NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID 19) UPDATE:
Download the latest Family Update as a PDF.
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COVID-19 Vaccine
All PMMA communities signed up for the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program. All 15 PMMA communities, which offer skilled nursing and assisted living services, were eligible to participate and signed up through either Walgreen’s or CVS.
The pharmacy partners will begin contacting campuses in mid-December to schedule three vaccine clinics at each location. Clinic dates are subject to change based on the availability of the vaccine. CVS and Walgreens anticipate scheduling the first round of clinics at the end of December, with subsequent clinics scheduled in January and February.
PMMA strongly encourages all eligible residents and employees to carefully consider what these vaccinations will mean for themselves and our PMMA communities. As front-line providers of senior care services, our employees are among those at the greatest risk of COVID-19 infection, and our residents are at the greatest risk of serious illness or death if they are infected.
In preparation for these clinics, PMMA communities are already working to ensure all the required consent forms and physician’s orders are in place.
Kansas is expecting to receive 75,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of December. Missouri expects to receive 300,000 doses of the vaccine in the same time frame. Both states have identified frontline health care workers and skilled nursing and assisted living residents as high priority to receive the vaccine.
The COVID-19 vaccine requires a two-step process consisting of two shots to get the most protection from the virus. The first shot starts the process of building immunity protection within the body, with a second dose required a few weeks later to provide the maximum amount of protection available.
Click to download an FAQ about COVID-19 Vaccines.
Community Visitation
PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s) president and CEO, Bruce Shogren issued a letter November 16 strongly urging residents to shelter in place and remain on campus this holiday season.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), small inside gatherings of people who are not wearing masks and socially distancing has been a significant contributing factor in recent COVID-19 outbreaks. The CDC is warning everyone that even small holiday gatherings could be a potential source for spreading the COVID-19 virus. The CDC issued guidance stating “the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is to celebrate only with people living in your household.” For our residents, this means remaining on your PMMA campus.
As you discuss your upcoming holiday plans, we encourage you to follow the advice of health officials, infectious disease experts and the CDC. If you make the decision to attend an in-person gathering, please follow the CDC guidelines for small gatherings. These guidelines are available at the websites below:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/thanksgiving.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html
Check the CDC website, as well as the local and state health departments, for the most current guidance. It is likely to be updated as we move through the holiday season.
PMMA’s Family Letter RE: Holiday Gatherings
CMS and state guidelines allow communities to establish protocols and reasonable limitations around visitation. View our Visitor Information Card. Outdoor visitation is preferred whenever possible. Reasonable limitations include requiring visitors to schedule visits in advance, limiting the number of visitors each resident may have at one time to 2 people, limiting the total number of visits that may be scheduled during a time period, and screening visitors for entry to the community. Screening includes answering a questionnaire about recent travel, health status and exposure risk, and taking and logging temperatures before they are allowed entry into the community.
Resident safety always comes first. Based on the recommendations from the CDC and CMS, outdoor visitation will be preferred as long as weather permits. Outdoor visitation provides the best ventilation and opportunity to maintain safe social distances during visitation. It also provides the most locations for residents and families to meet together.
Please be vigilant in self-monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Visit the CDC website and check your symptoms with the online Self-Checker available here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html.
When you visit our communities, you are expected to adhere to safety practices and take necessary precautions to protect our residents and employees.
You should:
- Schedule your visit in advance with the community’s designated contact.
- Be respectful of visitor limitations (2 visitors per resident per day) and time limitations. Time limits are set to allow as many opportunities as possible for residents to visit with their family and friends. It also provides opportunity for the community to complete cleaning protocols between visits.
- Provide proof of negative COVID-19 test within 2-3 days in advance of your visit, if required. (Indoor visits when county positivity rates are between 5% and 10%.)
- Answer screening questions honestly.
- Have your temperature taken at entry to the community.
- Adhere to safety measures, including wearing the provided face mask over nose and mouth at all times, washing or sanitizing hands before and after a visit, and maintain physical distance. Hugging, kissing and handshaking is prohibited to protect residents and employees.
- Follow all instructions given for movement within the community.
- Report immediately to the community if experiencing any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or any positive COVID-19 test results occurring within 14 days of visiting any community.
COVID-19 Prevention Practices
Our campus screens employees at the beginning of their shifts upon entering the community and before the employees have had any direct contact with residents. These screening measures include taking staff temperatures and asking a set of questions about their health status and COVID-19 exposure risks and review a list of COVID-19 symptoms.
Employees who have a fever or report feeling unwell are not allowed to work and are asked to get tested for COVID-19 if they have symptoms of the disease. These measures continue to be updated as guidance changes. We encourage all staff members to follow CDC guidelines and best practices as these are continually updated.
Employees who test positive remain in isolation until cleared to work by the health department. We follow CDC guidelines for when an employee may return to work. Under the current guidelines, symptomatic employees may return to work when at least 24 hours have passed since resolution of the employee’s fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and the employee’s symptoms have improved and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. Asymptomatic positive employees will quarantine for at least 10 days. Upon the employee’s return to work, we follow CDC recommendations related to work practices and restrictions.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has mandated surveillance testing of our staff. Surveillance testing requires all employees, agency employees, volunteers, hospice, lab and therapy providers at our campus to be tested on a frequency determined by our county’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate. Based on our county positivity rate for COVID-19 tests, our campus is testing staff once a week.
Residents who test positive are placed in COVID-19 isolation and cared for by designated staff members. We follow CDC guidelines for when the residents may come out of isolation. Under the current guidelines, symptomatic residents may come out of isolation when at least 24 hours have passed since resolution of the resident’s fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and the resident’s symptoms have improved and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. If asymptomatic, the residents will remain in isolation for at least 10 days. Designated team members are following doctor’s orders for treatment protocols and following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infection prevention protocols.
We continue to stay current with preventive measures in accordance with the CMS/CDC guidelines and best practices. We strongly encourage all residents to shelter in place and adhere to the precautions we provided.
Follow these basic safety precautions to protect yourself and others and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wear a mask or cloth face covering. Maintain adequate social distance between yourself and others who do not live with you. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand gel. Residents should limit trips off campus, and family members are encouraged to avoid crowds.
Please be vigilant in self-monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Visit the CDC website and check your symptoms with the online Self-Checker available here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html.
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID 19) UPDATE:
PMMA COMMUNITIES WORKING TOWARD REOPENING (July 20, 2020)
The 15 PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America) communities are working toward reopening their communities to visitors, even as the numbers of COVID-19 cases in Kansas and Missouri continues to climb.
Both states’ guidance relies heavily on recommendations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued on May 18. CMS guidance from March 13, 2020, limiting visitation to senior living communities remains in effect, but states have the authority to begin reopening senior living communities as it is deemed safe to do so.
“Our reopening plans for each individual PMMA community includes recommendations from CMS and our state and local government entities because each has requirements that must be addressed before moving into the reopening process at any of our PMMA communities,” said Bruce Shogren, PMMA president and CEO.
Based on the recommendations from the CDC and CMS, access to our communities will be relaxed or tightened, as COVID-19 conditions warrant in the greater area surrounding each campus. Items listed in each phase will not be implemented all at once but throughout a phase to ensure resident safety. Phases will last a minimum of 14 days and may last longer, for example, Missouri’s guidance for the length of Phase 1 is 28 days. These recommendations are in place to ensure the health and safety of our residents.
The three-phase process is complex, but it is necessary for keeping our residents and employees safe. Each community’s reopening plan and timeline depends on their local health department and the greater community’s number of new COVID-19 cases.
In Missouri, the Department of Health and Senior Services issued visitation, communal dining and group activity guidance in June, but did not issue reopening guidance until July 10. The DHSS guidance calls for Phase 1 to last a minimum of 28 days and for senior living communities to conduct baseline testing of all residents and employees before moving to Phase 2. The guidance also calls for communities to complete testing of 10-percent of their employees every two weeks. Any positive tests will place the community at the start of Phase 1 again.
Missouri’s guidance also places specific restrictions on when a community can choose to move forward to a less restrictive phase based on the COVID-19 case trend in the surrounding county. Only nursing facilities in counties where the cases are on a 2-week downward trend can move to a less restrictive phase.
Because Missouri’s guidance allows for outdoor visitation during Phase 1 of reopening, Missouri communities are beginning to schedule these visitations for residents and their family members. Visitation remains limited and must be scheduled in advance. Both residents and their visitors must adhere to safety precautions and visitors are screened for temperature, COVID-19 risk factors and symptoms of the disease.
“We remain acutely aware of the need for our residents and family members to be able to reunite,” Shogren said. “We are excited that we are working diligently toward reopening our PMMA communities. However, it is important to understand each community’s reopening timeline depends on their own local health department and the greater community’s COVID-19 positive case statistics. The spikes in Coronavirus cases are the reason CMS and the CDC recommended nursing centers be among the last places to reopen.”
HOW IS PMMA IMPLEMENTING THE PHASED REOPENINGS?
PMMA communities are approaching reopening cautiously. Resident safety always comes first. Based on the recommendations from the CDC and CMS, access to our communities will be relaxed or tightened, as COVID-19 conditions warrant in the greater area surrounding each campus. If cases in the surrounding area are on the rise, a community may restrict visitors for resident safety until the number of cases declines and stabilizes in cooperation with the local health department.
Elements within each phase will not be implemented all at once but in stages throughout a phase to ensure resident safety. Phases will last a minimum of 14 days and may last longer, for example, Missouri’s guidance for the length of Phase 1 is 28 days.
Communities may begin with loosening internal restrictions on group dining and activities where social distancing can be maintained, reopening beauty shops with precautions and opening to non-essential service providers including podiatry, audiology, dentistry and other services.
All communities are accepting hand-delivered care packages and packages shipped through professional carriers include USPS, UPS, DHL and FedEx. Contact your PMMA campus for details. The 3-day quarantine was lifted in June.
WHAT DOES “LIMITED ACCESS” MEAN?
Limited access means all visits to the community must be rescheduled except in case of end-of-life situations. Families should communicate with their loved one via telephone, email or other electronic methods. PMMA’s IT department and community staff are working to establish electronic communications options such as Skype or FaceTime. Contact your community for information.
In addition, CMS has recommended temporarily stopping group activities and communal meal service and limiting communities to essential staff only. All residents are encouraged to practice social distance – or remaining 6-feet apart at all times for infection prevention.
Employees are screened at the beginning of each shift at the point of entry to the community building and before employees have any direct contact with residents. These screening measures include taking staff temperatures and asking a set of questions about travel, health status, COVID-19 exposure risks and reviews a list of possible COVID-19 symptoms. Employees who have a fever or report feeling unwell are not allowed to work and are asked to get tested for COVID-19 if they have symptoms of the disease. These measures have been in place since March 13 and continue to be updated as guidance changes. In addition, staff members should continue to wear masks per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.
YOUR ROLE AS A FAMILY MEMBER OR VISITOR:
If your visit is not absolutely necessary due to end of life, reschedule your visit to the community.
If your visit meets this exception, you should:
- Expect to answer a questionnaire about your recent travel, health status and exposure risk.
- Have your temperature taken.
- Wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds, rubbing palms together, cleaning between fingers and the backs of hands.
- Utilize hand sanitation stations prior to entering and upon leaving resident rooms.
- Limit movement within the community to your resident’s room or your contact’s office
- Limit physical contact with the resident – no hugging, kissing or hand-shaking – and remain 6 feet apart
- Report to the community any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or acute illness within 14 days after visiting the community
Personal protective equipment (PPE), which includes gloves, masks and gowns, are available as necessary.
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