Dear Residents, Families and Employees:
I am excited to inform you that it has been 14 complete days since our last positive case in the Health Center, and they are now COVID-19 free. The Health Center has re-opened the Dining Room and group activities with up to 10 residents at a time has resumed.
For Bucks County, the transmission rate remains substantial. The positivity level for Pennsylvania remains between 5 to 7.9%. The 7-day metric for positivity as of today decreased to 4.09% since my last communication. This past week we did have an Independent Living resident test positive, and contact tracing was done.
We recently received communication from the Bucks County Department of Health referencing important updates as we are moving into the “endemic” phase of COVID. Within the last week, the CDC published Community Level Metrics, which applies to the general population. If you wish to get more information, please go to the CDC website and search for COVID-19 Community Levels | CDC. However, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has clarified that in our setting, we need to continue to follow the 4-level Community Transmission levels (Low, Moderate, Substantial, High) that is specific to healthcare for COVID surveillance testing and prevention measures. For more information, you can search CDC COVID Data Tracker.
The goal of following either one of the CDC recommendations, is the understand what preventative measures should take place based on the transmission rate of COVID-19 to keep everyone safe, in the general public and in healthcare settings.
- Residents are strongly encouraged to continue to wear masks indoors at this time.
- Visitors and staff continue to be required to wear masks upon entry.
- Visitors who have a positive COVID-19 test, symptoms of COVID-19 or currently meet the criteria for quarantine (exposed, potentially positive) should not enter the community, and have isolated for 10 days (day 0 is the first day of symptoms or the date of the day of the positive viral test for asymptomatic persons).
- Hand hygiene is required.
- All visitors are strongly encouraged to have their COVID-19 vaccination or to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
- Non-vaccinated visitors are encouraged to conduct visits outdoors (weather permitting).
- Visits are permitted in the Health Center IF both roommates are vaccinated and neither resident is immunocompromised (regardless of vaccination).
- Visitors of Health Center residents may take their loved one to the 9th floor if they wish for a visit or may sit in a common area on the 1st floor of Independent Living for the visit (after signing out with the Health Center Staff).
- At this time, we still have not re-opened Dining options to visitors or families. However, stay tuned as we will be announcing options for families in the near future.
The fact that public officials are now saying we are moving into the “endemic” phase of COVID is the best news all of us have heard in the last two years. I look forward to doing everything possible to make the lives of our residents as enriching as it was prior to the start of the Pandemic in March 2020.
As always, it is a true pleasure to serve you. For any questions, you may contact me directly at ldukert@wesleyenhancedliving.org or 267-895-1132. Internally, my extension is 502.
Respectfully,
Lynne Dukert, NHA, PCHA
Executive Director
