Covid-19 Emergency Response Plan

4/24/2020
(A PRINTED COPY OF THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN SENT WITH MAY BILLING AS WELL)

Emergency Response Plan for any positive cases:
We want you all to know that we have planned for a worst case scenario if one of our residents does test positive with COVID19. Our hope is that we never have to execute this plan, but do want you all to know that we have one in place to care for all of the residents in this situation. We have designated four rooms on ALR at the end of the hallway near an exit door and one large room on SNALR. If a resident does test positive for COVID, they would be immediately moved to one of these four rooms, which would be considered the “isolation” zone. We have ordered an anti-microbial curtain system that would block off the end of the hallway where the designated isolation zone is. We will only have designated staff caring for any positive residents, these staff members will only enter and exit through the exit door near the isolation rooms, therefore avoiding all contact with all healthy residents. Our goal is to minimize any and all exposure to the rest of the residents and staff in the building. All residents belongings that are needed would be moved with the resident, all medications will be moved with them as well. Dietary staff would be delivering trays with disposable supplies for the resident outside the zone and designated staff would ensure proper nutrition is sustained. We have fully stocked PPE supplies for our staff in the event of a positive case, including N95 masks, face shields, protective eye wear, gowns, gloves, etc. We have been in constant contact with the office of Emergency Management and FEMA, who have been absolutely wonderful in providing us supplies on a weekly basis. We have staff that have volunteered to take care of any COVID positive residents and are ready to be here if we get a positive diagnosis. We will remove all trash through the exit door near the rooms, protocol would be that nothing from the isolation zone goes through the facility at all.
This plan is not meant to scare you, but to make sure that all families and representatives are informed and aware of our execution if we in fact have a resident test positive.

Fortunately, with all the residents and staff remaining healthy we are practicing social distancing with activities and meals. Unfortunately, we would stop these activities indefinitely if we had a positive case we require residents to stay in their own rooms, this guidance coming directly from the NYS DOH.

With that being said, we have had a couple families express interest in taking their loved ones home if Morgan Estates has any positive cases. We are more than willing to accommodate this for anyone who is interested in this option. Again, this is only if we have a positive case and we want to provide you with all options possible.

~We are also following NYS Department of Health guidelines on residents who get sent to the hospital for any reason and return to the facility. They are recommending now that residents stay quarantined to their rooms for a full 14 days to make sure that they did not have any exposure to COVID while in the hospital.

~We are very thankful to be in the area that we live, it seems that doctors and hospitals have the supplies to test any suspected cases to protect our seniors.
~If you are dropping off any supplies or gifts for the residents, we ask that you call facility staff to let us know you are dropping these things off. Some of the residents are being told by families about these items being brought and residents are waiting by the front door in hopes of having contact with family members. Obviously we have a strict no contact with residents’ policy right now and we hate disappointing the residents when they can’t actually see them. Also, please label the items clearly so we can get them to the correct resident in a timely fashion. Thank you so much for your cooperation with this matter.

~If you are visiting a family member outside the window, we ask that you keep the windows closed if you are standing less than 8 feet from the resident to avoid any airborne contamination. You can call the resident on the phone while standing outside the window if you would like to be closer than 8 feet from the window.

~We are organizing a family parade on Tuesday May 5th (Cinco de Mayo), pending weather. The scheduled time right now is 4pm. Please check the website for further details on the event.

~Danielle and Brandy have been trying hard to connect with families via ZOOM and FaceTime. If you want to participate and speak with a resident please email Danielle at d.pickett@morganestates.com to give her your contact information.
Danielle would also like to invite family members to make a short video for all of our residents who are mothers or like mothers. We would like to play these to them on Mother’s Day since you can’t visit with them. You can send them to Danielle’s email address above. Thank you!

I know this is A LOT of information, we want the communication to always be transparent and forthcoming as much as possible. We know this is a scary time, especially with the population of your loved ones. We are taking every precaution and doing everything we possible can do to avoid introduction of the virus to our facility. The staff have been truly amazing during this time, they have not skipped a beat, and continue to show up every day to care for our residents despite all of the craziness. They have amazed me in so many ways, they have become closer as a team and the compassion they are showing the residents day in and day out makes them truly special people. Thank you again for trusting us to care for your loved one, and even more during a time like this. We appreciate all of your support and cooperation.