June 15, 2020
Over the past several weeks we have faced challenging times at Windsor and Oxford Manors. We are committed to keeping families informed as we continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and want to share important information:
TESTING AND COHORTING
Increasing the Frequency of Testing
- We began the practice of serial testing residents at the onset of first cases. Beginning this week, we will test residents on a weekly basis until 100% of residents test negative. Residents who tested positive and are now negative will not require further testing. This process allows us to begin rapid isolation and cohorting to designated COVID-19 areas. We know this is difficult but it’s a necessary measure we must take.
- This week, we are also retesting every Windsor and Oxford Manor employee to get a new infection control baseline.
Cohorting of COVID-19 Positive Residents
- If a resident tests positive, we begin our cohorting process. This involves the temporary relocation of a resident to a room in the designated COVID-19 area. We initially move the resident with their essential belongings. Other belongings such as furniture, extra clothing, television, etc. are moved within 72 hours after being sanitized.
Moving Cohorted Residents Back to Their Room
We want to move residents back to their home as quickly as possible, however, this takes time requiring a two-step retesting process:
- The first test may occur 14 days after the initial positive test. If COVID-19 symptoms are present at the 14 day point, the test will be delayed until the resident is symptom free. The test will be administered by a nurse and sent to NxGen MDx, the preferred lab for Mercy Health Saint Mary’s and the Kent County Health Department. The timing for receiving results varies depending on the volume of tests the lab has in their queue. We are told to plan on 48-72 hours.
- If the test result is negative, another test following the process outlined above, must be administered no sooner than 24 hours after the first test.
- After confirmation of two negative test results, the process for moving residents from the designated COVID-19 area to their original room will begin. Due to the contagious nature of COVID-19, our staff must sanitize belongings including furniture, clothing and incidentals. We will keep loved ones apprised of the timeline for moves.
KEEPING TRACK
We made a commitment at the onset of COVID-19 to be transparent as an organization no matter the circumstances. To that end, we publish our communications on our website along with a COVID-19 tracking update that outlines number of tests conducted and their outcome.
KEEPING YOU INFORMED
We know open, honest communication is essential during this challenging time. We will continue to make personal calls with status updates when needed and will send email updates on a routine basis. Also, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 616-278-6701 or nancy.ayers@clarkretirement.org or our President/CEO, Brian Pangle at 616-278-6999 or brian.pangle@clarkretirement.org
We are confident the challenges we’ve faced will soon be behind us. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
We are Community.
We are Clark.
Sincerely,
Nancy Ayers
Executive Director
