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.

October 8^th, 2020

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff for COVID-19 at both West Wind Village and Skyview Senior Living this week. Skyview Senior Living had no additional positive cases and West Wind Village had one staff member test positive. Due to these results, 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.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is currently developing guidelines based on the recently issued CMS guidance on how we our can safety re-open our setting to visitors and continue to protect the health of our residents and staff.  We plan to revise our current visitation policies to accommodate the MDH and CMS changes as soon as possible and distribute to residents and families.

We appreciate your patience as we take time to evaluate and implement the guidance so that we can safely resume indoor visitation. These requirements not only apply to our ability to resume indoor visitation but also identify triggers for when we may need to restrict visitation. Restricting visitation may happen if we have a positive case of COVID-19 among our residents and staff (what we are currently experiencing) or if our broader community falls into a higher risk category.

We deeply appreciate the sacrifices you continue to make to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our community and your patience as we prepare our setting to host safe indoor visitation. Our entire team looks forward to seeing you again. Families, friends and volunteers are a core fabric of what makes our community so special. In the meantime, we remind you to take advantage of window visits and the ability to connect residents and their loved ones through alternative communication, such as FaceTime, Zoom and Skype.

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.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Your messages of support, prayers, and caring is important to those working to keep our residents healthy and safe. Without a doubt, there will be more challenges ahead, and we continue to ask for your patience as we make adjustments and implement this next phase in our visitation. 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 2, 2020

Morris Health Services tested residents and staff at both West Wind Village and Skyview Senior Living on Tuesday, September 29. This week we have had no additional positive cases of COVID-19. Our staff will be tested again this Friday, October 2^nd. All WWV and Skyview Senior Living residents and staff will be tested again on Tuesday, October 6^th.

The coming cooler months will continue to challenge us in limiting the impact of COVID-19 on our community. It is important for each of us to think about how our actions affect others we come in contact with. We must protect one another.  You are a key partner in the safe reopening of our care center, please remember to social distance, wear a mask, and practice proper hand hygiene. Remember to stay home if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

If you or someone you know may be interested in working side by side with us as we truly make a difference in the lives of our residents, please contact our care center or visit www.jobswithus.org for more information.

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.

September 25, 2020

Good afternoon, Morris Health Services tested residents and staff at both West Wind Village and Skyview Senior Living on Tuesday, September 22 and we have the majority of the results back.

Unfortunately, an additional resident at Skyview Senior Living has tested positive for COVID 19 and was transferred to the COVID unit at our sister facility in Renville.  A staff person working at Skyview Senior Living also tested positive this past week.  Therefore, as a result of this week’s COVID 19 testing, one staff and one resident have tested positive at Skyview Senior Living and no positive test results at West Wind Village, so far. 

We will update you again if there are any additional positive cases at either facility.  Staff will be tested again today at both locations and residents and staff will be tested at both locations on Tuesday, September 29th. 

If you have any questions, please contact Paula at 320-589-7900. Please pray for those in our care, their families and for the staff. Stay safe and please continue to take precautions to keep our community safe.  Thank you!

CoVid Q & A

How reliable is CoVid 19 testing?

False positives are extremely rare; less than 2% per the CDC. False negatives are usually caused by the person having a recent exposure (less than two days), so there aren’t enough antigens in their system for the test to detect. This is why we test twice a week when the facility is in the “red zone”.

How do the zones work and what do they mean?

The zones for nursing facilities are determined by the number of active positive cases in the county per 10,000 persons. In the green zone, nursing facilities are required to test staff once per month. In the yellow zone, staff must be tested once a week. In the red zone, staff must be tested twice a week and testing now is required for staff to work regardless of the zone. Nursing Facilities are also required to conduct point prevalence testing once a week if a staff or resident has tested positive. In this case, residents are quarantined to their rooms with isolation precautions to minimize the spread of Co-Vid 19 in the facility. The facility needs two weeks in a row of all negative test results for both residents and staff to discontinue the quarantine (allow residents to move around the building, go back to the dining room, open up the beauty shop, etc.) and discontinue point prevalence testing.

If a person has tested positive for CoVid 19 but doesn’t have symptoms, does that mean they don’t have CoVid 19?

No, false positives are extremely rare. Many people who have CoVid 19 don’t develop symptoms; 81% of people who test positive for CoVid are asymptomatic according to the CDC. People who are younger and healthy are less likely to develop symptoms. Older people and/or people with other health problems are more likely to develop symptoms, become sicker or die.

If a person who tested positive for CoVid 19 is asymptomatic, they are still contagious and need to quarantine so they do not spread it other people.

When staff or a resident test positive, why aren’t they retested before returning to work or moved off a CoVid unit?

People who have had a positive CoVid 19 test are not retested for 90 days, since they still have antigens in their system and will continue to test positive even though they are no longer contagious. Per the Center for Disease Control and the Minnesota Department of Health, CoVid 19 test results and signs/symptoms are used to determine when a person is no longer contagious and can return to work or move off a CoVid unit.

How does CoVid 19 impact the residents?

According to the Center for Disease Control, 8 out 10 deaths due to CoVid are people 65 or older; therefore, residents residing in nursing facilities or assisted living facilities are at the highest risk of death if they contract CoVid 19.

Please let us know if you have any other questions about CoVid 19 you would like addressed. Thank you so much for all your effort to keep our residents, staff and community safe!Morris Health Services

9/19/2020

As you are aware, Morris Health Services conducted CoVID 19 testing this past week. We were informed today that one additional staff member from Skyview Senior Living tested positive; there are a handful of test results from this round of staff testing still pending. We have received results on all residents from this round of testing for both West Wind Village and Skyview Senior Living. Staff and residents along with their families have been notified if they tested positive. Updates will be provided if there are any additional positive results from testing this past week. Morris Health Services’ residents and staff will be tested again next Tuesday, 9/22/2020 and results will be shared with residents, families and staff.

We continue to follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Residents are being monitored throughout all shifts. All staff continue to be screened prior to entering the building and are required to wear surgical masks and eye protection.

Please take precautions and stay safe as there is significant community transmission of CoVid 19 in our area. If you have any questions, please reach out to Paula Henrickson, Administrator at 320-589-7900.

09/11/2020

Morris Health Service’s residents and staff were tested on September 8th, 2020 for COVID-19. We had 2 additional staff members from our care center test positive for COVID-19. All residents at West Wind Village and Skyview Senior Living have tested negative for COVID-19. We will be testing all residents and staff at both locations again next week. 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).

Last week we learned about the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) testing requirements that include routine staff testing. Based on our current county positivity rate provided by CMS, our care center is in the high category. CMS recalculates the county positivity rate weekly and we will keep you updated if our category changes. This category requires us to routinely test staff twice weekly. All staff were tested on Tuesday this week and all STAFF will be tested again Friday, September 11th.
Stevens County is experiencing an increase in the number of positive cases in our area, which can pose a greater risk of exposure to both our residents and our staff. We need your help to stop the spread of COVID-19. Remember you can help limit exposure in our community through appropriate hand hygiene, mask use, and social distancing.
Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. Please contact our care center for more information or visit www.jobswithus.org to apply.

We appreciate all the support, prayers, and offers of help that we’ve received. Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Paula at 320-589-7900 or email her at phenrickson@mhs.sfhs.org.

09/03/2020

Morris Health Service’s residents and their staff were tested on August 31^st, 2020 after a staff member had been confirmed to have COVID-19.  We will continue weekly testing of all residents and staff until we have gone two consecutive weeks with no additional positive cases. As of September 3^rd, we have had 1 additional staff member of Morris Health Services Assisted Living test positive for COVID-19. We will be testing again on Tuesday, September 8^th.

	Tests Positive	Tests Negative	Tests Pending	Inconclusive	Total Tested
Skyview Senior Living Residents	0	43	4	0	47
Staff at Skyview	1	21	0	0	22
West Wind Village	0	62	5	0	67
Staff at WWV	0	105	6	2	113

This week, CMS and MDH released new testing requirements for our care center’s staff and residents that are effective immediately. “Facility Staff” is defined broadly, to include employees, consultants, contractors, volunteers, and caregivers who provide care and services to residents on behalf of the facility, and students in the facility’s nurse aide training programs or from affiliated academic institutions.  The requirements outline routine testing depending on our county positivity rate:

• Low: Monthly testing in counties with less than 5% positivity
• Medium: Weekly testing in counties with 5-10% positivity
• High: Bi-weekly testing in counties with greater than 10% positivity

The rule also requires testing in three scenarios: (i) symptomatic individual identified; (ii) outbreak (new case arises in facility); and (iii) routine testing.  While CMS does not recommend routine testing of residents unless the resident leaves the facility regularly, it does require routine testing of staff.

Currently, our policy is to test residents and staff if they are symptomatic, had exposure to someone positive and during a known outbreak in our facility like we are experiencing now. Due to our county positivity rate, we will now be testing all staff monthly as well. This frequency is subject to change pending our county positivity rate.

We appreciate all the support, prayers, and offers of help that we’ve received. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Paula at 320-589-7900 or email her at phenrickson@mhs.sfhs.org

As of today, we have no known cases of Coronavirus in our care center. We continue to follow the recommended guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Minnesota Department of Health. We carefully monitor all residents for symptoms, screen all staff at the beginning of each shift, use PPE, and conduct audits of our infection control practices, providing further education as needed. 

COVID-19 is still being contagiously transmitted throughout our state. It’s important to keep in mind that our residents are highly vulnerable to the virus and are the most at risk if they are infected.  It is our policy to continually evaluate the presence of positive COVID-19 cases in our communities and nearby counties. We are carefully considering our options regarding visitation, evaluating our policies and protocols and will update you weekly. In the meantime, please contact Paula at 320-589-7900 or by email at phenrickson@mhs.sfhs.org with any questions or concerns.

Currently, visiting with your loved one can be done through scheduled patio visits, open window visits, and closed window visits. We also encourage alternative means of communicating with residents such as phone calls, Facebook, Skype, etc. To schedule your visit, call Katlyn Gonzalez at 320-589-7960 or by email at kagonzalez@wwv.sfhs.org.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and training. Please contact the care center for more information or visit www.jobswithus.org to apply.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care centers can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.