Update from Administrator – February 9, 2021

Update from Administrator – February 9, 2021

February 9, 2021

Dear Families and Residents,

We hope you are enjoying a safe and healthy New Year! The New Year has already brought many changes here to Southbridge Rehab. This past week, Augustin moved on to another position and I have joined the team as the center’s new administrator. I have experienced a warm welcome by residents and staff and look forward to meeting families “remotely” over time. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me anytime with questions, comments, or compliments.

Some quick background until we meet; I have been a licensed nursing home administrator for 2 1/2 years  and am a licensed Physical Therapist with over 30 years experience.

In compliance with the DPH guidance for COVID surveillance testing, we are currently testing all staff and residents every 3 days until we have 7 days with no positive tests. This last week we had 3 staff and 2 residents test positive. The 2 residents have been transferred to the COVID unit here on the 4^th floor for specialized monitoring during recovery. The 2 staff will quarantine at home until able to return.

As you know by now, our staff and residents have completed two COVID-19 vaccination clinics, with the majority of our eligible staff and residents now having received at least one dose. The third and final clinic is scheduled to be administered on February 19th to residents and staff who either are receiving their second and final dose or to those individuals who are receiving their first dose.

If your loved one is receiving their first dose at this clinic, we will work with you and them to schedule their second dose outside of our center, once the Federal Pharmacy Partners Program concludes. The Department of Public Health is actively working on developing further vaccine guidance which will include recommended options and strategies for vaccination.

If your loved one is new to our center, we will contact you about your options as we continue to receive information from the state and CVS on the evolving plans.

With most nursing home residents having already received their first, and in many cases, second doses of the vaccine, the state has already reported a significant decrease in nursing home cases of COVID among residents and staff, further proof that the vaccine works and we’re doing our part to eliminate COVID!

While the vaccination plan in our state is well underway, we continue to take all necessary precautions, including wearing personal protective equipment and conducting regular testing, to ensure the safety of our residents and staff.

Visitation

We continue to receive many questions on whether in-center visitation can resume once vaccination of the center is complete. The vaccine will not provide immediate protection and we still need to see prevalence in the surrounding communities decline. Currently, community prevalence remains high. Therefore, we need to continue with the same visitation and infection control practices put in place and enhanced throughout this pandemic. We will also continue to follow the guidance and recommendations of our public health officials (CDC, CMS, DPH) to determine how and when to adjust our policies for visitations and social activities and keep you updated.

Currently, we are only able to have indoor visitation for compassionate end of life situations. The receptionist can help coordinate this for you.

Remember we always offer visitations using our technology (iPads, tablets, calls, etc.) and when we can, window visits and outside visits.

Thank you and please stay safe and healthy!

Robin High NHA, PT, DPT

Administrator