May 28, 2021

Dear Family and Friends,

Our care center continues to routinely test non-vaccinated staff weekly and when an employee or resident show signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or has had exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19. As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. We are following recommendations from the MDH, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Thank you again for helping us fight this COVID-19 virus. Your support, prayers, and caring will not be forgotten. Please follow our Facebook page Little Falls Health Services for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator 320.632.2061 mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org if you have any questions or concerns.

May 14, 2021

Dear Family and Friends,

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Minnesota’s Governor and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced yesterday some relaxation in wearing masks.  This is exciting and welcome news.  However, MDH is indicating that this news does not change masking or eye protection for nursing home or assisted living residents, staff and visitors.  The rules in place last week remains the same at this time.  When MDH makes any additional changes which impacts nursing homes or assisted living facilities, we will let you know.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our care center open for visiting and ending this pandemic. If you have not received the vaccination, we encourage you to connect with your primary health care provider or use the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you.

Our care center continues to routinely test non-vaccinated staff weekly and when an employee or resident show signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or has had exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19. As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. We are following recommendations from the MDH, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Thank you again for helping us fight this COVID-19 virus. Your support, prayers, and caring will not be forgotten. Please follow our Facebook page Little Falls Health Services for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Madelyn Blaha, Administrator 320.632.2061 mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Friends and Family,

Today we were notified one employee tested positive for COVID 19. We will be conducting testing of all staff and residents tomorrow, 4/27.

Unfortunately this means we must once again restrict all indoor visitation except compassionate caregivers and essential caregivers at this time. Residents exposed to the staff member have been quarantined. Residents not exposed may continue communal dining and small group activities at this time.

If you would like to schedule an outdoor visit, please use this link

Tinyurl.com/lfccvisits

Outdoor visits will only be scheduled as the weather allows and are subject to cancellation in the event of bad weather.

If no additional cases arise from tomorrow’s testing, we may resume indoor visitation for non-quarantined residents. I will update you with our results. 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 contact me with any questions or concerns.

Madelyn Blaha,

Administrator

320-632-2061

mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org

Dear Family and Friends,

This week we had no positive cases at our care center. Bridgeway Estates had 1 positive case this week. 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).

Our care center and Bridgeway Estates are now REOPENED to visitation as we just received all negative tests from the rest of the tenants. Due to the incredibly high rates of COVID-19 in our community, we strongly encourage visitors to be tested for COVID-19 prior to visiting and to visit with our residents outside whenever the weather allows.

Please use this link to schedule visits at the care center

https://tinyurl.com/LFCCvisits

Unfortunately, while cases in long-term care centers remain relatively low due to vaccination efforts, case rates in our local communities have climbed dramatically again. County positivity rates continue to dictate testing frequency and visitation policies. Data published Tuesday show there were 193 people in Minnesota’s hospitals getting intensive care for COVID-19 complications the day before, a rise of 21% from last week.

You are a key partner in keeping our care center open for visiting and ending this pandemic. We encourage you to connect with your primary health care provider or use the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you.

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 community. 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,

This week we had no positive cases at our care center. Bridgeway Estates had 1 positive case this week. 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).

Our care center is able to REOPEN to visitation today, 4/22. Bridgeway Estates is closed to indoor visitation pending our test results from today. Due to the incredibly high rates of COVID-19 in our community, we strongly encourage visitors to be tested for COVID-19 prior to visiting and to visit with our residents outside whenever the weather allows.

Please use this link to schedule visits at the care center https://tinyurl.com/LFCCvisits.

Unfortunately, while cases in long-term care centers remain relatively low due to vaccination efforts, case rates in our local communities have climbed dramatically again. County positivity rates continue to dictate testing frequency and visitation policies. Data published Tuesday show there were 193 people in Minnesota’s hospitals getting intensive care for COVID-19 complications the day before, a rise of 21% from last week.

You are a key partner in keeping our care center open for visiting and ending this pandemic. We encourage you to connect with your primary health care provider or use the Vaccine Locator map to find a vaccine appointment near you.

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 community. 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.

4/21/21

Dear Tenants, Friends, and Family:

Today we learned one of our tenants at Bridgeway Estates has tested positive for COVID-19. The test was conducted yesterday due to a known exposure to someone with COVID-19. This event triggers a planned process of isolation to aggressively minimize transmission to others. Our top priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy. We are collaborating with our Medical Director and the Minnesota Department of Health and are following all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure we are taking all appropriate steps at this time.

Unfortunately under the new CMS and MDH guidelines, we must continue to restrict all visitation except compassionate caregivers and essential caregivers at this time. Our congregate dining and activities remain stopped. We will be conducting testing of all staff and tenants tomorrow. If these results all return negative, we will be able to reopen to indoor visitation. We will notify you as soon as we receive these results.

As we’ve shared several times, in early March, we initiated proactive infection control practices, screening procedures and visitor restrictions that will help us manage this situation as effectively as possible and protect the safety and health of all who live and work here.

We will continue to update you on any news, emerging issues, or additional changes in our operations via Bright Arrow, email, website, and our Facebook page.

We know that this news may concern you 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, Little Falls Health Services

Dear Family and Friends,

Today we were notified of two employees testing positive for COVID 19. We are still awaiting many results from this week’s testing. Should any remaining test results come back positive, we would notify family, residents and staff promptly.

Due to the positive test results, we will resume weekly point prevalence testing. Unfortunately this means we must restrict all indoor visitation except compassionate caregivers and essential caregivers at this time. These employees have not been on campus in the last two weeks. Due to the limited risk of exposure, we will not have to quarantine residents. Residents will continue communal dining and small group activities at this time.

If you would like to schedule an outdoor visit, please use this link https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22593652

Outdoor visits will only be scheduled as the weather allows and are subject to cancellation in the event of bad weather.

We will be testing all residents and staff again on 4/20/21.  If no additional cases arise, we may resume indoor visitation following that week. 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 contact me with any questions or concerns.

Madelyn Blaha,

Administrator

320-632-2061

mblaha@lfhs.sfhs.org

Dear Family and Friends,

Our care center continues to routinely test staff weekly and when an employee or resident show signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or has had exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19. As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. Bridgeway Estates had 1 employee test positive on 4/7/21, and they tested all tenants on 4/8/21. 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).

This week, MDH stated they will follow the CDC guidelines for national and international travel. If an employee is fully vaccinated they do not need to quarantine after travel. They would need a COVID test 3-5 days after return. 

The percentage of Minnesotans who are vaccinated continues to climb. 41.8% of Minnesotans have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 27% of Minnesotans are considered fully vaccinated. Even with the climbing vaccination rates, Minnesota’s state COVID positivity rate is now 6%, rising one percentage point from last week. Hospitalizations also continue to climb and are now the highest since the Pandemic’s peak in January.

One of the best ways you are able to help our community is to get vaccinated. We continue to encourage you to connect with your primary health care provider or use the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you.

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 community. 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.

4/7/21

Dear Friends and Family:

Today we learned one of our staff at Bridgeway Estates has tested positive for COVID-19. The test was conducted today. This event triggers a planned process of isolation to aggressively minimize transmission to others. Our top priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy. We are collaborating with our Medical Director and the Minnesota Department of Health and are following all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure we are taking all appropriate steps at this time.

Unfortunately under the new CMS and MDH guidelines, we must restrict all visitation except compassionate caregivers and essential caregivers at this time. Our congregate dining and activities are stopped at this time. We will be conducting testing of all staff and residents. Once we have gone 14 days with no new COVID cases, we can reopen to visitation and resume congregate dining/activities.

As we’ve shared several times, in early March, we initiated proactive infection control practices, screening procedures and visitor restrictions that will help us manage this situation as effectively as possible and protect the safety and health of all who live and work here.

We will continue to update you on any news, emerging issues, or additional changes in our operations via Bright Arrow, email, website, and our Facebook page.

We know that this news may concern you 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, Little Falls Health Services

Dear Family and Friends,

This week we had a staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19 at Bridgeway Estates. Our care center tested all residents and staff on Tuesday 3/23 and continues to have no known cases at this time. Our top priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy. We conducted testing of Bridgeway Estates tenants and staff today, and we will update you as soon as we receive those results. The care center will continue routine weekly staff surveillance testing.  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).

Unfortunately under the new CMS and MDH guidelines, we must restrict all visitation except compassionate caregivers and essential caregivers in Bridgeway Estates at this time. Our congregate dining and activities are paused at this time as well. The care center continues to have indoor visitation.

Morrison County has experienced a significant increase in COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks. Please refrain from visiting if you have any signs or symptoms of illness or any exposure to an individual with COVID symptoms.

This week marks a new milestone for Minnesota. Over 2 million vaccine doses have now been administered! Another milestone this week; Governor Walz announced Thursday morning that all Minnesotans ages 16 and up will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by March 30^th! We encourage you to connect with your primary health care provider or use the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you. Your employer may also be reaching out with information about vaccination opportunities.

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 community. 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.