, and recovery numbers on this website by clicking on the COVID Status link found on the home page.  As of 12-17-2020, we’ve had a total of 242 staff and residents cases, 200 recoveries, and 30 remaining active cases.  The number of active cases is far below a high we had a few weeks ago in late November of 103.  We are heartened by the progress.

I’m very proud of our team, of our resilient residents, and of our family members who have fought to be safe and be patient during this time.  Frankly, this has been an extremely trying, sad, and difficult time; and, yet there is much encouragement and strength found in all that is happening here of the continued caring, working, assessing, cooking, cleaning, disinfecting, and loving on all members of our precious community of residents and staff.

Vaccine information

Information on the current plans for vaccine doses being made available here at Standifer Place is found on our COVID Status page.  Please go to the home page and click on the red link there to view this information.

Visitation that is continuing

The following remain within the regulations and recommendations of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).

FaceTime – HCSP has been offering since the start of the pandemic in March the ability for residents and families to communicate and see each other via phone or tablet.  If anyone would like to schedule this kind of visitation, you should contact your Social Worker or the Activities staff member on the unit of the resident.

Compassionate Care and/or End of Life Visits — HCSP has been offering since the start of the pandemic in March.  If anyone would like to schedule this kind of visitation, you should contact your Nursing Unit manager or Social Worker for the unit of the resident.

Positivity Rate — The positivity rate for each county is measured weekly with a new report each Monday morning.  You can see the positivity rate of all the counties in TN yourself by going to the following link: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov/data/clusters-in-long-term-care-facilities.html  .  Once there, click on “Test Percent Positivity by County”.

Thank you for your patience and support!  You can contact your Social Worker or Nurse Manager if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Sincerely,

Dave Boozer, Administrator

daveboozer@standiferplace.org

11-19-2020:  VISITATION PLANS UPDATE

We have had difficult days over the past 2 weeks, and I wish we had better news to share.  As you can see from our COVID case numbers listed our our COVID status page, we are unfortunately experiencing a major outbreak here with 77 active cases between staff and residents.  Five of our 12 units across both buildings remain under quarantine.  The county positivity rate has hit a new high of 13.3%.  Given all these factors, we must continue with our shut down of all visitation.  I am unfortunately confident we won’t be in a position to open up any visitation by Thanksgiving.  We will do everything we can to offer as much facetime as possible during this time and the holiday.

We continue to daily test either staff or residents based on our schedule and on what potential exposures warrant.  We have PPE in place and in use, and we’re monitoring everyone closely.  A State surveyor was here this past Monday who affirmed our infection control procedures.  We’ve reported cases to the state as mandated.

While this news is more than heartbreaking, our team of care givers are amazing and they remain strong and ready for the task at hand.  I’m very proud of our team, and I’m very proud and thankful for our residents and families who have been so patient and enduring.

Feel free to contact us via our main number 423-490-1599 if you need to reach someone for updates on your loved one or about Standifer Place.

Thanks again for everyone’s patience at this time.

 

Sincerely,

Dave Boozer, Administrator

 

 

 

11-12-2020:  VISITATION PLANS UPDATE

COVID-19 positive tests in facility and community halting visitation

Over the past couple of weeks and more critically since Monday of this week, we have experienced a growing number of positive COVID test results among our staff and residents.  This combined with a significant increase in positive cases in both Hamilton County and other surrounding counties have led us to make the difficult decision to halting Window/Booth visitation.  Until we have opportunity to see our positive cases in the facility cease and positive cases in the community subside, we are certain it is best to temporarily halt these visits.

Information on new positive cases within Standifer Place

Specific to the Health Center at Standifer Place (HCSP), we have 4 staff and 5 residents who have tested positive since 11-11-2020.  We immediately moved those residents to our COVID Unit (400 wing) which is located in the Hamilton Terrace building.  The families of all 5 positive residents have already been notified of the positive test.  The COVID Unit has fully dedicated staff and is separated from all other residents and staff.  The professional caregivers on that unit are well trained and positioned to provide continued care in a safe and secure manner.

The 4 staff members who tested positive has been removed from work and placed under quarantine.  They will not be able to return to work until they complete CDC criteria for the timeframe required being asymptomatic and testing negative for the virus.  We have also completed contact tracing and have taken necessary steps with others including additional testing as warranted.

Steps taken to quarantine certain units

One of the results of our contact tracing was to quarantine certain nursing units.  We have quarantined 5 of our nursing units where the positive cases were found.  These units are as follows: In Hamilton Terrace — 600, 700, 900.  In our Dalton Place building, they are — West 1 and West 3.  We are also providing additional testing to the residents and staff on these units throughout the time of their quarantine.  If any test result is positive, we will be notifying the resident and family immediately and taking other steps per CDC guidelines.

We fully expect that Hamilton County will be at or above the 10% positivity rate by this coming Sunday evening’s report.  We are already prepared to test all staff twice weekly as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the Tennessee Dept of Health.

Visitation that is continuing

The following remain within the regulations and recommendations of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).

FaceTime – HCSP has been offering since the start of the pandemic in March the ability for residents and families to communicate and see each other via phone or tablet.  If anyone would like to schedule this kind of visitation, you should contact your Social Worker or the Activities staff member on the unit of the resident.

Compassionate Care and/or End of Life Visits — HCSP has been offering since the start of the pandemic in March.  If anyone would like to schedule this kind of visitation, you should contact your Nursing Unit manager or Social Worker for the unit of the resident.

We are very disheartened by this news.  The positivity rate for each county is measured weekly with a new report each Monday morning.  You can see the positivity rate of all the counties in TN yourself by going to the following link: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov/data/clusters-in-long-term-care-facilities.html  .  Once there, click on “Test Percent Positivity by County”.

Thank you for your patience and support.  You can contact your Social Worker or Nurse Manager if you have any questions or concerns.

10-30-2020:  VISITATION PLANS UPDATE

 

 

10-08-2020:  VISITATION PLANS UPDATE

The Health Center at Standifer Place (HCSP) is working to enable visitation within the guidance and regulations specified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH).

On September 17, 2020 both the TDOH and CMS provided guidance and instructions on Nursing Home Visitation and Visitation Options.  While there is some difference and conflict between what measurements each uses to determine what kinds of visitation is allowed and defined as safe, HCSP is taking the following steps:

CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTED

FaceTime – HCSP has been offering since the start of the pandemic in March the ability for residents and families to communicate and see each other via phone or tablet.  If anyone would like to schedule this kind of visitation, you should contact your Social Worker or the Activities staff member on the unit of the resident.

Compassionate Care and/or End of Life Visits — HCSP has been offering since the start of the pandemic in March.  If anyone would like to schedule this kind of visitation, you should contact your Nursing Unit manager or Social Worker for the unit of the resident.

Window visitation – Effective October 5th, 2020 HCSP began allowing scheduled window visits on  Mondays, Wednesdays, and soon on Fridays.  Our Social Work staff arrange the scheduling.  Barring a COVID-19 outbreak at our campus, HCSP plans on continuing to schedule such visits as long as the weather cooperates.

PENDING IMPLEMENTATION

Outdoor or Indoor visitation – HCSP will gradually introduce indoor visitation if conditions at our facility and in Hamilton County continue to improve, and hopefully ahead of cold weather that would make outdoor visitation and window visits very difficult and/or dangerous.  At a minimum, facilities must meet both requirements defined by the TDOH and CMS which are as follows:

• TDOH requires that a nursing facility have no confirmed COVID-19 positive test results for either residents or staff for at least 14 days before offering outdoor visitation or limited indoor visitation.
• CMS requires that in addition to the 14 days, that the county and the surrounding counties “positivity rate” be below 10%.  The “positivity rate” measures what percentage of COVID-19 tests in the county are positive.  CMS says that facilities may then implement limited visitation “according to the core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention and facility policies.”

Given the size of our facility, the number of staff who work, go home, and come back to work, as well as the number of cases we have had, HCSP will safely and methodically introduce outdoor visitation and limited indoor visitation.  Under the assumption we meet and continue to meet these 2 criteria, HCSP is setting plans to begin limited indoor visitation and outdoor visitation (weather permitting) by November 2nd.

Additional updates will be posted to our website each Friday afternoon between now and then.  Contact your Social Worker and/or Nurse Unit manager or Asst Unit Manager with any questions.  We look forward to having us all together again.  Let’s work together to make all of our communities a safe place for everyone!  Masks, sanitized hands, and social distancing are everyone’s responsibility and everyone’s best and simplest tools to stop the spread of this disease!

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAFE VISITATION – INFECTION CONTROL

Effective immediately, Standifer Place is restricting entry into each of our resident buildings (Hamilton Terrace, Dalton Place, and Standifer Place Assisted Living) for any visitation that is not medically necessary.

Our normal visiting hours have been suspended until further notice.  These restrictions will be reviewed on a weekly basis until concerns with the Corona Virus are resolved.

We are also taking preventative measures, completed on a daily basis, with all facility employees, contractors, and consultants whose entry into our facility is required to meet residents’ care needs and to keep residents safe.

We greatly appreciate your patience as we work to best provide care and a safe environment for all our residents.  Standifer Place is happy to assist in providing alternate means of visiting via phone and internet based communication.  Questions/concerns can be addressed by calling our facility at 423-490-1599.

Specifics on Restricting Individuals from Entering our Building 

Standifer Place is taking the following actions to help prevent the entry of COVID-19 into our facility whether or not it has been found in the surrounding community.

1. Allow entry to only individuals who need entry.
2. Restrict activities and visitors with potential for exposure.
3. Actively screen individuals entering the building and restrict entry to those with respiratory symptoms or possible exposure to COVID-19.

#1 Restrict entry to only individuals who need entry, such as:

• Facility employees, contractors and consultants who are needed to keep the operations running and assure the residents’ needs are met.
• Government officials who in their capacity require entry (e.g., CDC or public health staff).
• Immediate families or friends who need to visit for critical or time sensitive reasons such as end of life related visits, complete medical authorizations, etc. These visitors should be instructed to limit their movement within the facility.

#2 Restrict activities and individuals with potential for exposure, including:

• Visitors, when there are any confirmed COVID-19 cases in the surrounding community. This does not apply to workforce needed to keep the operations going and to meet resident needs.
• Other visitors for routine social visits, tours with prospective residents or their families, and outside group activities (e.g., school groups or bands, etc.).
• We have canceled group activities and activities that take residents into the community to public places particularly with large gatherings, such as mall, movies, etc. (note: this does NOT apply to residents who need to leave the building for medical care such as dialysis, medical visits, etc).

#3 Actively screening all individuals entering the building, including employees, contractors, volunteers, visitors, new admissions, government officials, and health care professionals. The screening process includes asking individuals for:

• Respiratory symptoms (fever, sore throat, cough and new shortness of breath);
• International travel within the last 14 days to areas where COVID-19 cases have been confirmed.
• Anyone who has worked in another health care setting with confirmed COVID-19 cases (this may change as COVID-19 spreads in your community)
• Alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) stations are setup immediately inside the main entryways with signage reminding people to wash before entering.

Reasons Standifer Place is Restricting Individuals from Entering our Building 

The current COVID-19 outbreak situation means that it is critical that we take every precaution possible.  We must prevent this virus from entering our center.  Protecting our residents’ health and safety is our top priority.

The CDC has done a careful review of the death rate in the elderly, especially those with dementia or chronic diseases. Experts are recommending we take action to limit individuals from entering our building and to ensure sick employees stay home.

Early data shows that

• The mortality rate for people over 80 in the general population is 15% in China.
• The World Health Organization report estimates the mortality rate at 21.9% for those over 80.
• At the nursing home in Washington state, there have been 50 residents who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. As of March 9, 2020, 19 of those have died. This is a high death rate.

There is a risk that people who appear healthy will enter nursing homes and infect residents. Studies of past viral epidemics where recommending prevention was delayed were not effective. These studies show that the sooner we limit interactions with each other and wash your hands frequently virus spreads more slowly.

These facts have led many to recommend severe limitations on visitation.

We hope this explains to you why we are asking people to limit their visits. This may prevent you from physically seeing your family member or friend during this time.  Our residents’ health and safety are our top concern, and we are committed to doing everything we can to protect them.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions at 423-490-1599. Please make sure we have your latest contact information.  Thank you for supporting these efforts.

Sincerely,

Dave Boozer
Administrator
daveboozer@standiferplace.org