Board of Directors
Good afternoon,
I would like to take a moment to update you on a number of items that are occurring at our Friendship campuses over the coming weeks.
First and foremost, on 6/18/20, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) issued guidance for a path toward phased reopening of long-term facilities across the Commonwealth. This document is critically important to our nursing and assisted living facilities as it provides a roadmap for them to know how to proceed through this challenging pandemic. It’s also important for our stakeholders to know that it is this document that we’re leaning on in making decisions about testing, activities, dining, visitation, and the many other areas of our residents’ lives that has and will continue to be impacted. Lastly, it’s important to know that while other areas of our state might be loosening restrictions, those same rules may not necessarily apply to our long-term care communities. A link to this guidance follows below:
As you’ll note, the guidance specifically mentions “Nursing Homes” by name and states that Assisted Living guidance may look different. We have learned from Department of Social Services that their expectations for phased reopening of Assisted Livings would mirror these.
Currently, all of our facilities are in Phase 1, with Attestations of such sent to our inspectors and local health department. In order to move into Phase 2, baseline testing of all residents and staff needs to be conducted. This is through a Point Prevalence Study (PPS), completed in conjunction with VDH and Virginia National Guard (VANG). At this point, only Friendship Health & Rehab Center (FHRC) has completed their PPS with results pending and anticipated later this week. Results of this PPS will be forwarded to residents and families of residents who participated in this study.
Our other facilities have a PPS planned on the following dates:
Friendship Assisted Living (FAL) – 7/7/20
Friendship Health & Rehab Center – South (FHRC-South) – 7/14/20
Salem Terrace at Harrogate – 7/14/20
Patients or patient representatives will be getting a call about these in the coming weeks as VDH requires consent to proceed with testing. While patients certainly have the right to refuse, it is apparent that a true picture of prevalence is most accurate with greater numbers of tests being completed.
Lastly, we’re excited to share some good news! As you’ll see in the “Visitation” portion of the guidelines, limited and controlled visits may continue at this point with social distancing and control, such as outside visits. Our maintenance team has assisted us in building some barriers that will allow our families to have outdoor visits, properly social distanced and separated by a Plexiglas barrier.
In order to schedule a visit with a loved one please contact the following individuals at each location. Please understand that not all times may be available and, while we plan to have four of these at each campus, we’ll need to be considerate of all families and residents requesting a time to visit with one another. A detailed listing of guidelines for visitation follows this letter.
FHRC – Tanya Scott – tscott@friendship.us, 540-777-7585
FHRC-South – Lauren Hale – lhale@friendship.us, 540-777-8475
FAL – Cindy Taylor – ctaylor@friendship.us, 540-283-4422
Salem Terrace – Jenny Williams – jwilliams@salemterraceassistedliving.com, 540-444-0343
We hope that you’ve found this communication to be informative and helpful. We appreciate your support as we continue through these challenging times.
Sincerely,
Benjamin C. Higgins
Vice President of Healthcare Operations
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On Wednesday, July 1, 2020 Friendship will begin outdoor visitations as allowable under the phased re-opening guidance for long-term care facilities. The following guidelines will be in place.
o Reservations for visitation will be required by contacting your facility representative, listed below:
o FHRC – Tanya Scott – tscott@friendship.us, 540-777-7585
o FHRC-South – Lauren Hale – lhale@friendship.us, 540-777-8475
o FAL – Cindy Taylor – ctaylor@friendship.us, 540-283-4422
o Salem Terrace – Jenny Williams – jwilliams@salemterraceassistedliving.com, 540-444-0343
o All visits will occur in designated areas, outside of the facility. Entrance to the facility is not permitted at this time, including use of public restrooms or being in the lobby or common areas of the building.
o Chairs will be provided for families and/or residents, as needed. Chairs and tables will be sanitized between each visit.
o Despite the Plexiglas barrier, we encourage a safe, 6 ft. distance between residents and family. Facemasks must be worn by family during the visit.
o All family members will be screened prior the beginning of the visit using Friendship’s then-current screening form.
o Visitation times are dependent upon the schedule and may be limited to 15-30 minutes depending on demand, cleaning/sanitation needs, and weather.
o In the case of inclement weather or an emergent situation, the visit may be rescheduled.
We are so excited for our residents to have this opportunity to safely visit with their loved ones. For the safety of our residents and staff, we ask that you adhere to these guidelines while visiting. Guidelines are subject to change.
