October 8, 2020

Dear Residents, Families and Friends,

As you know from our previous letters, the DC Health Nurse Strike team has been coming to our Home every week to test all staff members for COVID-19. Even though we have been COVID-free for some time now, Monday’s test results revealed that one of our staff members has tested positive.

This result warrants our immediate response to re-enter Phase 1 until further notice. Unfortunately, we need to implement several things immediately:

• All outdoor and window visits are temporarily suspended until further notice.
• The facility has completed the internal contact tracing to discover who may have been exposed.
• The D.C. Health Strike Team is scheduled to come to the facility on October 8 and test all Residents on the effected unit. Two consecutive testings will be obtained (October 8 and October 11). The second testing will be done along with the weekly all employee testing.
• Communal dining and communal activities are suspended for the time being. Tray service will be provided as we had done previously.
• All Residents on the nursing unit where the employee worked will need to be quarantined for 14 days.
• As we have been doing all along, we will continue to monitor the Residents for signs and symptoms (i.e. check O2 saturation levels and temperatures every 4 hours).
• We will also continue with our staff screening while monitoring their temperatures at the beginning, middle, and end of their shifts.
• All precautionary measures already in place will be continued along with any additional guidance of the CMS-CDC and DC Health.
• We are well aware of the level of anxiety this situation may cause, not only for our Residents and staff, but for you as well. We would encourage you to call your loved one directly, contact Francine Whitley in the Activity Department to arrange for a virtual visit via Zoom or FaceTime, or call the nurse on the unit for assistance. If there are any questions, feel free to contact Daisy Alzate, RN or Sr. Alphonse Marie.

We appreciate your understanding and support over the course of these difficult months. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have received many donations that have contributed in assisting with the care of our Residents.

Individuals often call asking how they can be of assistance. Over these past months, we have been using up a large number of surgical masks, which our staff are required to wear while caring for the Residents. As a result, we can never have enough of this item. At this moment, we could also use extra disposable gowns.

Please be sure when purchasing masks as a donation for our facility that they are labeled “medical mask or surgical mask.”

Thank you and God bless you,
Sr. Mary Michael and all the Little Sisters

Click here for our Visitation Policy

Previous Updates:
September 15, 2020
August 17, 2020
July 19, 2020
June 24, 2020
June 8, 2020
May 28, 2020
May 21, 2020
May 12, 2020
May 5, 2020
April 28, 2020
April 22, 2020
April 14, 2020

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