Hoping and praying that this update finds you and your family healthy. All of us at Saint John XXIII Home want to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving. We are heartbroken that our residents will not be able to see their families during the holiday.
Everyone is aware that COVID cases are rising at an alarming rate nationally and locally. At Saint John XXIII Home, we have been implementing measures over the past 8+ months to mitigate the spread of this virus. The goal was to prevent any cases, however, a plan was put into place should positive cases occur. This entire process is provided in detail on our facility webpage under the NEWS section.
The results of our staff testing conducted on 11/23/20, resulted in 1 additional positive staff case. All other employees tested negative. The positive staff member was a Dietary employee. Contact tracing determined that this new case did not expose any residents throughout our campus. This employee is at home isolating. Due to possible exposure, we have asked 2 additional employees to quarantine at this time as an added precaution. Please understand that we will error on the side of caution related to possible exposure.
In addition, due to the possible exposure situation within the Nursing Home, from the 11/16/20 testing, we have tested all Nursing Home residents today (11/25/20) using the Point of Care BD Veritor rapid testing device. Testing is complete and the results revealed 1 positive case within the Nursing Home portion of the facility. Due to HIPAA standards, we are not permitted to divulge personal/medical information regarding our residents. We have notified all family members of the test results for their specific loved one. The resident who tested positive has been relocated to a “Red Zone” within our Nursing Home. A portion of our Nursing Home remains a “Yellow Zone”. Through contact tracing, we do not believe additional resident and/or staff exposure has occurred. Our staff has been utilizing the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as per COVID standards. We ask that you continue to pray for everyone here at Saint John, especially for our resident/staff members that tested positive.
We will be testing all staff members again on 11/30/20. While there has been no evidence of any resident exposure within our Personal Care and Special Needs units, as a measure of precaution, we will be testing all residents within the Personal Care, Special Needs and Nursing Home units on 12/2/2020. At this time, our residents are NOT displaying signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Should a resident display symptoms, they would be tested immediately for COVID-19.
The cases of COVID or possible exposure, within our team have been minimal and mitigation efforts are extensive. Staff members who are exposed are required to stay home and quarantine. This, of course, places stressors on each department within our facility. Please rest assured that our staff has been nothing short of amazing through this process, working long hours, extra shifts and being Hero’s for the best interest of your loved ones. You have our word that we will do our best to protect everyone. Please monitor our website at Saintjohnxxiiihome.org for updates. Please continue to minimize coming to the facility, wear masks, physical distance and wash your hands. With that in mind, please pray for everyone at Saint John XXIII Home.
Sincerely,
Kirk Hawthorne- Administrator