As of today, we have no known cases of Coronavirus in our care center. We continue to follow the recommended guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Minnesota Department of Health. We carefully monitor all residents for symptoms, screen all staff at the beginning of each shift, use PPE, and conduct audits of our infection control practices, providing further education as needed. 

COVID-19 is still being contagiously transmitted throughout our state. It’s important to keep in mind that our residents are highly vulnerable to the virus and are the most at risk if they are infected.  It is our policy to continually evaluate the presence of positive COVID-19 cases in our communities and nearby counties. We are carefully considering our options regarding visitation, evaluating our policies and protocols and will update you weekly. In the meantime, please contact the care center with any questions or concerns.

Currently, visiting with your loved one can be done through scheduled patio visits, open window visits, and closed window visits. We also encourage alternative means of communicating with residents such as phone calls, Facebook, Skype, etc.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and training. Please contact our care center for more information or visit www.jobswithus.org to apply.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care centers can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

August 14^th, 2020

All Thief River Care Center residents and staff who were tested on August 10^th came back negative. These results are reflected in the graph below. We had NO new positive cases of COVID-19.

Results as of date 08/14/2020

Thief River Care Center has now gone two consecutive weeks with no additional positive cases of COVID-19. Following these results and all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, we will discontinue weekly testing and will be lifting the precautions we introduced during the threat of COVID-19. Beginning August 18th, we will begin scheduled, monitored, social distanced open window visits. Please contact the Activities Department at 218-683-8106 to schedule your visit. We will review patio visiting over the next few weeks and will share details as they are determined. 

If you or someone you know are interested in becoming a healthcare hero, visit www.jobswithus.org. We have a variety of positions to start or continue your career in senior care. Plus enjoy flexible scheduling and compelling benefits including a sign-on bonus, as you care for our seniors on the front lines of this pandemic.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to a department manager at 218-683-8100.

August 6^th, 2020

Thief River Care Center tested residents and staff who tested negative previously for the 4th time on August 4^th. These results are reflected in the graph below. We had NO new positive cases of COVID-19. We are testing again on August 11^th.  

Results as of date 08/06/2020

We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Our staff are equipped with full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including face masks, eye protection, gowns, and gloves while in our care center. As a reminder, because of the active cases in our care center, we are only allowing closed window visits and virtual visits at this time.

Due to the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center, open window visits and patio visits were halted. It is crucial that we all remain vigilant on social distancing, face masks and proper hand hygiene. The healthcare heroes in our community need you. This week we are calling on the friends and family of all who live and work here to partner with us and our affiliates, as we keep face masks and social distancing as important in our everyday lives as it is in our care center. Post a picture of you wearing a facemask and tag our Facebook page @Thief River Care Center using the hashtag #MaskingWithSFHS. Tell us and the rest of our community why you continue to wear a facemask and be proud of helping protect our seniors and those who care for them.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to a department manager at 218-683-8100.

Date 07/31/2020

Pennington Health Services has been proactively testing all residents and staff of Thief River Care Center weekly since July 11^th. All those who tested negative on the last round of testing were tested again on July 27^th. The results from this round of testing are shown below. One additional resident has tested positive for COVID-19.

Results as of date 07/31/2020

As previously stated, we will continue weekly testing until we have gone two consecutive weeks with no additional cases. Our next round of testing is scheduled for August 4^th.  We continue to follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Our staff our equipped with full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including face masks, eye protection, gowns, and gloves while in our care center.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation in Thief River Care Center, we are providing scheduled, closed window visits with residents. We also encourage virtual visits. Staff are able to assist in these visits using the new technology equipment that was recently purchased. Call activities at 218-683-8106 to schedule your visit.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Date 07/24/2020

Pennington Health Services has been proactively testing all residents and staff of Thief River Care Center a resident had tested positive. All those who tested negative on the last round of testing were tested again on 07/20/2020. The results from the second round of testing are shown below. We currently have 0 residents in our segregated unit and 2 staff members self-quarantined at home. 

You continue to be a key partner in keeping our residents and staff safe. The threat for COVID-19 is still very real and we have seen the devastating impact this virus has on us. We stand with Governor Walz and ask you to continue to partner with us in wearing a face mask when unable to social distance. This face mask is a simple and effective way we can protect our dedicated staff and those who are most at-risk for this virus.

The COVID Pandemic has created new employment opportunities in our care center for people wanting to help our most at-risk population combat this virus. If you or someone you know may be interested in working side by side with us as we truly make a difference in the lives of our residents, call our care center or visit www.jobswithus.org for more information.

We continue to follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Residents are being monitored throughout all shifts. All staff continue to be screened prior to entering the building and are required to wear surgical masks and eye protection.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

07/16/2020

 As we have indicated in last week’s update, we had 1 resident test positive for COVID-19 on 07/10/2020.  All our residents and employees have now been tested for COVID-19, and we have received most of those results.  We are pleased to share these results of only 1 additional positive case in a staff member.

The resident who had tested positive for COVID-19 had already been transferred to our segregated unit where they will receive all the cares required to see them through this illness.  The staff member who has tested positive is self-quarantining at home.

As a reminder, staff that work in our segregated unit will not care for residents outside of the unit or interact with any employees that are providing direct care to residents outside of the unit. All staff in the segregated unit are equipped with N95 masks, face shields, gowns, and foot covers. Staff enter and exit the segregated unit from a separate door to prevent exposure to the rest of our care center, residents and employees.

Due to the COVID-19 situation in our care center, we will not be able to allow patio visits or open-widow visits at this time. We are continuing to schedule closed window visits with residents. Please contact our care center to schedule your visit.  We also encourage alternative means of communicating with residents such as phone calls, Facebook, Skype, etc. We have obtained additional equipment to meet the demands of these virtual visits and staff are able to assist residents as needed.

We appreciate all the support, prayers, and offers of help that we’ve received. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact a department manager at 218-683-8100 or Scot Allen, Interim Administrator, at 218-683-8101.

Although not unexpected, as of the evening of 07/10/2020, we have a resident in our Thief River Care Center who has tested positive for COVID-19.  This event triggers a planned process of isolation to a segregated area to aggressively minimize transmission to others. Our top priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy. We are collaborating with our Medical Director and the Minnesota Department of Health and are following all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure we are taking all appropriate steps at this time.

The isolated area is segregated from the rest of our community and designated staff remain within the area who do not have physical contact with other non-segregated residents. Any staff who may test positive as a result of working within the segregated area will be quarantined at home and will not be allowed to return to work until they recover from the virus, symptom free (7 days from onset or 3 days post last symptom) and pass the employee screening protocols. Our staff are equipped with specific training and personal protective equipment (PPE) to continue to provide safe, quality care, services and support to the residents of our community.

Thief River Care Center is committed to the health and safety of all the people that live and work in our community. With the confirmed case of CoVid-19 in our care center, on 07/11/2020, we preformed entire site testing. We believe this is the best way to protect our residents, staff and our community and track the path of the virus. Results will be shared as they come in.

Due to the confirmed case, we will suspend all open-window and patio visits until the situation is resolved. As we’ve shared several times, in early March, we initiated proactive infection control practices, screening procedures and visitor restrictions that will help us manage this situation as effectively as possible and protect the safety and health of all who live and work here. We will continue to update you on any news, emerging issues, or additional changes in our operations via Bright Arrow, email, website, and our Facebook page.

We know that this news may concern you or that you may have questions about what we are doing to keep everyone safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to call me at (218) 683-8100 or email me at ajanusz@trcc.sfhs.org.

Sincerely,

Anthony Janusz

Administrator

The 4^th of July is a very special day on the American calendar. As such, our staff have a variety of fun activities planned for our residents to enjoy. Our residents and staff continue to find unique ways to have fun and rejoice in life under the new normal amidst the Coronavirus pandemic.

Please note, if you plan to do a patio visit, open or closed window visit, or virtual visit this holiday weekend, we ask that you schedule ahead of time. You can schedule your visit by calling our activities department.

As of 07/03/2020, there have been no known cases of Coronavirus in our care center. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

As we monitor the care centers in MN surrounding us who have experienced caring for residents testing positive for Coronavirus and a loss of staff due to the outbreak, we continue to refine our plan to manage an active case in our care center.  In the event your loved one is diagnosed with CoVid-19, we must transfer them to a segregated and quarantined unit to properly meet their care needs and protect other residents from further outbreak.  There are many issues to consider related to maintaining the segregated unit but the greatest concern is staffing, both within and outside of the segregated unit.  Our hope is that our staffing would remain constant, but care centers that have experienced an active case, see as much as a 20% loss of their nursing staff due to exposure or requested Leaves of Absence.  For that reason, it may be necessary to transfer the resident who tests positive to a nearby location or affiliate care center that has the necessary equipment and staff needed to care for CoVid-19 patients. We welcome the opportunity to discuss this in person with you.  If you have concerns or questions related to this, please contact us.  If you do not speak to someone, please leave a message and you will receive a follow up call.

If you know of an RN or CNA who would be interested in working at {insert care center} either PT or FT, please provide them the following link:  www.jobswithus.org.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. 

In the past week, PHS has created opportunities for more meaningful connections for our residents and loved ones through open window visits and outdoor patio visits. Our entire team enjoys seeing our residents and loved ones visiting and look forward to the days when we are once again able to welcome visitors into our care center.  We ask that you schedule your virtual visits, open window visits, and patio visits ahead of time due to high demand and safety of our residents.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) set strict guidelines for our care centers including prohibiting communal dining. We have now received revised guidelines and reviewing all of the requirements to safely implement communal dining.  Look for more information on this subject in the future.   

As of 06/26/2020, there have been no known cases of Coronavirus in our care center. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). As the state agencies loosen restrictions, please know you are a key partner in preventing the spread of CoVid-19 in our care center. We ask that you understand the requirements and procedures we have put in place, and work with us as partners in caregiving to abide by them.

Your messages of support, prayers, and patience will not be forgotten. If you have and questions, concerns, or ideas for make visiting better, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.  Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page.