Update from Administrator – 4/27/20
Dear Families and Friends,
I hope this finds you all safe and healthy. First and foremost, thank you again for all the support you have shown the staff at Litchfield Woods over the past several weeks. I know this is a very stressful time for everyone. The kind words of appreciation and show of support in many ways has been incredibly uplifting to staff.
This pandemic has been an incredibly challenging time. I can not recall a more challenging time as an Administrator. We are working hard every day to ensure that we provide the safest care for our residents. As you know by now, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we initiated a series of protections aimed at mitigating the threat of coronavirus at our center. I have spoke to those in past emails which can also be found on our website. I am available upon request at any time to discuss further with you.
As you know, this virus has impacted nursing homes at a disproportionately high rate. It doesn’t matter what our recent CMS rating was or what old surveys were, whether we are for profit or not for profit – whether we are a stand-alone or part of a larger group, COVID-19 does not discriminate in who it attacks. We are under attack and we appreciate the support many of our families have privately relayed to us.
Settings like nursing homes, where many people live in close quarters, are most vulnerable to spreading the virus. Despite the best efforts of nursing homes to not allow the entrance of COVID-19 into their buildings, it has happened and it is continuing to happen, at an alarmingly high rate. We are devastated that patients in our care have contracted this virus. We are doing all we can to treat them and our thoughts are with the patients afflicted with the virus, and their loved ones. Sometimes, it has hasn’t been enough, and this is heartbreaking to all of us. As of today, we have 70 residents at Litchfield Woods that are COVID-19 positive. Many of these residents are considered “COVID recovered” and are no longer having symptoms. We even have some residents whom have been asymptomatic (without symptoms) and still tested positive for the virus. We continue to follow all regulatory guidelines from the CDC, Department of Public Health, and State Epidemiology to treat and try to stop the spread of this virus.
We also continue to work with Hartford Healthcare specialists to best treat our residents at Litchfield Woods. This week we are obtaining more swabs with the help of Hartford Healthcare in an effort to test all residents at Litchfield Woods. As we are seeing more residents whom are asymptomatic with the virus, it is important for us to know who is a carrier. This way, we may better monitor, and cohort residents according to their COVID-19 status. Safety is our number one priority.
We continue to do all we can to protect our residents. We are conducting cleanings and infection control measures multiple times per day, with extra care to high touch areas. We are limiting the number of staff going into resident rooms to only direct care staff. We are committed to providing the personal protective equipment our staff needs are in compliance with CDC and state guidelines regarding the appropriate use of PPE. We recognize that staff training is key and continue to offer ongoing education and monitoring. We continue to follow every lead to secure PPE from existing and new vendors. At this time we are also receiving a weekly delivery of PPE from Athena as well as the Department of Public Health.
We are in daily touch with the Department of Public Health and our local Health Department. The Department of Public Health visited our facility last week and found us to be in compliance for PPE, staffing, and infection control and prevention measures. We strive to follow all CDC and state guidelines and receive regular updates on new guidelines that are offered. This information is shared with staff and additional training is taking place as needed.
Finally, I am incredibly grateful to our dedicated team; they are doing everything they possibly can to care for those suffering and support and care for them as they battle this disease. We are committed to offer the highest quality of care to our residents. If any of you feel that there is an opportunity to do better, please do not hesitate to call. I have spoken to many of you, some on a regular basis. As you may know, we have increased compensation to staff in our center and continue to advertise and recruit for additional per diem staff to supplement our team when needed.
Thanks to all of you for your patience. Please remember to reach out to recreation staff, or any of us, to assist with communication to your loved one. We can only imagine how incredibly difficult it is to not be able to visit at this time. Our commitment is to be as transparent as possible and work to address any issues that arise. This is an incredibly challenging time and we will continue to do all we can to get through this, together. Wishing you all good health.
Thank you.
Denise Quarles, Administrator