November 23, 2020

Morris Health Services tested all staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village and Skyview Senior Living on 11/20/2020. Results are starting to come in and we have been notified of at least three additional staff members at WWV who has tested positive for COVID-19 and one additional staff member at Skyview Senior Living. We will continue to update you on any positive cases resulting from this week’s testing.  

We want to remind you that we are following all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Our staff are being screened for COVID symptoms before the start of each shift and tested twice weekly. Staff are equipped with surgical masks, eye protection and gowns when providing care. Both locations of Morris Health Services are quarantined to reduce exposure.  Our residents have their full vitals checked in the morning and screened and monitored throughout the day for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

We appreciate all the support, prayers, and offers of help that we’ve received. Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. For updated information on Coronavirus or activities within our community please follow our Facebook page or visit our website (www.sfhs.org). If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Paula at 320-589-7900.

Dear Family and Friends,

We recently learned that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the federal Medicare agency (CMS) are advising against residents leaving their care center for holiday visits. As we continue to fight against COVID-19, we ask that you not take your loved ones out this Thanksgiving.

By not taking your loved one out for a holiday visit, you will help us in protecting the health of everyone who lives and works here. One of the best things that you can do for your family this holiday season is to not gather in groups and keep everyone safe by wearing a facemask when you do.

We know just how special the holiday season can be and spending time with family is what adds meaning to our celebrations.  However, we need your help to protect our residents, our staff, and yourself during this pandemic’s risky time by limiting our contact with the broader community.  As Governor Walz told us the other night, the COVID-19 surge is at a dangerous level in Minnesota.

This past year has been a challenge like no other and we deeply appreciate the sacrifices that you and your family have already made during these past months. The hope of a COVID-19 vaccine is promising, but until that time we all need to use extra caution to slow the spread of this highly contagious disease.

If a resident does choose to go to a holiday gathering outside of our care center, the resident will need to quarantine in his or her room for 14-days after returning as a necessary precaution. Even when being very careful and following all of the guidelines, the risk of being infected when being out in the general public is high.

Our staff is committed to keeping you connected during the holiday seasons. We have a variety of activities planned that will engage our residents and are doing all we can to facilitate alternative means of communication between you and your loved one.

We know that this news may cause concern or that you may have questions about what we are doing to keep everyone safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 320-589-7900. 

Sincerely,

Paula

Administrator

November 20, 2020

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village and Skyview Senior Living this week. A majority of the test results have been received; however, tests are still pending. You will be notified if there are any additional positive cases.  Morris Health Services will be testing again on 11/23/2020 and continues to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

• West Wind Village – 4 additional staff members and 0 residents tested positive this week. WWV will continue point prevalence testing and residents are quarantined.
• Skyview Senior Living – 0 staff members, 2 additional residents, and 1 “other” tested positive for COVID-19. Skyview Senior Living will continue point prevalence testing and residents are quarantined.

Our county positivity rate has risen above 10% putting our care center in the “red zone.” According to CMS calculations, all Minnesota counties, but four, are now in the “red zone.” Being in the “red zone” requires our care center to routinely test our staff twice weekly. We are also required to suspend all indoor visits at this time. We encourage you to use alternate ways to connect with your loved ones such as Zoom, Phone, and Facetiming.

With hospital beds nearing capacity and healthcare staffing shortages, Governor Walz issued even more COVID restrictions this week. Restaurants, breweries, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and bars will be take-out only. Gyms will close and organized indoor sports will be suspended. We need your help to control the spread of the virus in our community. We encourage you to use masks, social distance and abide by the Governor’s Orders.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Morris Health Services & @Skyview Senior Living) or our website (www.mhs.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Paula at 320-589-7900, if you have any questions or concerns.

November 15, 2020

As you are aware, Morris Health Services (MHS) tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village and staff at Skyview Senior Living this week. In addition to the notification that was sent out on Friday, MHS was notified that one essential visitor at West Wind Village and a resident at Skyview Senior Living tested positive for CoVid-19 on Saturday, 11/14/2020.   A majority of the test results have been received; however, a few tests are still pending. You will be notified if there are any additional positive cases.

Morris Health Services will be testing residents and staff at both locations again Tuesday, 11/17/2020 and continues to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

This week Governor Walz announced new COVID-19 restrictions. These include earlier bar and restaurant closing times and 10 person limits on all indoor and outdoor gatherings. Morris Health Services encourages everyone to control the spread of the virus by wearing masks, social distancing and abiding by the Governor’s new restrictions.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Morris Health Services & @Skyview Senior Living) or our website (www.mhs.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Paula at 320-589-7900, if you have any questions or concerns.

November 13, 2020

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village and staff at Skyview Senior Living this week. A majority of the test results have been received; however, tests are still pending. You will be notified if there are any additional positive cases.  Morris Health Services will be testing again on 11/17/2020 and continues to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

• West Wind Village – 4 new staff members and 0 residents tested positive this week. WWV will continue point prevalence testing and residents are quarantined. Unfortunately, this means that WWV is still not eligible for indoor visiting.
• Skyview Senior Living – 1 staff member and 0 residents tested positive for COVID-19 this week. Due to the positive case, point prevalence testing will be initiated next week for all residents and staff.  Plaza residents that were potentially exposed are quarantined and all indoor visits at the Plaza have been discontinued.

This week Governor Walz announced new COVID-19 restrictions. These include earlier bar and restaurant closing times and 10 person limits on all indoor and outdoor gatherings. Morris Health Services encourages everyone to control the spread of the virus by wearing masks, social distancing and abiding by the Governor’s new restrictions.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Morris Health Services & @Skyview Senior Living) or our website (www.mhs.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Paula at 320-589-7900, if you have any questions or concerns.

November 6, 2020

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village and staff at Skyview Senior Living this week. During our facility-wide testing this week, we had one staff member at West Wind Village test positive. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Unfortunately, WWV is currently not eligible for indoor visitation at this time. MDH and CDC both require 14 days with no additional positive cases before allowing indoor visitation. Skyview Senior Living continues to be open for visitors.

Our county positivity rate in the “yellow” category. This category requires weekly testing of all staff at our care centers, West Wind Village and Skyview Senior Living. We are also required to have all visitors and essential care givers provide a negative COVID test prior to their visit and continue to be tested on the same schedule as staff. If you are unable to be tested at your clinic, please contact Elizabeth Koehl at 320-589-4924 for information on how to get tested at West Wind Village. If you or your loved one wants more information regarding essential care givers, please contact Elizabeth at 320-589-4924 or ekoehl@sfhs.org.

Our top priority is to support and protect our residents and dedicated caregivers. We have equipped our staff with the training and supplies needed to provide safe, quality care, services and support to our residents. We continue to urge everyone to practice proper hand hygiene and safe physical distancing.

We are committed to ensuring that physical distancing does not mean isolation. We are working to have a variety of small group activities that engage our residents.  We know that you too are making sacrifices and we appreciate your patience as we continue to navigate through this Pandemic. To schedule your visits at Skyview Senior Living or for more information on our visitation policy, please contact the new housing director, Sophie at 320-589-4582.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Morris Health Services & @Skyview Senior Living) or our website (www.mhs.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Paula at 320-589-7900, if you have any questions or concerns.

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village and staff at Skyview Senior Living this week. During our point prevalence/facility-wide testing this week, we had no additional positive cases of COVID-19 at WWV or Skyview Senior Living. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Unfortunately, WWV is currently not eligible for indoor visitation at this time. MDH and CDC both require 14 days with no additional positive cases before allowing indoor visitation.

While we welcome the new indoor visitation guidelines, we continue to monitor the COVID outbreak in our community and nearby counties. Our care center may ask visitors to get tested for COVID-19 prior to visiting with your loved one. Even when not experiencing symptoms, you may test positive for COVID-19 and spread the virus without knowing. To schedule your visits at Skyview Senior Living or for more information on our visitation policy, please contact the new housing director, Sophie at 320-589-4582.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Morris Health Services & @Skyview Senior Living) or our website (www.mhs.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Paula at 320-589-7900, if you have any questions or concerns.

October 23, 2020

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village and staff at Skyview Senior Living this week. During our facility-wide testing this week, we had no additional positive cases of COVID-19 at WWV or Skyview Senior Living. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Unfortunately, WWV is currently not eligible for indoor visitation at this time. MDH and CDC both require 14 days with no additional positive cases before allowing indoor visitation.

Skyview Senior Living is planning to implement indoor visitation next week. As a reminder, we will follow state and federal guidance for visitation, which includes following the core infection control protocols, including screening of all visitors for signs & symptoms of COVID, proper hand hygiene, face coverings, and social distancing. Visitors who are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or have had a COVID-19 exposure will not be allowed to visit.  Please recognize that this virus is still spreading throughout our state and that we may need to restrict visitation if we experience positive cases of COVID-19 in our setting, identify a broader risk of exposure both in our setting and/or the broader community, or encounter other factors that affect the safety of visitation.

Due to high demand and the safety of our residents, all visits must be scheduled 24 hours in advance, only two people may visit at a time and visits will be limited to thirty minutes. To schedule your visits at Skyview Senior Living or for more information on our visitation policy, please contact the new housing manager, Sophie at 320-589-4582.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Morris Health Services & @Skyview Senior Living) or our website (www.mhs.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Paula at 320-589-7900, if you have any questions or concerns.

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village on 10/20/2020. Results are starting to come in and we have been notified of at least one additional staff member at WWV who has tested positive for COVID-19. We will continue to update you on any positive cases resulting from this week’s testing.  

We want to remind you that we are following all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Our staff are being screened for COVID symptoms before the start of each shift and tested weekly. Staff are equipped with surgical masks, eye protection and gowns when providing care. Our residents have their full vitals checked in the morning and screened and monitored throughout the day.

We appreciate all the support, prayers, and offers of help that we’ve received. Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. For updated information on Coronavirus or activities within our community please follow our Facebook page or visit our website (www.sfhs.org). If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Paula at 320-589-7900.

October 15^th, 2020

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at West Wind Village and just staff at Skyview Senior Living this week. Skyview Senior Living had no additional positive cases and West Wind Village had one staff member test positive. Skyview Senior Living will continue testing only staff members once a week. West Wind Village will continue to test all residents and staff members weekly.  

We are very excited to share the news that we will soon be able to resume indoor visits, and warmly welcome you back into our care center. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has issued guidance on how we can safely re-open to visitors while continuing to protect the health of our residents and staff. This guidance takes effect on October 17^th.  In the meantime, we remind you to take advantage of outdoor visits, window visits, and virtual visits.

Even though we are excited to open up our care center for indoor visits, it is tempered by the fact that rural communities are seeing more outbreak in recent weeks which has the potential to impact our care center’s ability to offer visitation. There can be no new onset of COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days and facility cannot currently be conducting outbreak testing.  COVID-19 county positivity rates will determine how our care center will facilitate indoor visits.

For your planning purposes, please know we expect to accommodate indoor visitation very soon, following these strict guidelines:

• All indoor visits MUST be scheduled in advance.
• Visitors must be screened prior to entering the care center for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
• All visits must be conducted using social distancing.
• Visitors must wear a mask covering both nose and mouth while in the care center. Residents must wear a surgical mask during the visit.
• Proper hand hygiene must occur (use of alcohol-based hand rub) throughout visit.
• Visits may be restricted to a designated area within the building.
• Physical contact (hugs, kisses, handshakes, etc.) continues to be restricted to protect everyone from potential virus transmission.
• Visitors will be limited to two visitors per resident; the total number of visitors in the building will be limited; and the duration of visits will be limited.
• Visitors must adhere to all infection control policies (ICP) and staff should provide monitoring for those who may have difficulty adhering to ICP
• Cleaning/disinfecting high frequency touched surfaces and designated visitation areas must occur after each visit.
• All items brought to the visit must be left with staff for disinfection and not passed to the resident during the visit.

Our ability to resume visitation would not have been possible without the incredible commitment and dedication of our staff, who have worked tirelessly to manage the risks of COVID-19 and providing compassionate care and support to our residents at a time when they are physically separated by their loved ones. We know that you too, have made sacrifices during this incredibly difficult time and we thank you for your patience and understanding.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Morris Health Services & @Skyview Senior Living) or our website (www.mhs.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Paula at 320-589-7900 if you have any questions or concerns.