DATE: 4/13/2020
Dear Friends and Family of Saint John XXIII Home:
As our nation, Pennsylvania and local communities deal with the coronavirus pandemic, we want to provide you with an update on how it has impacted our community and the steps we’re taking to address it.
We currently have ZERO COVID-19 cases, though we continue to monitor all residents closely. Should a resident test positive for COVID-19, we will take great care to ensure they’re made comfortable in an isolated setting and are under constant supervision. While caring for residents in isolation, staff will wear full protective equipment, including medical gowns, gloves, eye protection and masks, and are restricted to working solely in their units.
In addition, we are happy to report that we have ZERO COVID-19 cases amongst staff/team. We are following the “Criteria for Return to Work for Health Care Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19” guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Should a positive case arrive, we will contact all people who have come into contact with these employees, to determine additional testing needs. As the number of overall cases in our country, Pennsylvania and Mercer County increase exponentially, we anticipate the potential for cases at our facility because this disease especially impacts people who live in communal settings.
Please know that we have followed, and will continue to do so, all guidance set forth for privacy, patient care, employee safety, and efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 as provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
These guidelines can be found here:
https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Nursing-Homes.aspx, and we remain in constant contact with DOH and CMS.
While we strive for transparency in everything we do, please know that we are bound by federal guidelines under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protect the privacy of our residents, who may not want their condition known. Our Team follows all established federal laws in notifying families of any change in the medical condition of their loved ones.
Our residents are our first priority. Prior to each shift, staff are required to wash their hands, take their temperature and answer a series of questions to ensure they are not exhibiting any known COVID-19 symptoms. Any employees who develop symptoms during a shift are immediately sent home. At that point, they are directed to isolate at home. This process is also followed for outside agency workers and vendors, though these visits have been curtailed.
We also conduct a rigorous sanitation regimen that follows, and in some cases exceeds, all state and federal guidelines. We have increased the daily volume of cleaning done in common, medical and residential areas. All protective and medical equipment are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
Although this can be a challenge at times when providing medical care, our facility continues to practice safe distancing guidelines by limiting the number of people in one area and maintaining 6 feet of separation.
Saint John XXIII Home appreciates your understanding as we continue to vigorously enforce the commonwealth’s decision to restrict all visits into the facility at this time. This is certainly frustrating when wanting to see loved ones, but we want to do everything in our power to keep our residents healthy.
We continue to encourage family members to communicate regularly through FaceTime or Skype calls, phone calls, and emails.
For more information on scheduling virtual visitation, please contact a member of our activities departments at 724-981-3200.
We will continue to provide you with periodic updates with as much information as we can on our efforts to combat COVID-19.
On behalf of the entire Saint John XXIII Home Family, I want to thank each of you for your continued patience and prayers. It means a great deal to us.
Sincerely,
Kirk Hawthorne
Administrator/CEO Saint John XXIII Home