PioneerCare

Dedicated to Care

Infection Control

Second Case Identified

(July 14, 2020) In our web post dated July 8, 2020 we shared news of our first staff positive case of COVID-19 at the nursing home. We immediately conducted an Exposure Risk Assessment and began testing of many residents and staff. We ended up testing about 70 people. We received those results today. One additional positive case in a resident of the nursing home was identified. The staff member is recovering at home and the resident (currently asymptomatic) is recovering in our designated COVID-19 unit.

Our COVID-19 unit was set up several months ago and is designed to care for residents with confirmed positive COVID-19. This unit is completely separated from the rest of the building, has negative air pressure, and is staffed with designated staff who will only work on that unit.

We are taking all precautions to stop the spread of this virus, and we are actively working in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health to ensure we are taking all appropriate steps at this time.

Wide-Spread Testing.  Because we now have a positive case identified in a resident, it is necessary to implement Point Prevalence Survey testing once again. This means we will be testing all nursing home residents and staff weekly until we have two consecutive weeks of no new positive cases identified.  Wide-spread testing will give us the best picture of the scope and magnitude of what we are dealing with.

Ongoing Communication/Situation Update. Being transparent and upfront with residents, their families, and staff is important to us. To manage this efficiently and effectively going forward, here is a general outline of our communication plan:

  • Personal Phone Call. Families of any resident who tests positive will receive a personal phone call from staff.
  • Website.  For situation updates, we will use our website to communicate current active cases in residents and staff, by location.  You may view this update here.
  • Phone System.  As an alternative to our website, we have created a message center on our phone system with a pre-recorded situational update message. Call 218-998-1500 and follow prompts to hear the situational update.

Next steps:  Effective immediately, here is a summary of additional steps we are taking in response to this development:

  • Resume Wide-Spread Testing.  Thursday, July 16, 2020, nursing home staff and residents only.
  • Enhanced Restrictions and PPE Use. All nursing home residents should be restricted to their rooms with limited travel throughout the facility. All residents in Short Stay and the Apple Blossom household will be cared for using transmission-based precautions (COVID-19 PPE) until further notice.
  • Communal Dining. Communal dining is cancelled on ALL households until further notice.
  • Small Group Activities. Small group activities are cancelled on ALL households until further notice.
  • Outdoor Visits. Outdoor visits for ALL residents are cancelled until further notice. Closed window visits and electronic visits are still permitted and encouraged.

Our goal in implementing these actions is to quickly limit further transmission of this virus. We are confident in our infection prevention and control measures, and in our ability to manage this small outbreak safely and effectively.

We sincerely hope these additional restrictions are very short-term. We will continue to provide updates on any news, emerging issues, or additional changes in our operations.

Case Identified in Care Center

(July 8, 2020) Today, we have been notified that a staff member of our nursing home tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are taking all precautions to stop the spread of this virus.

Our priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy and we are doing everything we can to stop the spread of this virus within our setting. Beginning in March we initiated aggressive, proactive infection control measures and screening procedures, which we believe will help us manage this case as effectively as possible. In addition, we are working in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health to ensure we are taking all appropriate steps at this time.

We immediately completed an Exposure Risk Assessment, and we believe the level of risk to other residents and staff is Low Risk. The employee was wearing all recommended PPE, was adhering to all recommended infection control practices, and did not have prolonged close contact with residents during the individual’s shift.

Out of an abundance of caution we are conducting testing for those who were in direct contact with the individual, and will keep the following enhanced restrictions in place until the test results are in and we can further evaluate.

Next steps:  Effective immediately, here are some additional steps we are taking in response to this development:

  • Enhanced Restrictions and PPE Use. All residents of Short Stay and Apple Blossom should be restricted to their rooms and cared for using transmission-based precautions (COVID-19 PPE) until further notice.
  • Testing. All residents on Short Stay and Apple Blossom will be tested for COVID-19.  In addition, many staff identified in our contact tracing exercise will be tested.
  • Communal Dining. Communal dining is cancelled on ALL households until further notice.
  • Small Group Activities. Small group activities are cancelled on ALL households until further notice.
  • Outdoor Visits. Outdoor visits for residents of Short Stay and Apple Blossom are cancelled until further notice.  Residents on the Woods and the Lakes may continue to schedule outdoor visits at this time.

Communication is key, and we will continue to provide updates on any news, emerging issues, or additional changes in our operations. To stay informed, please return to our COVID-19 Information page or subscribe to our Email Updates.

Outdoor Visits Permitted

Guidance for Outdoor Visits
Dear Friends,
We have good news about outdoor visiting options starting Monday, June 22.  Thanks to you, our staff, and community, we are managing the risks of COVID-19 well at PioneerCare.
As a result, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has provided guidance on outdoor visits. Indoor visits will continue to be limited to essential health care personnel and compassionate care situations for now.
Here are some general details of our Outdoor Visiting Program:
  • Fair Weather. PioneerCare will allow outdoor visits on fair weather days. We will do our best to determine an appropriate definition of “fair weather,” and will reserve the right to cancel visits due to weather. In general, weather cancelations would result from rain, high wind, storms, extreme heat, etc.
  • Number of Visitors. We are limiting number of visitors per resident to one immediate household, or a maximum of four people from different households.
  • Advanced Scheduling. Due to the requirement to have staff available for support, we are requiring you to schedule your visit in advance during designated visiting hours. Visiting hours vary by location, so please contact the location where your loved one resides, or check PioneerCare’s website for specifics by location.
  • Designated Visiting Areas. Each location has designated outdoor visiting areas. These areas are set up to be comfortable, allow staff to monitor, and to promote the required social distancing and cleanliness requirements. Please contact the location or check PioneerCare’s website for specifics by location.
  • On-Site Visitor Screening and PPE. Each location will require visitors to be screened by designated staff prior to their visiting time, to wear masks and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Staff screeners will be readily available during visiting hours.
  • Avoid Physical Contact. To continue protecting everyone from potential virus transmission, we ask that you avoid hugs, handshakes and other physical contact.
  • MDH Guidance for Outdoor Visits. During your first outdoor visit, we’ll ask you to read a description of the visit requirements provided by the MN Department of Health (MDH), agree to follow those instructions, and accept that there is some COVID-19 risk even in these protected situations. PioneerCare is required to follow MDH guidance. I’ve included a copy for you. Please familiarize yourself with these guidelines.
  • Volunteers. MDH is allowing facilities to use volunteers to help coordinate outdoor visits. If you would like to volunteer, we would be excited to talk to you about those opportunities.
  • FAQ. For specifics on what to expect, see the Frequently Asked Questions document posted from our professional association, LeadingAge Minnesota.
I understand how difficult this has been for you and your family. We were all asked to prioritize safety during these past few months and the limited social contact with families was painful.
We deeply appreciate the sacrifices you made to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our community. While the virus will be with us for many more months, we all now know more about how take precautions like wearing masks, making sure our hands are clean, and deep cleaning high-touch surfaces to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.
Our entire team looks forward to seeing you outside and enjoying our well-earned Minnesota summer days. I will continue to keep you up to date on how our COVID-19 protection efforts are going. We are following state and federal guidelines in planning to re-open inside visiting as quickly as we can. For now, we will do everything we can to make your outdoor visits as comfortable as possible.
Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Your messages of support, prayers, and patience will not be forgotten. There may be more challenges ahead, and we may need to make adjustments as we roll-out our new Outdoor Visiting program. If you have ideas to make it better, please do not hesitate to contact the building manager or reach out to me at 218-998-1518 or by email directly.
If you haven’t done so already, please consider signing up for our Email Updates frequently sent through Constant Contact as news from PioneerCare is available. You can register at https://www.pioneercare.org/join-our-email-list
Sincerely,
Nathan Johnson, CEO
PS: For more specific details on the new outdoor visiting guidance from Minnesota Department of Health, please click this button:

COVID-19 Testing Continues

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.

Testing Results: Round One

PioneerCare completed voluntary facility-wide coronavirus (COVID-19) testing last week and results show no confirmed cases among residents and staff.

The testing program is being led and implemented by Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota National Guard.

The testing process isn’t over for residents and staff, however. PioneerCare has scheduled repeat testing through the program for at least two more consecutive weeks, depending on outcomes. If a case is discovered, PioneerCare will continue widespread testing every seven days until there are two consecutive weeks of no new positive cases.

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.

As testing is repeated, we will post current test results on our website’s COVID-19 Information page:

Covid-19 Information

Thank You

To all who have donated supplies and sewn masks these past days, we offer our sincerest gratitude.

By wearing masks at all times, we’re practicing source control, protecting residents and coworkers from potential infection. And by using home-sewn masks at this time, when there is no known infection within PioneerCare Center, Pioneer Cottages, or Pioneer Pointe, we’re conserving our limited supply of medical grade protective gear.

Residents also are asked to wear masks or cover their mouth and nose while receiving direct care.

Home sewn masks are used to provide source control – protecting others from the person wearing the mask. While we have enough masks for now, we may be asking for help from the community again in the weeks ahead.

Again, from all of us, thank you.

Seeking Screener

We’re Seeking a Temporary Part-Time Screener

PioneerCare seeks a part time screener responsible for screening staff and any others entering the care center. If you know someone who may be a good fit, please share this news with them.

Duties include using the provided screening tool to interview staff members for COVID-19 related information, using a forehead thermometer to check and record temperatures, sanitizing and packaging masks provided for source control, and periodically sanitizing contact areas in the front lobby.

The ideal candidate has a positive, upbeat attitude, good interpersonal communication skills, and is able to follow existing infection control and safety protocols. We’re seeking to cover shifts on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Other shifts are covered.

We’re hiring in other areas as well, and finding creative ways to complete the hiring and onboarding process.

More details are found on our website’s Careers Page.

PioneerCare Restricts Visitors in Response to Coronavirus Threat

[March 11, 2020] Working to protect residents and staff and prevent the spread of COVID-19 to its living settings, PioneerCare implementing stricter practices regarding visitor access.

Following guidance to nursing homes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on monitoring and restricting visitors, PioneerCare Center is adopting these practices immediately.

“While much about the virus is still unknown, we do know that the population we serve – older persons with underlying medical conditions – are at greater risk for the most serious forms of infection associated with this new disease,” says Kristen Anderson, Infection Control Preventionist at PioneerCare Center.

“We believe that taking these actions now—difficult as this decision is—can help us protect those most at risk for the most serious infections associated with COVID-19,” says Anderson.

Here is how this action will affect visitors:

Entrance to PioneerCare Center is PROHIBITED* if one or more is present:

  1. Signs or symptoms of a respiratory infection: fever, cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat.
  2. In the last 14 days, contact with someone with confirmed case of COVID-19, or under investigation for COVID-19, or are ill with respiratory illness.
  3. International travel within the last 14 days to countries with sustained community transmission.
  4. Residing in a community where community-based spread of COVID-19 is occurring.

*Exceptions may be made in serious circumstances. Please contact us with questions.

PioneerCare Center is STRONGLY discouraging ALL Visitors.

If someone MUST visit, please adhere to the following steps:

Monday – Friday: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm:

  1. Report to main reception desk on 2nd floor and then:
  2. SIGN IN
  3. Fill out screening form provided

After business hours or weekends:

  1. Report to Apple Blossom or Cherry Wood nursing station desk and then:
  2. SIGN IN
  3. Fill out screening form provided

After completing the screening process, the guest will receive a visitor badge. They are asked to avoid unnecessary foot traffic in hallways and other common areas; trying to keep their visit limited to resident rooms. Doors to each household will be closed to help restrict traffic.

Staff are also required to be screened each day they work.

“The COVID 19 situation is very fluid and the recommendations we are receiving are updated daily,” says Anderson. “We will communicate changes as they occur.”