Dear Sunrise residents, family and friends,
This letter is to follow up on the comment that I had made yesterday about pending test results for some of the residents in the Sunrise Nursing Facility. The test results were received from the State Hygienic Lab last evening, and the results indicated that one resident was positive for COVID-19. This was not the result we were hoping for and we are deeply saddened. However, this is something that we have been planning and preparing for since the beginning of the pandemic and we have put our emergency plans into action.
The resident who was confirmed to be positive was moved into a separate unit, that we refer to as the Hot Zone. We will retest all residents in the neighborhood were the positive result was obtained and move any other COVID positive residents as well. This is known as cohorting.
We will continue to monitor all residents with COVID testing on a regular basis and will continue monitoring them for any signs or symptoms on each shift (3 times per day). We had already moved back to Phase I for operations in the Nursing Facility and will not have activities or communal dining in this area until we can be sure that the virus has not spread (this is monitored through testing).
Our staff screen for exposure, symptoms and temperature at the beginning and end of each shift and wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout their shift. This has been our policy for months now and will continue to be the policy indefinitely. Our staff members are also testing regularly as part of our surveillance program.
We are working closely with our local public health department, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and our medical director and following their recommendations. We are notifying our constituents and all regulatory bodies necessary to keep them informed about this current situation as required.
We appreciate the support that each of you have shown over the past six months and ask for your prayers and understanding as we work through this. I will continue to keep you informed as we work through this situation and look toward the future.
Sincerely,
Hallie Salmen, CEO