COVID-19 Newsletter

September 18, 2020 julia Comments

September 18, 2020

Independent Living

Dear Residents, Family Members, and Associates:

This letter is an update to residents, family members, and associates regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic. There has been a lot of information in the press/media regarding lifting restrictions and opening certain portions of the economy. We are modifying visitation guidelines to include the following:

  • All visitors entering the building above two (2) years old shall have a facemask covering unless it is contraindicated with evidence of a physician’s letter, and must perform hand hygiene before and after each visit
  • Beauty shops may open and follow the same guidelines as set forth for beauticians/ cosmetologists in public establishments
  • Social distancing of six feet or more is required for visitors in common areas
  • Active screening of visitors and staff entering the building is still in place
  • Group activities and communal dining is allowed, although groups of 10 or more is highly discouraged. Social distancing is recommended during activities if possible
  • Residents are encouraged to practice social distancing of six feet, have proper hand hygiene, and wear face coverings as much as possible when out of your apartment
  • If a known active case of COVID-19 is discovered on premises for either a staff member or resident, visitation will be restricted for a minimum of 14 days from date of onset

You will see two postings around the community:  1) COVID-19 What to Do, and; 2) How to Properly Wash Your Hands. These Texas Health Department resources provide helpful information for prevention of COVID-19. We will continue to get through this together.

Sincerely,

Joseph Hessley
Chief Executive Officer
WindRiver Management
John Shultz, RN
VP Clinical Services
WindRiver Management



July 10, 2020

Dear Residents, Family Members, and Associates:

This letter is an update to residents, family members, and associates regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic. There has been a lot of information in the press/media regarding lifting restrictions and opening certain portions of the economy. However, with the increased cases within many areas, we must remain cautiously aware of the devastating effects that COVID-19 brings to the community.

Our communities continue to follow state and local health ordinances that range from discouraging and limiting visitation to fully restricting visitation to essential personnel in end-of-life situations. Each community’s situation is different so please contact the Executive Director/General Manager for the most up-to-date restrictions. Although, please keep in mind the following measures as a general guidance for the health and wellness of our residents, our staff, and yourselves.

We understand that the risk of social isolation and depression increases with social distancing and restrictions for visitation, so we ask you for your continued help by staying connected through phone calls/web-based communication methods. Our residents’ safety and well-being are paramount and we appreciate the efforts that everyone continues to provide. We will continue to get through this together.

Sincerely,

Joseph Hessley
Chief Operating Officer
WindRiver Management
John Shultz, RN
VP Clinical Services
WindRiver Management

June 25, 2020


May 1, 2020 

Dear Residents, Family Members, and Associates:

This letter is an update to residents, family members, and associates regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

There has been a lot of information in the press/media regarding lifting restrictions and opening certain portions of the economy. However, all long-term and senior care communities continue to have restrictions for visitation. We continue to take this matter extremely serious. We continue to follow these required interventions: 

• Restrict all visitation except for certain compassionate care situations, such as end of life situations 

• Restrict all volunteers and non-essential healthcare personnel (HCP), including non-essential healthcare personnel 

• Cancel all group activities and communal dining (as much as possible) 

• Active screening of residents and Health Care Personnel for fever and respiratory symptoms 

We understand that the risk of social isolation and depression increases with social distancing and restrictions for visitation, so we ask you for your continued help by staying connected through phone calls/web-based communication methods. We are working with our teams to continue to provide innovative solutions to activities and life-enrichment while following requirements by state health departments. 

We would like to take a moment to thank all our staff members and managers who continue to work tirelessly through this ordeal. Our staff members and managers are the true heroes. They are the heart of our organization and we are grateful for them! 

Our residents’ safety and well-being are paramount and we appreciate the efforts that everyone continues to provide. We will continue to get through this together. 

Sincerely, 

Joseph Hessley
Chief Operating Officer
WindRiver Management
John Shultz, RN
VP Clinical Services
WindRiver Management

April 23, 2020


April 3, 2020 

Dear Residents, Family Members, and Associates: 

This letter is an update to residents, family members, and associates regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic that was declared almost a month ago by the World Health Organization (WHO). We appreciate your support and understanding through this difficult time in our history. COVID-19 is being increasingly reported in communities across the United States. It is likely that COVID-19 will be identified in more areas of the country, including areas where cases have not yet been reported. 

We are continuing to restrict visitation as required by state health departments. The community is asking you not visit unless absolutely necessary and we are limiting visitation to direct family members and POA’s. This means we are continuing to not allow visitors into the community, except for certain situations, such as end-of-life situations or when a visitor is essential for the resident’s emotional well-being and care. In addition, state and local governments have added, “Stay-At-Home,” and “Shelter-In-Place” orders in many areas that we are required to follow, so we are staying updated with these as they occur. We ask that all visitors have a basic knowledge of hand hygiene and other preventive techniques such as “Cover Your Cough.” 

We are following CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommendations and guidelines and adhering to government requirements. This applies to our employees and our regional and home office support team members as well. We are taking this matter extremely serious and would be glad to walk through all the preventive measures we have taken. CDC recommendations are to: 

• Restrict all visitation except for certain compassionate care situations, such as end of life situations 

• Restrict all volunteers and non-essential healthcare personnel (HCP), including non-essential healthcare personnel (e.g., barbers) 

• Cancel all group activities and communal dining 

• Implement active screening of residents and Health Care Personnel for fever and respiratory symptoms 

A challenge we are having is to keep you and your loved one engaged and connected. We understand that the risk of social isolation and depression increases with “Social Distancing,” so we ask you to help us by staying connected through phone calls/web-based communication methods, along with staying active as much as possible. We are working with our teams to continue to provide innovative solutions to activities and life-enrichment while following requirements by state health departments. Please reach out to us for more information and stay as connected as possible through this difficult time. Your Executive Director and Regional Director will continue to provide necessary updates. 

Finally, we would like to take a moment to thank all our staff members and managers who are working tirelessly through this ordeal. We believe that the heart of our organization rests upon our employees who are closest to our residents. 

We will get through this together. 

Sincerely, 

Joseph Hessley
Chief Operating Officer
WindRiver Management
John Shultz, RN
VP Clinical Services
WindRiver Management

March 20, 2020

To Our Residents, Family Members, Team Members and Vendor Partners: 

WindRiver is closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, as the health and safety of our residents and associates remain our top priority. We are observing the guidance of state and federal health experts, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge to our national healthcare system and WindRiver is acting aggressively to meet it. 

To protect our residents and associates, we are restricting visitors at all WindRiver communities. Only carefully screened healthcare providers, private caregivers and family members who are part of a care plan, and the loved ones of residents who are receiving end of life care are permitted per CDC guidelines. 

We have also eliminated all group activities of 10 or more people, including programming and dining, including those in memory care where possible. We are encouraging social distancing per CDC guidelines and residents are receiving in-room meals. Our programming team is working hard to keep residents active and engaged creatively on their own with individualized activities as well as to facilitate virtual calls using mobile devices and regular phone calls. 

In mid-February, we proactively took a number of steps and preventative measures both at each of our communities and throughout our entire organization, including the following: 

• We were one of the first to begin limiting and screening visitors and associates at our communities to reduce our residents’ exposure. 

• We built rapid response toolkits for our communities and aligned them with state and local public health agencies. 

• We required any associate who is sick or who is concerned that he or she may be sick to stay home and are compensating them during that time. 

• We increased our associate training and began carefully screening our associates, including taking their temperature before their shift begins. 

• We began closely monitoring residents for possible symptoms. 

• We escalated cleaning activities using specialized, recommended products to help control infection from occurring, including all communities receiving the application of a non-toxic, CDC-approved cleaning agents. 

We consider each and every resident and associate to be an important part of WindRiver and are committed to upholding their health and safety. 

We will continue to evaluate the situation, evolving our plans as necessary, and appreciate your cooperation and patience. Please feel free to reach out to your local WindRiver community with any questions or concerns. 

Thank you for your continued support. 

Your WindRiver Team 

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