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Showing posts from April, 2020

Update April 30, 2020

We have received no new confirmed positive resident cases of COVID-19 today.  There are six resident test results pending.  We have received one new confirmed positive and one negative employee case with one test result pending. There were 1397 new confirmed positive cases in the state reported today on the Department of Health website.  Lancaster County reported 1765 cases, an increase of 62 from yesterday.  There are 26 nursing homes or personal care homes reporting 392 confirmed  positive residents and 93 confirmed positive employees. We strive to keep you updated on a daily basis so you are informed of what's happening in our facility as well as keeping you informed on what's happening in the state and Lancaster County.    We are not alone in this fight.    The nursing home and senior living communities have been the most vulnerable to the ferocity of this particular virus because of the ages and multiple co-morbidities of our populations.  It has been a silent enemy that

Update April 29

Today, we received confirmation of three residents with positive COVID results and two residents with negative results.    There are five residents with results pending.   There were no new reported positive test results for staff today.   There are two staff members with results pending. Department of Health information posted today shows an increase by 1102 confirmed positive cases today bringing the statewide total to 44,3676.  Lancaster County only grew by 25 positives from yesterday to a total of 1703 today.  25 nursing and personal care homes are reporting 382 confirmed positive resident cases and 93 confirmed employee cases.  Please continue to reach out with questions or concerns.  

Update April 28, 2020

There are no new resident positive cases to report today.  We do have 10 results pending.  There are also no new staff members who have tested positive.  We continue to have one remaining staff test pending.   The Department of Health reported 1210 new confirmed positive cases in the state today.  Lancaster County increased by 45 new cases since  yesterday bringing their total confirmed positive cases to 1678.  There are nursing homes in Lancaster County reporting confirmed positive cases with 376 confirmed positive resident cases and 78 confirmed positive employees. We are optimistic that the slower rate of growth in new cases is a positive sign but it is too early to be sure.  We will continue to keep you updated on the status of your loved one. Social Service has been increasing the number of virtual visits.  We too are hopeful that this will end soon and that you can come back and visit your loved ones in person without any restrictions.  I know that this has been very difficult

Update April 27, 2020

Today we received notification of two confirmed positive resident cases of COVID-19.  There are seven resident test results pending.  There are no new reported positive staff cases with one staff result still pending. PA Department of Health reported 889 new positive cases in the state today.  Lancaster County increased by 56 new cases.  There are now 24 nursing or personal care homes reporting positive cases up one from 23 yesterday.  368 of those are residents an increase of seven from yesterday and 82 are staff members an increase of from yesterdays reported numbers. We will continue to keep you updated as changes occur.  Social Service started making weekly phone calls again today to keep everyone updated.

Update April 26, 2020

We have received confirmation that two more residents tested positive today.  Two residents tested negative.  There continue to be no cases on Baker.  We have no new positive employee cases to report today however, we have one employee test pending. The number of confirmed cases reported today on Department of Health website is showing that there are 1116 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the state putting the total at 41,165.  There are 157,428 negative results reported.  Lancaster County grew by 76 yesterday putting the county total of confirmed cases at 1577.  There are 6911 negative results.  There are still 23 homes reporting positive cases in both employees and residents.  There are 361 residents and 78 employees in Lancaster County nursing and personal care homes with confirmed COVID-19.

Update April 25, 2020

We have received notification today of five more residents who have tested positive for COVID-19.  There are two results pending.  One additional staff person has tested positive bringing the staff total to 24.   Many staff are resuming work following the CDC guidance for allowing health care workers to return. Thank you to Manheim Twp fire department for dropping off the additional gowns that we ordered last week. We are truly blessed to have collaborative relationships with the Keystone Healthcare Coalition, the Department of Health, other health care providers, first responders and businesses in our township.   We truly recognize that we are all in this together and we will all get through it together.  The relationships and partnerships that we have developed during this crisis have been a source of strength and encouragement. The Department of Health reported today that there were an additional 1397 positive cases in PA today bringing the statewide total to 40,049.  There are 15

Update April 24, 2020

Today, we received confirmation that five residents have positive COVID results.   Four of the residents reside on Appel, one on Rosemont.     There are nine other residents who have been tested but results are pending.   There were two reported positive test results for staff today. We received two negative staff results today.   As of today, we have 36 positive resident cases, 11 negative and 10 pending results.  There are 23 staff who tested positive, 23 who tested negative and three results pending.   Five staff have returned to work and several are scheduled to return next week.   The residents are being treated according to their individual symptoms and in accordance with physician orders.  All are being monitored closely. Numbers reported by the Department of Health today show that total positive cases in the state grew by 1599 since yesterday rising from 37,053 to 38,652 today.  There are now 147,491 negative results.  Lancaster County positive cases grew by 92 since yesterd

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Update April 23, 2020

As of yesterday, there were 10 test results pending for residents. Today, we received confirmation that four of those residents have positive COVID results.   All four of the residents reside on Appel,.   We also received one negative test result for a resident on Baker. We have thirteen residents who have been tested but results are pending. One resident is on Rosemont the rest are on Appel. We received confirmation today that one additional staff person has tested positive.. There are six staff who have been tested but we have not yet received those results. There are 31 residents and 21 staff who have tested positive and 11 residents and 20 staff who have tested negative.  There are currently six staff who are awaiting test results. The numbers posted by the Department of Health today show that the state now has 37,053 positive cases and 142,061 negative.  That's 1369 more positive cases than yesterday.  Lancaster County is reporting 1359 positive cases and 6267 negative res

Daily Update April 22, 2020

Good afternoon.   Today we have learned of two more positive resident cases and two more positive staff cases.  Two residents tested negative as did two staff members.  The total numbers today are 27 residents with positive tests and 20 with negative results.  The number of staff who tested positive is 18 while the number of those who tested negative is 20.  There are currently 10 residents with pending results.  We are optimistic that the first group of residents who tested positive appear to have minimal symptoms and we are feeling reassured that they will continue to do well.  We are treating residents individually according to their level of symptoms.   As for the staff, of those that tested positive, five have returned to work and are doing well.  We are currently awaiting results of tests for 7 staff members.  The majority of positive resident cases are almost evenly distributed between Appel and Rehab.  The number of positive staff cases are primarily coming from Appel.   The n

Daily Update April 21, 2020

Good afternoon. Today we have been informed of two more positive resident cases.   There are currently eight residents with test results pending.  There was one staff member who reported a confirmed positive case.  The total number of residents who have tested positive is 25 while staff is 16.  Social Service staff have continued making the weekly calls to all family members today.  These should be completed by the end of this week.  Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. The numbers in PA reported by the Department of Health today included 132,323 negative and 34,528 positive cases.  Lancaster County now has 1295 positive and 5956 negatives.  The number of nursing and assisted living facilities in Lancaster County reporting positive cases is now 22 with 291 resident cases and 60 employees.  While the numbers do not appear to be growing as rapidly as they did a few weeks ago, the numbers still continue to climb in Lancaster County and Pennsylvania.  We remain vigilant

April 20, 2020

Today we received confirmation that six residents tested positive for COVID-19.  There are another three that are currently being tested There are a total of 23 residents who have tested positive to date. Additionally, there are a total 15 staff members who have tested positive.  The majority of cases remain on Appel, Rehab and Rosemont.  There are several staff members who are currently being tested or waiting for test results.  Staffing has become increasingly more challenging as staff are going out for testing.  In anticipation of the staffing challenges, we had already put our support staff through the approved nurse aide training course which is being offered through AHCA.  This was an approved waiver issued by CMS several weeks ago.   Several support staff from non-nursing departments took the eight hour course and passed the required competency test.  We were not able to mobilize these staff until the PA Department of Health approved this option. Fortunately, we got notificatio

April 19, 2020

There has been one confirmed positive resident case of COVID-19 and one negative today.  No new staff members have tested positive as of today.  Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that there now 32,284 positive cases in PA and 126,570 have tested negative.  Lancaster County has 1188 positive cases, up 75 from yesterday.  There are 21 nursing homes and personal care homes in the county reporting positive cases of COVID-19.  There are 260 residents in those homes that have tested positive and 55 employees. We remain committed to maintaining transparency with you and keeping you updated on the status of your loved one.  Social Services will be reaching out to schedule calls with all designated family member/resident representatives this week to schedule personal weekly update calls.  In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call us.  Stay safe.

Weekly Calls

I recognize that many families may be feeling anxious given the continued visitation restrictions. Therefore, I want to make sure that all families feel connected and are kept up to date about your loved ones on a regular basis.   Social Service staff will be reaching out next week to coordinate times and days for the calls with each responsible person.

April 18, 2020

We have received confirmation of 5 residents who have tested positive for COVID-19.  The cases are distributed amongst Appel, Rehab and Rosemont units.  Several residents are currently being monitored for potential symptoms.  Social Service staff has reached out to those family members of residents who have tested positive to provide individual updates.  We will continue to make sure that we are reaching out on a personal level to help keep you informed.  There are no new positive employee cases reported today. The Pennsylvania data has been updated as of noon today.  There are currently 31,069 positive cases and 122,896 negative results reported for the state.  Lancaster County is reporting 1113 positive cases and 5476 negative.  The nursing home and personal care home numbers today are the same as yesterday.  There are18 homes reporting positive cases amongst residents and staff. There are 238 positive residents and 53 positive employees identified in Lancaster County's nursing

April 17, 2020

There have been two resident and two employee confirmed positive cases reported today.  The positive cases are primarily concentrated on Appel however we do have a few cases on Rosemont and Rehab units.  We want to thank you for continued prayers, support and kind words during this difficult time for all of us.  Please know that we are thinking of you too and want to make sure you are kept informed. As I reported  yesterday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health is now posting information about COVID cases for nursing homes and personal care homes.  You can see the updates daily on the Department's website at:  https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Cases.aspx.   Simply copy and paste the address into your web browser to see daily updates.   Today's information shows that Lancaster County has 1030 confirmed positive cases and 5217 negative.  There are 18 nursing homes or personal care homes reporting confirmed resident and employee cases.  Of those 18 homes

Additional Information

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has been posting daily statistics about the number of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.  This information is typically updated daily on the Department's website after 12:00 PM.  You can see information on the total number in Pennsylvania as well as a breakdown of individuals by county.  The data has become more robust recently including statistical comparisons according to gender, race and a breakdown by region..  A report is now posted to show nursing home and personal care home data pertaining to COVID-19.  We review this information every day hoping to see that the growth of positive cases slow down but also to put our situation in perspective.  While we tend to fret about the continued growth of positive cases, the daily growth has slowed a bit.  I also find hope in the volume of negative results compared to the positive cases.  Today, there are 117,735 individuals in PA who have tested negative compared to 27,735 that have

Update April 16, 2020

Today we learned of one confirmed resident test for COVID-19.  We were also informed that two additional staff members have tested positive.  Both staff members are off work.  We have been notified that several staff members who were out due to testing or who have had positive results are able to return to work.  Thirteen staff members have had negative test results.  At this point, our cases are contained to three units.  We continue to focus on maintaining dedicated staff to each unit to prevent cross contamination.  Additionally, we are conducting infection surveillance by tracking staff and resident locations to assist in  containing the spread of the virus to the best of our ability.

Update April 15, 2020

As of today, we have 7 confirmed positive resident cases and 8 confirmed staff cases.  Three of the staff have already returned to work.  Daily updates will be posted here to keep you informed as things change.   Additionally, we have received guidance from an educational webinar with the National Institutes of Health regarding how long the virus is believed to remain on surfaces such as paper, cardboard, mail, etc... As an added precaution, any packages that are brought in to the facility will be  isolated for 24 hours before being sent to the resident.  Mail will be held and isolated for 24 hours before being distributed to the residents. Families bringing laundry or clothing into the facility will leave the bag of clothing outside the double doors.  Staff will hold the laundry in isolation for 24 hours before taking it to the resident.   Staff who order food from outside for delivery will be required to meet the delivery vendor outside of the facility and consum

Update April 14, 2020

We have been informed that one resident and one employee have tested positive for COVID 19 today.  We are continuing to screen staff prior to the start of the shift to make sure that they have no signs or symptoms.  If staff have symptoms, they are sent home and not permitted in the building.  If staff do not feel well during their shift, they are screened again.  If they have developed any signs or symptoms during their shift, they are sent home.  Staff are also screened when they are leaving their shift for the day.  Screening includes actively taking temperatures and completing a questionnaire.  Residents continue to be screened every shift.  The residents who  have tested positive remain in an isolated area of the facility with dedicated staff members providing care only on that unit.  Staff are wearing all personal protective equipment when caring for all residents.  Residents who are sick are provided with and asked to wear masks.  We continue to be in communication with the he

Update April 13, 2020

 We have been informed that four additional residents have tested positive.  There are currently five staff members who have also tested positive.  Staff continue to be actively monitored for fever and other signs and symptoms prior to the start of their shift and at the end of their shift.  Any staff who have fever or signs and symptoms are sent home.  All staff continue to wear masks, face shields, gowns, gloves and are reminded to wash their hands and use sanitizer frequently.  Residents who have tested positive or who are having symptoms are being kept on a separate unit.  Staff assignments are limited to single units and non-essential staff have been told to stay out of resident care areas.  All residents continue to be moniotored each shift for signs and symptoms.  We will continue to follow the guidance from the CDC and the Department of Health daily.  Please check here for daily status updates.

Update April 11, 2020

We were informed today that a resident who resides on the Rosemont Unit tested positive for COVID-19.   Additionally, we have a total of four staff members who tested positive for COVID-19.   Two of those staff members have already been cleared to return to work by their physicians.   The other two have not yet returned.   There are ten staff members who were tested but the results were negative for COVID-19.   Additionally several staff members are out due to community exposure or symptoms.   I know that this is a very frightening time for everyone but I want to assure you we are doing our very best to provide the best care possible for our residents.   My goal is to remain as transparent with you as possible while maintaining respect for the confidentiality of the residents and staff.   I am especially aware of how difficult this must be for you in light of the visiting restrictions we have had to implement due to the pandemic.   Please know that my heart is with you and I compl