Dear Patients, Families and Community:
I hope you are enjoying your summer so far. On behalf of Dulles Health & Rehab Center, I want to provide you with an update for this week.
COVID-19
As of the date of this letter, we continue to have no patients or employees that have tested positive for COVID-19. I am pleased to share this good news with you.
Mitigation
In last week’s update, I shared that we have begun working on the center’s plan for reopening in accordance with the newly released Virginia Department of Health’s phased reopening plan for nursing homes. I previously shared information about some of the required elements that were in place at the Center prior to the release of the reopening guidance. This week I want to share more of the required elements with you.
An infection prevention and control assessment must be completed by an external agency in order to advance into phase I. The center has met this requirement with an onsite visit by a state surveyor to assure that the center has implemented the required COVID-19 infection prevention measures. We are also reporting required information to CMS using the CDC’s National Health Safety Network (NHSN). Finally, we have a testing plan as required for reopening the center. Once the Center officially enters Phase 1, it must remain in that phase for 14 days without a positive COVID-19 test result before advancing to Phase 2. We expect to enter Phase 1 shortly, and I will provide a more specific update next week.
Testing
We successfully conducted prevalence testing on June 30th and expect to receive test results by the middle of next week. We anticipate delays in lab processing due to the volume of testing that is occurring in nursing facilities around the state. We will notify patients, and their representatives, of positive test results first, followed by notification of negative results to those patients and representatives. A cumulative notification will be provided to via email and text messaging, which will also include staff test results.
PPE
We continue to consult the most current CDC and VDH guidance on effective use of PPE. As part of the COVID-19 reporting through NHSN, we include an update on our supply of PPE and utilization strategies. Our supply of PPE continues to be adequate, and we have back-up supplies available to us.
Visitation
We are beginning to schedule outdoor visits on a more regular basis, which is good news. In order to ensure we have staff available to assist with visitation, we are scheduling these visits in advance and will make an effort to try to accommodate your schedule where possible. All visitors must be screened by a staff member, which includes having their temperature taken and answering questions about travel and COVID-19 mitigation behavior when out in the community. Visitors and patients are required to wear a mask during screening and the visit unless a medical condition prevents use of a mask or other acceptable face covering. Please make our staff aware of any medical limitations relative to masking when scheduling the visit so that we may adequately prepare. At this time, each outdoor visit is limited to 2 visitors. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Activities Department.
Communication
As a reminder, we are still scheduling video calls, which can supplement outdoor visits. With visitation inside the center still under federal and state restrictions, it is important that patients and their families remain connected. We are committed to assisting you in making that happen.
Thank You
We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy July 4th weekend. Thank you for your continued support of the center and entrusting the care of your loved ones to our team of dedicated staff members.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me directly with concerns or questions.
Sincerely,
Leslie Ruffner, LNHA
Administrator
