9/1/21

Dear Family and Friends of Thief River Care Center,

Our last positive resident case was detected Monday, August 31^st, making a total of 11 residents in the covid unit.  No positive residents were identified yesterday or today, but we did identify additional staff cases, who have been placed into quarantine.  We continue to monitor all residents’ vital signs and monitor for symptoms and testing when any symptoms are identified, and keeping a low threshold for testing. We have some residents in the Covid unit reaching the end of the quarantined period, which is 14-21 days depending on symptoms and weather the individual is considered “Immuno-compromised”.

 
Our county positivity rate has continued to be in the red (Meaning greater than a 10% infection rate in Pennington County) and we must continue testing twice per week as a result of this increased rate.   Our next testing dates for all staff and residents will occur Friday, September 3^rd, Tuesday September 7 & Friday September 10^th.

West Pod (Blueberry) residents have been in quarantine since an exposure identified with the first positive case. This quarantine has to continue another 14 days because of another staff exposure that occurred last Thursday. We know it is difficult for residents to have to stay in their rooms.  Unfortunately, West pod quarantine needs to go through September 9^th and maybe be extended if any particular resident has symptoms or other known exposures.  East/Evergreen pod residents have not had any known or traceable exposures so they are not considered to need to quarantine at this time.

The facility remains on lock down but we are carefully assessing the safe visiting practices and acknowledge the need for residents to see and have access to their loved ones. We know visitation is important to residents and families and we want to cooperate as safely as we can. Here is a breakdown of the plan for now.

• Residents who are not in quarantine (East/Evergreen Residents) can participate in window visits and outside visits.  Outside visits will require masks and social distancing.
• Residents who are quarantine (West/Blueberry) and residents who are in the active Covid unit can participate in virtual or window visits.  
• Regardless of resident isolation status, we prefer the windows to be closed during any window visit. If residents choose to open the windows, we are advising social distancing to occur while any window is open. For residents in the Covid Unit and residents in quarantine due to exposure, we strongly advise against opening the window at all during those visits. Social distancing for non-covid residents would require the visitor and the resident each to remain at least 3 feet from either side of the window.

Essential Caregivers:  If you were an essential caregiver in previous covid outbreaks, we invite you to participate in testing starting Friday September 3rd.  This is not a requirement in order to visit, just a “best practice” for those willing to participate.  

If you were not previously an essential caregiver, and would like to become one, please reach out to Lori @ 683-8106.  Here are a few highlights of what it means to be an essential caregiver, to meet the requirements set in place by Minnesota Department of Health.

            Family or friend of resident, in any relationship, must

• Must provide the resident an essential service, such as feeding, assistance with cares, or mental stability/prevention of major or disruptive behaviors. (Note: The essential caregiver program is intended to be more than a regular visitor).
  • Essential Caregivers should be scheduled in advance of their visit and at entry, should be screened and wearing a mask, following social distancing protocols and good hand hygiene practices. The facility is required to monitor traffic in and out and the facility and reserves the right to schedule essential caregivers in a way that reduces traffic and limits numbers of persons in the facility at any given time.
  • Essential caregivers visits should be limited to 2-3 hours per visit and going “in and out and in again” is prohibited.
  • Stay inside the resident’s room is required while the facility is considered in “outbreak mode”.
  • Failure to adhere to any of the outlined requirements may result in the facility prohibiting the invididual from coming to the care center during this or future outbreaks.

For more information on how to become an essential caregiver, or for scheduling of essential caregivers, please reach out to Lori Thompson at 683-8106.  Essential caregivers can begin coming on site as soon as Friday, September 3^rd.

 Also important to note that there are visitation protocols in place for residents who are at end of life.  Please reach out to the Nurse Manager of your resident’s pod or someone else in the nursing department to be considered for end of life visits. The interdisciplinary team reviews each request on a case by case basis.

We appreciate your patience and we will continue to update resident families using this automated system.  If you would like to be added to the list, or you know someone else you want added to the list, please email your Name, Your resident, your phone # or email address to estraw@trcc.sfhs.org 

Respectfully,

Emily Straw

9/7/21

Dear Friends and Family of TRCC;

It is with our deepest sympathy that Thief River Falls Care Center takes informs you that on Sunday, September 5^th, a resident who had tested positive for Covid-19, passed away at the Sanford Hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time. We believe that being transparent with our community is best, yet we are bound to federal rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protect the privacy of our residents.

We continue to follow guidance from MDH, CDC and CMS as it relates to Covid-19 and infection control and prevention practices in our care setting.

We currently have 9 residents in the Covid-19 unit and a total of 6 staff persons who have completed quarantine, or are currently quarantining either due to testing positive or due to a potential exposure.  One resident has moved out of the Covid-19 unit, and as individual’s symptoms are carefully monitored, we anticipate there will be more residents moving off the unit this week and next.  

Residents quarantine periods vary based on symptoms, condition, and diagnosis prior to Covi-19, but vary between 14 and 21 days for each resident on the Covid-19 unit.

Thank you for your support and understanding as we get through this together. It is during these times that we are so grateful for our community’s positive spirit that shines through every day—with residents, with staff, and with family and friends.

If you have questions, please contact Emily Straw, Administrator, at 218-683-8101.

9/3/21

Dear Family and Friends of Thief River Care Center,

Our last positive resident case was detected Monday, August 31^st, making a total of 11 residents in the Covid unit.  No positive residents have been identified since Sunday. We have a total of 5 nursing staff that have tested positive so far, all of whom have been removed from the schedule and quarantined as appropriate.  We continue to monitor all residents’ vital signs and monitor for symptoms and testing when any symptoms are identified, and keeping a low threshold for testing. We completed outbreak testing on Tuesday and Friday of this week. We have some residents in the Covid unit reaching the end of the quarantined period, which is 14-21 days depending on symptoms and weather the individual is considered “Immuno-compromised”. We anticipate two residents to be moved off the unit over the weekend and early next week. 

 
Our county positivity rate has continued to be in the red (Meaning greater than a 10% infection rate in Pennington County) and we must continue testing twice per week as a result of this increased rate.   Our next testing dates for all staff and residents will occur Tuesday September 7 & Friday September 10^th.

West Pod (Blueberry) residents have been in quarantine due to an exposure. This quarantine has to continue through September 9 due to a second known exposure, and may be extended based on individuals health status or if there are symptoms present. East/Evergreen pod residents have not had any known or traceable exposures so they are not considered to need to quarantine at this time but we are strongly encouraging them to wear masks and practice social distancing while out of their rooms.

The facility remains on lock down to general visitation but we are allowing essential caregivers and compassionate care (End of life) visits inside the resident rooms.  Window visits and virtual visits are all options for residents and families at this time. Outside visits can be arranged for residents on east or when quarantine is completed for other residents in quarantine.  Please schedule visits in advance by calling Lori at 218-683-8106.

A few things I shared at the last message, but wanted to share again since they are good reminders.

• Residents who are not in quarantine (East/Evergreen Residents) can participate in window visits and outside visits.  Outside visits will require masks and social distancing.
• Residents who are quarantine (West/Blueberry) and residents who are in the active Covid unit can participate in virtual or window visits.  
• Regardless of resident isolation status, we prefer the windows to be closed during any window visit. If residents choose to open the windows, we are advising social distancing to occur while any window is open. For residents in the Covid Unit and residents in quarantine due to exposure, we strongly advise against opening the window at all during those visits. Social distancing for non-covid residents would require the visitor and the resident each to remain at least 3 feet from either side of the window. \

Essential Caregivers:  If you were an essential caregiver in previous covid outbreaks, we invite you to participate in testing starting Friday September 3rd.  This is not a requirement in order to visit, just a “best practice” for those willing to participate.   If you were not previously an essential caregiver, and would like to become one, please reach out to Lori @ 683-8106.  Here are a few highlights of what it means to be an essential caregiver, to meet the requirements set in place by Minnesota Department of Health.

            Family or friend of resident, in any relationship, must

• Must provide the resident an essential service, such as feeding, assistance with cares, or mental stability/prevention of major or disruptive behaviors. (Note: The essential caregiver program is intended to be more than a regular visitor and the interdisplinary team will review each request on a case by case basis).
  • Essential Caregivers should be scheduled in advance of their visit and at entry, should be screened and wearing a mask, following social distancing protocols and good hand hygiene practices. The facility is required to monitor traffic in and out and the facility and reserves the right to schedule essential caregivers in a way that reduces traffic and limits numbers of persons in the facility at any given time.
  • Essential caregivers visits should be limited to 2-3 hours per visit and going “in and out and in again” is prohibited.
  • Stay inside the resident’s room is required while the facility is considered in “outbreak status”.
  • Failure to adhere to any of the outlined requirements may result in the facility prohibiting the individual from coming to the care center during this or future outbreaks.

We appreciate your patience and we will continue to update resident families using this automated system.  If you would like to be added to the list, or you know someone else you want added to the list, please email your Name, Your resident, your phone # or email address to estraw@trcc.sfhs.org 

Respectfully,

Emily Straw

8/26/21

Dear Family and Friends of Thief River Care Center,

We have received test results back from Monday’s testing and we are completing another round of testing today for all staff and residents.  Due to the identification of symptoms, 3 more residents have tested positive for Covid-19 today.  This makes a total of 7 residents in the Covid Unit today and one staff member positive. We continue to monitor all residents’ vital signs and monitor for symptoms and testing when any symptoms are identified.

While we have been completing the outbreak testing, our county positivity rate moved into the red (Meaning greater than a 10% infection rate in Pennington County) and we must continue testing twice per week as a result of this increased rate.   Today, August 26 and Monday August 30^th we will continue testing for both residents and staff. 

West pod residents are still quarantined through September 6, or longer if there are any symptoms present.   

The facility remains on lock down through the remainder of the Outbreak testing, through at least next Wednesday, September 1^st.   No visitors will be permitted inside the facility through at least Wednesday September 1^st until results are available from previous two tests. Following the receipt of those results, we will make decisions about visitation permissions and what areas may be appropriate for visitation. For residents at end of life, visitations may be granted on a case by case basis.  We will keep you informed of the status and the plans for next week.

We appreciate your patience and we will continue to update resident families using this automated system.  If you would like to be added to the list, or you know someone else you want added to the list, please email your Name, Your resident, your phone # or email address to estraw@trcc.sfhs.org 

Respectfully,

Emily Straw

8/25/21

Dear Family and Friends of Thief River Care Center,

As a result of the outbreak testing we completed on Monday for residents and staff, today we were notified of two additional cases of Covid-19 in residents, making a total of 4 residents at TRCC with Covid and one staff person.

While we have been completing the outbreak testing, our county positivity rate moved into the red (Meaning greater than a 10% infection rate in Pennington County) and we must continue testing twice per week, outbreak or not, as a result of this increased rate.   Thursday August 26 and Monday August 30^th we will continue outbreak testing for both residents and staff. 

West pod residents are still quarantined through September 6, or longer if there are any symptoms present.   

The facility remains on lock down through the remainder of the Outbreak testing, through at least next Wednesday, September 1^st.   No visitors will be permitted inside the facility through at least Wednesday September 1^st until results are in hand from previous two tests. Following the receipt of those results, we will make decisions about visitation permissions and what areas may be appropriate for visitation. For residents at end of life, visitations may be granted on a case by case basis.  We will keep you informed of the status and the plans for next week.

We appreciate your patience and we will continue to update resident families using this automated system.  If you would like to be added to the list, or you know someone else you want added to the list, please email your Name, Your resident, your phone # or email address to estraw@trcc.sfhs.org 

Respectfully,

Emily Straw

Dear Family and Friends of Thief River Care Center,

As a result of the outbreak testing we completed on Saturday, we were notified of one additional case of Covid-19 in a resident.  As of today we have two positive residents in the Covid Unit.  We are completing outbreak testing for all residents and staff today and Thursday.  Due to a possible staff exposure, the residents on west pod are on quarantine for 14 days.

The facility remains on lock down through the remainder of the Outbreak testing and no visitors will be permitted inside the facility. We are also asking that essential caregivers do not visit this week, at least until we have completed the next two series of outbreak testing. We will keep you informed of the status and the plans for next week.  For residents who are at end of life, visitations may be granted on a case by case basis.  Outbreak testing will continue to occur until we have two consecutive testing periods with no additional positive cases identified in both staff and residents.

We appreciate your patience and we will continue to update resident families using this automated system.  If you would like to be added to the list, or you know someone else you want added to the list, please email your Name, Your resident, your phone # or email address to estraw@trcc.sfhs.org 

We appreciate your support and patience through this time. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your resident’s nurse, or Emily Straw, Administrator, at 218-683-8101.

Respectfully,

Emily Straw

Dear Family and Friends of Thief River Care Center,

Our care center has moved to monthly staff testing due to the sustained decrease of the community infection rate. We continue to test any employee or resident if they show signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or has had exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19.  As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Unfortunately, while cases in long-term care centers remain relatively low due to vaccination efforts, case rates in our local communities have climbed again. County positivity rates continue to dictate testing frequency and visitation policies. Data published Tuesday show there were 193 people in Minnesota’s hospitals getting intensive care for COVID-19 complications the day before, a rise of 21% from last week.

You are a key partner in keeping our care center open for visiting and ending this pandemic. We encourage you to connect with your primary health care provider or use the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you.

We continue to offer inside visitation and appointments can be made through the Activity Department at 218-683-8106.  As weather warms up, we can also schedule outside visits as weather permits and residents can tolerate. We are allowing volunteers back on campus and they have been a blessing to our residents. 

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Thief River Care Center) or our website (www.trcc.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out us.

Dear Family and Friends of Thief River Care Center,

Our care center has recently reduced testing staff from bi weekly to weekly due to the community infection rate staying below 10%. We also test any employee or resident if they show signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or has had exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19.  As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

This week, MDH stated they will follow the CDC guidelines for national and international travel. If an employee is fully vaccinated they do not need to quarantine after travel. They would need a COVID test 3-5 days after return. 

We continue to take appointments for general visitation, which occurs at the visitation stations at the front entrance by calling 683-8106, which can include up to three people at a time.  (We are reminding people to keep wearing their masks and any children present should stay seated with the people at the tables).

One of the best ways you are able to help our community is to get vaccinated. We continue to encourage you to connect with your primary health care provider or use the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Don’t forget to get your flu shot this season to help protect our community. Please follow our Facebook page (@Thief River Care Center) or our website (www.trcc.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out us.

MN Department of Health

Information for Safe Family Gatherings

Plan ahead

Take steps to lower the risk of COVID-19

• If you are unvaccinated, limit chances for contact with someone with COVID-19. Two weeks prior to your gathering, avoid people who do not live with you and settings where you cannot stay at least 6 feet away from others. Avoid bars, restaurants, or carpools where people do not consistently wear a mask.
• Wear a well-fitting mask when you are inside places other than your home.
• Wear a well-fitting mask at outdoor events where you cannot stay at least 6 feet away from others. See CDC: Improve How Your Mask Protects You (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/yourhealth/effective-masks.html).
• Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly and ask people coming into your home to do the same.
• Stay at least 6 feet from others who live outside your household, whenever you can.

Create a safe setting

Create a safe setting for visitors

• Before anyone enters your home, ask if they have had a fever, cough, body aches, fatigue, runny nose, or other symptoms of COVID-19. People with symptoms should stay home and away from all others. They should be tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible.
• Before anyone enters your home, ask if they have recently been near someone with COVID-19. People who have spent time near a person with COVID-19 should stay home and away from others. They should be tested five to seven days after the contact.
• Before bringing someone who needs long-term care into your home, get yourself and your household members tested for COVID-19.
•  Before anyone enters your home, especially someone at-risk for more severe illness, wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose completely.
• Before anyone enters your car, wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose completely. If people staying with you can also wear a mask, ask them to do so as well.
• Before anyone enters your home, set up your house so people can stay 6 feet apart from others. See Indoor Air Considerations: COVID-19 (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/indoorair.html). LONG – TERM CARE GUIDANCE FOR OUTINGS.
•  For current recommendations about creating a safe space for visitors, see Protect Yourself & Others: COVID-19 (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/prevention.html).

Contact the nursing home or assisted living-type facility

Nursing homes and assisted living-type facilities follow strict regulations and guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their buildings. Before taking someone out of nursing homes or assisted living-type facilities, make sure you understand the current guidelines.

Vaccination for COVID-19 is ongoing. We look forward to the day when more restrictions can be removed.

Dear Family and Friends of Thief River Care Center,

Our care center has recently reduced testing staff from bi weekly to weekly due to the community infection rate staying below 10%. We also test any employee or resident if they show signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or has had exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19.  As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

As of this week, 80 percent of seniors have gotten at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine as well as 38 percent of residents aged 50 to 64. More than 1 million Minnesotans are now fully vaccinated and 1.66 million, or 38 percent have gotten at least one shot. On Tuesday, March 30^th, Minnesota expanded vaccine eligibility to all Minnesotans ages 16 and up. Although vaccinations are ramping up, Minnesota’s seven-day rolling average positivity rate has been increasing, and as of the latest data, it is at 5.3%, putting the state in the “caution” status.

We encourage you to do your part in stopping the spread of COVID-19 by connecting with your primary health care provider or using the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you.  Please continue to wear face masks, social distancing, wash your hands often and get tested if you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive or are experiencing COVID symptoms.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Don’t forget to get your flu shot this season to help protect our community. Please follow our Facebook page (@Thief River Care Center) or our website (www.trcc.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out us.