Dear Families and Friends,
It seems the right way to begin these updates is with gratitude. Thank you to our community for being supportive during this challenging time. Our staff and residents will never tire of your support. I would be remiss not to mention our dedicated team. Each day I see all of the hard work they do and I am reminded of how those who work in our industry are mission driven individuals who chose a career in caring for others. They are all #EventideHeroes.
To date we have had 13 residents test positive for COVID-19 as well as nine staff at our Eventide Fargo care center; one staff has tested positive in the senior living apartments.
At our Eventide on Eighth care center we have 16 residents who have tested positive and four staff.
We have recently learned that we have one staff person at our Eventide Sheyenne Crossings care center who has tested positive.
All staff who have tested positive are in self-quarantine.
Here is what we are doing:
We are fortunate to have excellent infection control specialists and clinical teams at each of our communities who provide information and ongoing training based on CDC recommendations. This includes the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for protecting both residents and staff.
Each of our communities has a designated area for residents who have tested positive for COVID-19. These areas have assigned staff and we believe these cohorts will help us stop the spread of the virus.
I am pleased that both Minnesota and North Dakota have announced aggressive testing plans in an effort to better protect vulnerable adults. Once we can do regular, large-scale testing, we will know what we are truly looking at and how to best manage it.
We continue to work with the CDC, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Departments of Health in Minnesota and North Dakota.
We monitor and screen residents for symptoms of COVID-19 per recommendation of the Department of Health and screen staff upon entering our buildings. No one is allowed to enter the building if they are ill and any staff who exhibit symptoms are instructed to self-quarantine at home.
I cannot emphasize enough how proud I am of our 1,400 staff at our eight locations. They have been working tirelessly since the beginning of March to protect our residents. We are going to keep doing the great work we do. Thank you to all of our #EventideHeroes.
Sincerely,
Jon Riewer, President & CEO
