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Showing posts from May, 2020

Update May 30 2020

There were no new confirmed positive resident or employee cases for yesterday or today.  We have completed the weekly testing. The Department of Health website today shows 71,415 total cases in the state.  Lancaster County has 3131. We will continue with weekly calls and updates next week unless there are any changes to report tomorrow.

Update May 28, 2020

We completed mass testing again this week of residents and employees whose results were negative last week.  After receiving the results for all residents and at least 75% of the employees, we have identified two new confirmed positive asymptomatic residents and three new confirmed positive asymptomatic employees.  The remainder of the employees will be tested tomorrow.  We will plan to do another round of testing next week for those residents and employees with negative results this week based on CDC testing strategy recommendations. (HAN 508) CDC guidance recommends re-testing employees and residents who have tested negative weekly until there are 14 days with no new confirmed positive cases.  Our weekly results will guide us in the decision making process as  we move forward. Based on this week's test results, we moved two residents out of a "Yellow" Zone (exposure but no positive cases) into a "Red" Zone (active cases),.  The three employees are currently n

Update May 27, 2020

We have received notice of one new confirmed positive resident case today. There are no new confirmed positive employee cases to report today. We continue to follow CDC and DOH recommendations.  We are currently in the process of resolving multiple resident cases even as we conduct re-testing for those residents and staff that previously tested negative.  Our goal has been to quickly identify those individuals who may be asymptomatic but test positive.  Quickly identifying these individuals will help us to prevent the spread by separating the confirmed positive individuals from those who are negative.  We have grouped residents according to their testing status, called "cohorting" into "Red", "Yellow" and "Green" Zones in accordance with DOH guidance.  Individuals in the "Red" Zones are those that have an active or resolved confirmed positive status.  Residents in "Yellow" Zones are those considered to be exposed.   All precau

Update May 26, 2020

There are no new confirmed positive resident cases to report today.  There was one new confirmed positive case today.  Weekly testing has begun for all staff today who previously tested negative.  Weekly testing was completed today for the residents who previously tested negative.  We will report the outcome when the results are received.  This testing strategy is being done the effort to quickly identify any individuals who may be asymptomatic to prevent the spread of the virus.  We continue to follow the guidance of the CDC and DOH. Our social workers and other support staff continue with the weekly calls to keep families updated on the status of their loved ones as well as to provide the total cumulative numbers related to COVID status in the facility. The Department of Health reported 68,637 total cases today, an increase of 451 from yesterday.  Lancaster County reported 131 new cases today bringing the county total to 2985.

Update May 25, 2020

There are no new confirmed positive resident or employee cases to report today.  There is one pending employee test result.  We will begin our weekly testing of residents and employees tomorrow and will report on any changes as results are returned.  We continue to follow CDC and DOH recommendations for isolation and infection control precautions.  We will make adjustments as necessary as our data changes. The Department of Health reported 453 new cases in the state today bringing the total reported cases to 68,186.  Lancaster County had an increase of 42 confirmed positive cases since yesterday bringing the county total to 2896. Happy Memorial Day!

Update May 24, 2020

We received notification of two new resident positive cases today.  These two were part of the first batch of universal tests from last week.  Because the results were inconclusive for these individuals, we re-tested and received confirmed positive results today.  We have received notification of one new confirmed positive employee test.  There are no pending employee tests. We have made arrangements to begin weekly testing starting on Tuesday.  Residents and families will be notified prior to completion. We continue to screen all staff at the beginning and end of the shift as well as if they leave the building during the shift.  Residents are being monitored for symptoms each shift.  We are following CDC and DOH recommendations for infection precautions and cohorting the positive staff and residents. Today, the Department of Health reported that there are 67,713 total cases of COVID-19 in the state. This is an increase of 730 cases from yesterday.  In addition, Lancaster County has

Update May 23, 2020

There are no new confirmed resident or employee cases to report today.  There are four pending employee results.  The last batch of employee testing is being completed today to conclude the point prevalence survey. We continue to follow CDC and DOH recommended infection control precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. The Department of Health reported 625 new cases today for a total of 66,983 cases statewide.  Lancaster County reported an increase of 54 cases since yesterday for a new total of 2790.

Update May 22, 2020

We received notification of one new confirmed positive resident case today.  This was from a test that was done six days ago, the result was just returned today.  There are no new confirmed positive employee cases today.  There are no pending resident results.  There are four pending employee results.  The last batch of employee tests related to universal testing will be completed tomorrow.  We are currently setting up weekly testing for residents and employees in accordance with PA DOH guidance.  That will start next Tuesday.  Families and residents will be notified prior to testing. We are continuing to monitor and screen residents and staff for symptoms.  The key is early detection so we can cohort our population to prevent the spread of the virus.  We continue to test anyone who develops signs or symptoms. The PA Department of Health reported today that there are 66,258 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in the state.  There are 2736 confirmed positive cases in Lancaster Coun

Update May 21, 2020

We have started receiving the results of the universal testing that was completed on 5/19/2020.  Today, we were notified of 29 new confirmed positive resident and 25 confirmed positive  employee cases.   A hundered percent of the resident test results have been returned.  We have received notification of 25 new confirmed positive employee cases as a result of the universal testing.  The employee results will be returned in batches as not all employees could be tested on the same day.  The results received back for employees today were the majority of staff.  Having the results has permitted us the opportunity to cohort positive residents to segregate them from those identified as negative.  We continue to monitor residents for symptoms and will implement re-testing in accordance with DOH guidance for both residents and employees. We will continue to keep you updated on any status changes or new confirmed positive cases. The Pennsylvania Department of Health website today is showing

Update May 20, 2020

There are no new employee or resident confirmed positive cases to report today.  There are two pending resident and four employee pending test results.  In addition, we are awaiting results from the universal testing of residents and staff that were completed by the National Guard yesterday. We are continuing to follow the recommendations of CDC, CMS and Department of Health. I did not see an update for today on the PA Department of Health website.  We will keep you posted as we begin to receive results from the universal testing and will let you know if there will be any changes in mitigation efforts as a result of the tests.  We may need to move or relocate residents based on test results. Our mitigation efforts are in the interest of protecting all residents and staff.   If we have to move your loved one, we will notify you by phone.

Update May 19, 2020

There are no new confirmed positive resident or staff cases today.  There are currently four employee and three resident results pending as of today. We were fortunate to partner with the National Guard and staff from the Centers for Disease Control on a pilot project in which we had all staff and residents tested for COVID 19 today.  The staff of CDC were instrumental in reviewing our current practices, making recommendations and providing education regarding infection control measures.  In addition to the testing, the National Guard provided education and support to staff on the use of PPE.  Thanks to the collaboration between the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania and the PA Department of Health for allowing this innovative effort in moving forward in the fight against COVID-19 in facilities such as ours.  The universal testing will allow us to identify those individuals who are positive but asymptomatic so that we can  respond accordingly using test based strategy. It is and

Update May 18, 2020

There were no new confirmed resident or employee cases reported today.  There are four pending resident cases and three pending employee cases.  We will begin universal testing of residents and staff tomorrow.  Families and residents have been contacted to obtain consent.  This effort will assist in our future strategy to cohort and contain the spread of the virus. Today the Department of Health reported 822 new confirmed positive cases brining the state total to 63056.  Lancaster County is reporting 2552 cases today, an increase of 44 new cases from yesterday.  There are 33 nursing or personal care homes reporting 658 confirmed resident and 178 confirmed positive employee cases. Family calls will be continuing this week and window visits will resume as scheduled.  Please continue to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Update May 17, 2020

Today we have receive notification of three confirmed positive and  resident cases.  There are currently four resident test results pending.  There are no new confirmed positive employee cases.  Three employee results are pending. The Pennsylvania Department of Health website shows that there are 623 new confirmed positive cases today for a total of 62,234.  Lancaster County has 2508 confirmed positive cases, an increase of 38 since yesterday's report.  There are 34 nursing homes reporting 640 confirmed positive resident and 178 confirmed positive employee cases today.

Update May 16, 2020

There are no new confirmed positive resident cases to report today.  We have received one negative resident test result. There are thirteen resident test results pending.  We have received notification of one confirmed positive employee test.  There are still two employee  tests pending. The Department of Health reported that there are 61,611 confirmed positive cases in the state today, an increase of 989 from yesterday.  Lancaster County has 2470 cases today, an increase of 42 from yesterday.  There are 34 nursing or personal care homes reporting 625 confirmed positive resident and 178 confirmed positive employee cases.

Update May 15, 2020

Today we received notification of two confirmed positive cases. There are no new confirmed positive employee cases.  There are still two employee and twelve resident test results pending. Since we have had a positive case on Baker, we have reached out to Department of Health for testing supplies in anticipation of universal testing which would start on Baker wing.  The purpose of this is to quickly identify individuals who may be positive but asymptomatic to prevent the spread of the virus.  We have already begun the process for testing residents on  Baker so you will start to see higher pending numbers, don't be alarmed by that.   It is expected since we will be testing everyone as part of our strategy.  We have already obtained tests on several residents on Baker today which accounts for the higher numbers you are seeing of resident pending test results today.   Family members of residents who were tested today received phone calls.  If you did not receive a phone call, your lo

Update May 14, 2020

We have received one new confirmed positive resident case since yesterday and no new confirmed positive employee cases. There are five resident and two employee tests pending.  We are happy to report that we have resolved several resident cases.  We have had had  our first confirmed positive case on Baker wing.  We have maanged to cohort residents to open up back and center hall of rehab.  The cleaning company has come in to complete disinfection and sanitization on that unit.  We will be working with our medical director to address future cohorting needs depending on the needs and testing status now that rehab hallways have been opened.  We are aligning our strategy to meet the intent of the PA DOH guidance relased on 5/12/2020 pertaining to testing and post intervention to include a cohorting plan for residents. (2020-PAHAN-508-5-12-ADV) The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that there are 59, 636 confirmed positive cases in the state.  Lancaster County had an increase of 3

Update May 13, 2020

We have received notice of one new confirmed positive and three negative resident results today.  There are no new confirmed positive employee cases to report.  There are five resident and two employee test results pending. The Department of Health website today shows that there are  58, 698 positive cases in PA, an increase of 707 new cases from yesterday.  Lancaster County has 2325 positive cases, an increase of 30 cases compared to yesterday.  The nursing and personal care home report for Lancaster County is showing 31 facilities reporting 564 confirmed positive resident cases and 154 confirmed positive employee cases.

Update May 12, 2020

Today we have received notification of one new confirmed positive employee case.  There are no new confirmed positive resident cases to report today.  There are six pending resident results. We continue working closely with our medical director as well as adhering to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported that there are 57,154 positive cases in the state.  This is an increase of 737 from yesterday.  Lancaster County reported 39 new cases today bringing the county total to 2295 positive cases. There are 32 nursing and personal care homes in Lancaster County reporting 546 confirmed positive resident and 144 confirmed positive employee cases today.

Update May 11, 2020

Good afternoon friends and family.  We are happy to once again report that there are no new confirmed resident or employee cases today.  We continue to have 6 resident tests and 2 employee tests pending.  Baker continues to remain free of any confirmed positive resident cases to date. Room moves that were discussed last week are being completed in preparation for deep cleaning and sanitization of those rooms.   Staff are beginning to make their weekly phone calls and will be discussing the schedule for resumption of window visits.  As you know, nursing homes are still under visitor restriction guidelines during the pandemic.  Even as the state and counties begin to open up, we cannot resume visitation again until we receive the directive from the federal and state governments to do so.  The window visits will take place as follows: Rehab Unit-----Mondays  Rosemont-------Tuesdays      Baker------------Wednesdays   Appel------------Thursdays The staff will be discussing

Update May 10, 2020

There are again no new confirmed positive resident or employee cases to report today. We have six pending resident and two pending employee tests.  We continue to follow all isolation precautions recommended for long-term facilities by the CDC, CMS, and DOH. Today, Department of Health reported that there are 56, 611 positive cases in the state.  Lancaster County has 2223 confirmed positive cases.  There are 30 nursing or personal care homes reporting 516 confirmed positive resident and 139 confirmed positive employee cases. I hope that everyone got to have an enjoyable Mother's Day.  We will be starting weekly calls again tomorrow.  As we reported last week, we will be resuming the window visits.  Staff will be talking to you about these during the weekly calls. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Update May 9, 2020

There are no new confirmed resident or employee positive cases to report today.  There are six resident and two employee tests pending. The Department of Health reported 55,316 positive cases in the state.  There are 2,185 positive cases in Lancaster County, up 63 from yesterday.  There are 29 nursing or personal care homes reporting 513 confirmed positive resident cases and 136 confirmed positive employees.

Update May 8, 2020

Today we have received two new confirmed positive and three negative resident results.  There are four resident tests pending.  There continue to be no active cases on Baker wing.  There are no new positive employee cases to report.    The Pennsylvania Department of Health website shows that there are 54,238 cases in the state which is an increase of 1423 from yesterday.  Lancaster County is showing 2122 cases, an increase of 81 from yesterday.  There are 28 nursing and personal care homes in the county reporting confirmed positive cases with 499 being residents and 133 staff. I will post any updated information tomorrow and you will be getting  your weekly call from us next week.  Have a nice weekend.

Update May 7, 2020

Good afternoon!  We have one new confirmed positive resident case and no new confirmed positive employee cases to report today.  There are currently test results pending for six residents and two employees. As I reported yesterday, we did have a cleaning company in to do disinfecting and sanitizing.  We will be scheduling room moves over the next few days to continue with this process.  Social service and other support staff will be speaking to residents and families of residents who will be affected by these moves.  The decision to move any resident requires extensive discussion about the resident's clinical condition, the COVID status of the resident and others, as well as review of guidance from CDC.  We are confident that the decision about these moves is a positive one that will not only allow us to do sanitization but to maximize our resources. The Therapeutic Recreation staff has planned to hand out fresh cut flowers and a goodie bag to celebrate Mother's Day on Sund

Update May 6, 2020

Today, we received confirmation of two residents with positive COVID results. There are five residents with results pending.  There are no new staffing updates today. Lancaster County has contracted with an outside cleaning company to disinfect their buildings before they re-open.   They have extended this service to the county nursing homes and we have taken advantage of the opportunity.   The outside cleaning service came in today to complete terminal cleaning and disinfection throughout the facility.   We will contract to use their services until the entire building has been disinfected. This will not happen overnight.  We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the County for reaching out to us for this valuable service! The Department of Health reported 51,845 positive cases today, an increase of 888 from yesterday.  Lancaster County added 23 new cases to bring the county total to 2041.  There are still 27 nursing homes reporting 467 resident and 119 employee posit

Update May 5, 2020

Good afternoon, everyone.  We are happy to report that there are no new positive resident or staff cases today.  There are still five resident and two staff test results pending.  We are feeling cautiously optimistic that this is slowing down in our building.  While we have a few staff who remain out due to being sick with COVID, many have returned which has provided a great sense of relief to the entire team at Lancashire.  While we are not ready to say that things will return to normal tomorrow, we are planning for when that might happen and how that will look as we move forward.  You have been very patient during this difficult time and it has been greatly appreciated by all of us here. I know that many of you are anxious to visit again but please remember, we are still under visitation restrictions by CMS.  Our staff has been working really hard to make sure that you get to have virtual visits and face time with your loved ones. We will continue to provide you with the weekly updat

Update May 4 2020

We have been notified of two new resident confirmed positive test results today.  There are four resident test results pending.  We have no new positive staff member results to report today although one employee test result is pending. There are 1635 new positive cases being reported by the Department of Health today bringing the statewide number of positive cases to 50,092.  Lancaster County increased by 55 positive cases from yesterday putting our county total at 1991.  Nursing and personal care homes reporting positive resident and employee cases remains at 27, same as yesterday.  The number of positive residents increased by 6 from yesterday to 434 and one new employee case was added putting the number of positive employees at 109. Staff have started making their weekly calls today to provide updates to all families.  We continue to follow the guidance from the CDC, Department of Health and other federal, local and state authorities.

Update May 3, 2020

There was no new information to post for the facility yesterday.  Today, we have received notification of two residents with confirmed positive COVID-19.  There are currently two resident test results pending.  Two additional staff have reported confirmed positive COVID-19 test results. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reporting 49, 267 positive cases in the state.  Lancaster County accounts for 1936 of those.  There are 27 nursing or personal care homes in Lancaster County reporting 428 residents and 108 employees with confirmed positive COVID-19 results. We will continue to update you with any new information.

Update May 1 2020

We received notification today of three confirmed positive resident COVID-19 results and one new staff member.  There are five resident tests and one staff test pending. Everton Fider started this week as the new administrator.  I will be remaining here full time to work with, assist and support Everton and the team as we continue our efforts to get through the pandemic. The Department of Health reported 1208 new cases in PA today bringing the statewide total to 46,971.  Lancaster County added 65 new cases bringing the county total positive cases to 1820.  There are 27 nursing or personal care homes reporting 406 confirmed positive resident cases  and 100 confirmed positive employee cases.