There continues to be a high level of community transmission in Androscoggin County. In the last 28 days, Androscoggin county has seen a test positivity rate of 3% and 55.14 cases per 10,000 people. Ideally, we would like to see the case rate below 16.
We will be doing another round of surveillance testing for all of our staff next week. This allows us to detect potential asymptomatic cases and exclude the employee from work prior to transmission to our residents or their coworkers. All members of the care team are screened every day for symptoms of COVID-19 prior to starting their shift. Those staff with symptoms are excluded from work until testing is completed and they are cleared to return to work by our Employee Health Department.
We continue to enforce strict infection control practices to keep our residents safe. While on duty, all staff are expected to wear their face shields and masks in all patient care areas. We continue to be vigilant in frequent handwashing and use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. All high touch areas in the facility are disinfected by housekeeping frequently. Additionally, nursing equipment is disinfected between each resident use. These additional measures are all efforts to keep our residents healthy and safe.
As we know how important it is for our residents to see their families during this season, we will continue to offer window visits for as long as we are able. We also continue to offer Zoom virtual visits with residents and their families. Currently, group activities are on hold. The activities staff will continue to work 1:1 with your loved one to keep them engaged in their favorite activities. We also continue to limit resident appointments outside the facility to those that are essential to the immediate health and safety of the resident.
The situation with COVID-19 is rapidly changing and our staff have been excellent at staying on top of the latest recommendations and guidance from the CDC to ensure we are following best practices. As cases within the community have increased, we have had to implement stricter protocols and practices. The tasks may not always be easy, but our team of amazing caregivers always show up. We are so very grateful for our team’s dedication and commitment to during these challenging times.
Should there be any positive cases in residents or staff at d’Youville Pavilion we will post another update with the plan for testing and how this impacts the care provided to your loved one.
