Author: Amy Lhotka

Weekly Update

As of today, we have no known cases of Coronavirus in our care centers. We continue to follow the recommended guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Minnesota Department of Health. We carefully monitor all residents for symptoms, screen all staff at the beginning of each shift, use PPE, and conduct audits of our infection control practices, providing further education as needed. 

COVID-19 is still being contagiously transmitted throughout our state. It’s important to keep in mind that our residents are highly vulnerable to the virus and are the most at risk if they are infected.  It is our policy to continually evaluate the presence of positive COVID-19 cases in our communities and nearby counties. We are carefully considering our options regarding visitation, evaluating our policies and protocols and will update you weekly. In the meantime, please Madelyn Blaha at 320-632-2061 or by email at mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org with any questions or concerns.

Currently, visiting with your loved one can be done through scheduled patio visits, open window visits, and closed window visits. We also encourage alternative means of communicating with residents such as phone calls, Facebook, Skype, etc. To schedule your visit, call Nataly Milbradt at 320-632-2069 or nmilbradt@lfhs.sfhs.org.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and training. Please contact our care center for more information or visit www.jobswithus.org to apply.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care centers can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Updated Best Practices for CoVid-19

As of 07/17/2020, there have been no known cases of Coronavirus in our care center. We know that you share our concerns about efforts to keep residents in our community safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.  A new, optional program called Essential Caregiver was released from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) with guidelines last Friday.  While we welcome this opportunity to make necessary exceptions to the visitor restrictions for those previous to COVID-19 providing essential care, we must all continue to be vigilant.  We ask for patience as we consider the concept of the Essential Caregiver, what components make up the design of the program and when the time is right to implement this in our care center; balancing the safety, health and wellness for all who live and work here and for those who serve in the Essential Caregiver role.

We continue to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) regarding infection and prevention control (IPC).  The following list identifies best practices currently in place at our care center:

Visitor Restrictions:

  • Indoor person to person visits are not allowed unless considered under the Compassionate Visit criteria.  Alternative opportunities for visits by appointment include,
    • Virtual visits.
    • Open or closed window visits with social distancing.
    • Outdoor patio visits with social distancing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as required upon visitor successfully passing the visitor screening. All outdoor visits must be monitored by staff.
  • Volunteers.  In some cases, volunteers have been specially trained and specifically assigned screening or monitoring duties and have limited access to the care center with PPE use.
  • Non-essential health care providers (HCP).  In some cases, depending on ability to use telehealth methods and certain procedures required, HCP are allowed access.

Other Infection Control Practices

  • Residents are monitored for signs and symptoms of respiratory infection.
    • Resident(s) presenting with respiratory symptoms consistent with CoVid-19 will be recommended for testing and quarantined while awaiting test results.
    • Dependent on outcomes, point prevalence testing (PPT) of the entire resident population and employees will implemented.
  • Residents are quarantined
    • upon admission,
    • if exposed to individuals with COVID-19 or those with exposure risk,
    • or upon return from medically emergent appointments out of the care center.  Some medically necessary appointments may not require quarantine upon re-entry to the care center.
  • Essential health care providers (HCP), who cannot use telehealth methods for treatment or are providing specific procedures will be allowed access using PPE and using specific ICP.
  • Essential HCP, Compassionate Criteria visits and employee entrance to the building will be limited to one location when possible.
  • Employees/contractors are screened upon entry and actively monitored while in the care center.
    • Any staff or contractor showing respiratory symptoms consistent with CoVid-19 will be asked to be tested and not allowed to enter the building and expected to quarantine at home while waiting for test results.
  • Social distancing is practiced throughout the building.
  • All Staff are required to wear PPE including a surgical masks and eye protection.    Additional PPE is required if a segregated unit is used or outbreak occurs.
  • Residents are required to wear masks while receiving cares or are out of their room, unless medically exempt.
  • All deliveries are left at the care center designated delivery door or in the vestibule where possible.
  • Cleaning protocols are met for COVID-19.

Updated information on our preparedness for COVID-19 can be found on our website (www.sfhs.org) or Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Weekly Update

In the past week, LFHS has created opportunities for more meaningful connections for our residents and loved ones through open window visits and outdoor patio visits. Our entire team enjoys seeing our residents and loved ones visiting and look forward to the days when we are once again able to welcome visitors into our care center.  We ask that you schedule your virtual visits, open window visits, and patio visits ahead of time due to high demand and safety of our residents.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) set strict guidelines for our care centers including prohibiting communal dining. We have now received revised guidelines and reviewing all of the requirements to safely implement communal dining.  Look for more information on this subject in the future.   

As of 06/26/2020, there have been no known cases of Coronavirus in our care center. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). As the state agencies loosen restrictions, please know you are a key partner in preventing the spread of CoVid-19 in our care center. We ask that you understand the requirements and procedures we have put in place, and work with us as partners in caregiving to abide by them.

Your messages of support, prayers, and patience will not be forgotten. If you have and questions, concerns, or ideas for make visiting better, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.  Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page.

Happy Father’s Day

CoVid-19 Weekly Update

Happy Father’s Day!

In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, we would like to extend our appreciation to all Fathers for all they do and continue to do for us. Father’s Day is a time to honor the men in our lives who have influenced us and protected us when needed. This year, CoVid-19 has had an influence on how we can visit our loved ones on this special day.  However, we are thrilled to announce that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has distributed guidelines allowing outdoor visits. 

If you wish to participate in an outdoor visit, visitors must agree to:

  • Schedule visits with the care center.
  • Must not enter the care center and stay in the designated visitation location.
  • Sign in and provide contact information.
  • Allow staff to screen you for signs and symptoms of CoVid-19 and attest to CoVid-19 status, if known.
  • Use alcohol-based hand rub when entering the visitation area.
  • Wear a mask or other face covering at all times.
  • Allow staff to be present to assist with outdoor transfers of residents, wipe down visitation areas and maintain visual observation.
  • Social distance at least 6 feet between all persons at all times.
  • Control all children under 12 and assure their compliance with social distancing.
  • Control all pets at all times if present.
  • Reduce the risk of exposure by not having any physical contact with a resident; no holding hands, hugging, kissing or other physical contact.

Open window visits are also allowed at this time. Residents and visitors must agree to wear a mask at all times, practice social distancing by remaining 6 feet from residents and other visitors and refrain from reaching out to touch your loved one or passing anything through an open window.

As stated you will need to schedule your outdoor visit or open window visit.  We expect high demand and ask that you please contact your care center to schedule your visit ahead of time. 

As of 06/19/2020, there have been no known cases of Coronavirus in our care center. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Residents are being monitored throughout all shifts. All staff continue to be screened prior to entering the building and are required to wear surgical masks and eye protection. 

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.