This week we had 1 new contracted staff member test positive for COVID-19 at Little Falls Care Center. All care center residents tested negative. We had 1 new tenant test positive at Bridgeway Estates. We continue to test staff twice weekly. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held an emergency meeting this week to review allocation recommendations for vaccines in phase 1 distribution. The advisory committee voted to include residents of long-term care communities in Phase 1A of vaccination. Our pharmacy is laying the ground work to administer COVID-19 vaccines. Staff may be reaching out to you for consent for the vaccination. We anticipate a vaccine being available in the coming weeks and will keep you informed.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Please follow our Facebook page (@Little Falls Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator, at 320-632-2061 or by email at mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org.

Dear Family and Friends,

Our COVID-19 testing on Wednesday 11/25 identified 1 new staff positive COVID-19 case at Little Falls Care Center and one positive person from an external agency. We continue to test staff twice weekly. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

We will be testing all staff, residents, and tenants of Little Falls Health Services on Tuesday, December 1st.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator, at 320-632-2061 or by email at mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org.

Dear Family and Friends,

Our Monday testing results came back with no new residents or staff testing positive for COVID-19 at Little Falls Care Center or Bridgeway Estates. We continue to test staff twice weekly. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Please consider how your Thanksgiving plans impact others. We encourage you to stay home and gather with people within your household. Most importantly, visit with your friends and loved ones in our care center virtually as much as possible. Share family recipes over the phone or Zoom. Send letters and photos instead of an in-person visit during our current visiting limitations. For more ways you can connect with your loved one or to schedule a virtual visit, please contact Molly Vannurden, 320-632-2069.

This Thanksgiving season we want to thank our residents, family and friends for their support and prayers throughout the COVID Pandemic. We thank you for your continued patience and the sacrifices you have made. With you we will work through this pandemic. Remember to wear a mask, social distance when possible and practice proper hand hygiene. On behalf of our entire team, please stay safe and healthy.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Please follow our Facebook page (@Little Falls Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator, at 320-632-2061 or by email at mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org.

Dear Family and Friends,

We recently learned that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the federal Medicare agency (CMS) are advising against residents leaving their care center for holiday visits. As we continue to fight against COVID-19, we ask that you not take your loved ones out this Thanksgiving.

By not taking your loved one out for a holiday visit, you will help us in protecting the health of everyone who lives and works here. One of the best things that you can do for your family this holiday season is to not gather in groups and keep everyone safe by wearing a facemask when you do.

We know just how special the holiday season can be and spending time with family is what adds meaning to our celebrations. However, we need your help to protect our residents, our staff, and yourself during this pandemic’s risky time by limiting our contact with the broader community. As Governor Walz told us the other night, the COVID-19 surge is at a dangerous level in Minnesota. This past year has been a challenge like no other and we deeply appreciate the sacrifices that you and your family have already made during these past months. The hope of a COVID-19 vaccine is promising, but until that time we all need to use extra caution to slow the spread of this highly contagious disease.

If a resident does choose to go to a holiday gathering outside of our care center, the resident will need to quarantine in his or her room for 14-days after returning as a necessary precaution. Even when being very careful and following all of the guidelines, the risk of being infected when being out in the general public is high.

Our staff is committed to keeping you connected during the holiday seasons. We have a variety of activities planned that will engage our residents and are doing all we can to facilitate alternative means of communication between you and your loved one. If you have any gifts or cards you would like to give to your loved one or wish to schedule a care center virtual visit, please contact Molly Vannurden 320-632-2069.

Last night, we had a care center employee test positive for COVID-19. We will be testing all staff today, Friday, Nov 20th and again on Monday, Nov 23rd.

We know that this news may cause concern or that you may have questions about what we are doing to keep everyone safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 320-632-2061 or mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org.

Sincerely,

Madelyn Blaha, Administrator

Dear Family and Friends,

This week we had 0 additional care center residents and 0 care center staff test positive for COVID-19. As of today, Bridgeway Estates has 1 staff confirmed case of COVID-19, and 0 tenants. Bridgeway Estates and Little Falls Care Center will be testing all residents, tenants, and staff on Monday, 11/23/20. We continue to work with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and are following COVID-19 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Our county positivity rate continues to be above 10% putting our care center in the “red zone.” According to CMS calculations, all Minnesota counties, but four, are now in the “red zone.” Being in the “red zone” requires our care center to routinely test our staff twice weekly. We are testing tomorrow, Friday 11/20 and Monday 11/23. We are also unable to host indoor visits at this time. We encourage you to use alternate ways to connect with your loved ones such as Zoom, Facebook Portal, Phone, and Facetiming. To schedule your visit at the care center or for more information on our visitation policy, please contact Molly Vannurden, Activities Director at mvannurden@lfhs.sfhs.org or 320-632-2069.

With hospital beds nearing capacity and healthcare staffing shortages, Governor Walz issued even more COVID restrictions this week. Restaurants, breweries, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and bars will be take-out only. Gyms will close and organized indoor sports will be suspended. We need your help to control the spread of the virus in our community. We encourage you to use masks, social distance and abide by the Governor’s Orders.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator, at 320-632-2061 or by email at mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org.

This week we had 2 additional care center residents and 0 staff test positive for COVID-19. Our county positivity rate continues to be over 10%. Following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines, we are required to test our care center staff twice weekly. We are completing testing for all staff members today on Friday 11/13/20, and I will update you with those results as soon as we receive them. Our next testing date of all residents and staff is Tuesday, 11/17/20. The high county positivity rate also restricts us from allowing indoor visitation until further notice.

As of today, Bridgeway Estates has no confirmed cases of COVID-19. Due to the county positivity rate, we are still not allowed to host indoor visitation at this time.

This week Governor Walz announced new COVID-19 restrictions. These include earlier bar and restaurant closing times and 10 person limits on all indoor and outdoor gatherings. We encourage everyone in their efforts to control the spread of the virus including wearing masks, social distancing and the recent turning back of the dial by the State. Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus.

11/05/20

Dear Family and Friends,

On 11/3/20, we had two additional residents and two staff test positive for COVID-19. Our county positivity rate continues to be over 10%. Following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines, we are required to test our care center staff twice weekly. We will complete testing for all staff members on Friday 11/06/20, and I will update you with those results as soon as we receive them. Our next testing date of all residents and staff is Tuesday, 11/10/20.  The high county positivity rate also restricts us from allowing indoor visitation until further notice.

As of today, Bridgeway Estates has no confirmed cases of COVID-19. Due to the county positivity rate, we are still not allowed to host indoor visitation at this time. We are committed to ensuring that physical distancing does not mean isolation. We are working to have a variety of small group activities that engage our residents such as exercise groups, book reading, trivia, and the rosary.

Our top priority is to support and protect our residents and dedicated caregivers. We have equipped our staff with the training and supplies needed to provide safe, quality care, services and support to our residents. We continue to urge everyone to practice proper hand hygiene and safe physical distancing.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Please follow our Facebook page (@Little Falls Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator, at 320-632-2061 or by email at mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org.

Hi everyone,

We have received one new positive test result for a contracted staff member at LFCC from our testing on October 27th. We completed testing off all staff today, and will be testing all residents and staff next Tuesday, Nov 3rd.

Our county positivity rate remains over 10%. Following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines, we are now required to test our care center staff twice weekly. We will be testing again this Tuesday, November 3rd, and Friday, November 6h. The high county positivity rate also restricts us from allowing indoor visitation until further notice.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Please follow our Facebook page (@Little Falls Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator, at 320-632-2061 or by email at mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org.

Dear Family and Friends,

On 10/20/20, we completed entire-site testing Little Falls Care Center for residents and Staff.  The results are shown in the chart below. We have had 2 additional staff member and 1 resident test positive for COVID-19. We are testing all Bridgeway Estates tenants and staff for COVID-19 on 10/22/20.

	Tests Positive	Tests Negative	Tests Pending	Total Tested
Care Center Residents	1	46	0	47
Staff	2	66	21	89

We have activated our COVID unit. The resident testing positive for COVID-19 has been transferred to our COVID unit. As a reminder, staff that work in our segregated unit will not care for residents outside of the unit or interact with any employees that are providing direct care to residents outside of the unit. All staff in the segregated unit will be equipped with N95 masks, face shields and gowns. Staff will enter and exit the segregated unit from a separate door to prevent exposure to the rest of our care center, residents and employees. 

To ensure the health and safety of our residents and staff, we will discontinue meals in the dining room and any small group activities that were scheduled. Unfortunately, we are unable to resume patio visits or open window visits at this time.

Our county positive rate has increased to over 10%. Following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines, we are now required to test our care center staff twice weekly. We will be testing again this Friday, October 23^rd. The high county positive rate also restricts us from allowing indoor visitation until further notice.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Please follow our Facebook page (@Little Falls Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator, at 320-632-2061 or by email at mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org.