Dear Family and Friends,
Our care center is beginning to test staff weekly next week due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in Morrison County. As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. 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 are very excited to share the news that state and federal agencies that previously limited visitation in our setting have now issued guidance on how we can relax visitation restrictions and continue to protect the health of our residents and staff. As a result, we can safely open our doors to visitors. We will begin scheduling these visits on Monday, March 22nd. Additionally, those residents who are fully vaccinated will be able to come and go without the need to quarantine upon return and may receive a visitor in their private room.
If a resident is fully vaccinated, they can now choose to have close contact (including touch) with their visitor while wearing a well-fitting face mask and performing proper hand-hygiene before and after. Visitors are still required to physically distance from other residents and staff throughout our care center and not socialize in hallways or common areas. Visits are still required to be scheduled in advance. Please contact Molly Vannurden 320 632 2061, mvannurden@sfhs.org or use the scheduling feature on our Facebook page for the care center and Krista Bauch 320 632 2089, kbauch@sfhs.org at Bridgeway Estates to schedule your visit.
Please note that screening is still required of all visitors and employees but you will see changes in how this is performed. We ask that you please complete the screening at the entrance to our building which will require a temperature check and attestation of 2-3 questions. We also still encourage family members to continue getting a COVID test before visiting whenever possible to protect our staff and residents.
While visitation is continuing to expand under the federal and state changes, there are still a few distinct exceptions:
- No indoor visits are allowed for unvaccinated residents if our county positivity rate is >10% or in the “red zone.”
- No indoor visits are allowed for residents with a confirmed COVID-19 infection, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met the criteria to discontinue transmission-based precautions.
- No indoor visits are allowed for residents in quarantine, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met criteria for release from quarantine.
We deeply appreciate the sacrifices you made to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our community and your patience as we continue to navigate the altering guidelines imposed by the state and federal agencies. Our entire team looks forward to seeing you again! Family, friends and volunteers are core to what makes our community so special.
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.