PioneerCare completed the second round of voluntary facility-wide coronavirus (COVID-19) testing last week and results again show no confirmed cases among residents and staff.
The testing program, led and implemented by Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota National Guard, is in response to a state-wide goal to complete such testing in all assisted living settings and nursing homes. The testing we’ve done has not been due to any suspected cases within Pioneer.
While this means we’ve seen two consecutive weeks of testing with no detected cases of the virus, we made the choice to go forward with a third round of facility-wide testing through the program. This third round is happening today – Wednesday, June 10.
If a case is discovered, PioneerCare will do follow-up testing every seven days until there are again two consecutive weeks of no new positive cases.
Otherwise, we will go into a surveillance testing plan:
If a case is not discovered, we will test only staff every two weeks. Experience from other providers shows that with effective infection control and resident monitoring practices in place, and with no cases identified in the facility, resident testing is no longer needed. For each round, 1/3 of staff of each facility will be selected randomly to participate. This frequency is subject to change depending on further guidance.
The health and wellbeing for residents and staff are highest priority, so repeated testing for the virus is important. We’re proud of our staff and thankful for their efforts at work, at home, and in the community for helping keep the virus from entering our living settings.
We will post today’s results on our website and as testing is repeated later, we will update results on our website’s COVID-19 Information page.
