May 23, 2020
TO: Seacrest Residents, Family Members, and Associates
RE: New Positive Employee Case of COVID-19 and additional information
Good afternoon Seacrest Family,
Yesterday afternoon our letter to you addressed that new guidelines were leading us to begin testing all residents and employees in our skilled nursing community.
Today, and not as a result of beginning testing yesterday, we find ourselves needing to inform you of another employee who has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. This employee, who is a member of the Building Services Department, works in both the skilled nursing and independent living communities, though they only had contact with skilled nursing residents. After informing the department supervisor of symptoms, the employee was immediately sent home and is now quarantined. In addition, another employee who is a member of our Culinary Department, has been sent home to quarantine after being closely exposed to this employee despite being asymptomatic at this point. We have begun contact tracing and have been testing appropriate staff and residents to assure containment of the virus to the best of our ability.
We want to reiterate that we will continue to follow 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).
As the number of overall cases in our country and California is in a state of constant flux, we expect there could be additional cases at our community as this disease especially impacts people who live in communal settings. As we said yesterday, as San Diego begins to open up, we hope that everyone will be mindful of the repercussions that will occur if we are not diligent.
Please know that we have followed, and will continue to follow, all guidance set forth for privacy, patient care, employee safety, and efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 as provided by the California Department of Health (DOH) and the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We remain in constant contact with DOH and CMS. As you know, Seacrest has its own stringent protocols and we are adamant about being risk averse when it comes to each of you. This new positive test result of one of our employees reminds us that we are not in any way free of the need to continue our strict practices.
Please know that prior to each shift, all staff are required to wash their hands, have their temperatures taken, and answer a series of questions to ensure they are not exhibiting any known COVID-19 symptoms. Any employee who develops symptoms during a shift is immediately sent home and directed to quarantine. This process is also followed for outside home care, healthcare, and hospice providers.
We continue to conduct a rigorous sanitation regimen that follows, and in some cases exceeds, all state and federal guidelines. In addition, all protective and medical equipment are continuously and thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
We practice safe distancing guidelines by limiting the number of people in one area, and maintain 6-12 feet of separation. Although this protocol can be a challenge at times when providing nursing care, we continue to do our best.
We appreciate your understanding as we continue to enforce the State’s decision, as well as our own decision, to restrict all visits to the Seacrest community. We remind and encourage family members to communicate regularly through email, FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, and traditional phone calls. To schedule a virtual visit with the help of Seacrest, please contact Marisa Rosenberg at mrosenberg@seacrestvillage.org.
We will continue to provide updates with as much information as possible. I want to thank each of you for your continued patience and prayers. You will hear more from us as information becomes available.
Sincerely,
