May 8, 2020
Dear Sunrise Residents, Families & Friends,
It is time for my weekly update to each of you about the current situation in our facility as we continue to work under the threat of COVID-19.
As performers say, “The show must go on!”, so does our daily routine in the nursing and assisted living buildings. At this time we have not made any new changes to practices from my last update, every day is a new day and we make adjustments and alterations as needed.
Please continue to use our website as a resource for information from the following agencies: Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Center for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), Department of Inspections & Appeals (DIA) and Siouxland District Health.
Woodbury county is in the middle of seeing a surge in cases and Sunrise continues to implement the following:
- Residents are assessed every shift and they are closely monitored for any changes in their condition.
- Staff are monitored at the beginning and end of each of their shifts and are encouraged to be careful of where they are going in public and stay home if they do not feel well. Staff are also encouraged to stay home if they live with someone who is experiencing symptoms, even if they are not.
At this time we have had 2 employees with positive COVID tests. HOWEVER, the Iowa Department of Public Health did NOT consider them to be exposure risks to our residents/tenants since they had been out of our building (not at work) for several days before they experienced symptoms. This is an example of our relaxed policies on sick leave being effective. We do, however, continue to have employees report potential exposures or symptoms of illness in themselves as the virus continues to spread throughout the county.
We will follow the reporting guidelines and be sure our residents, resident representatives & families have current information as required. We desire to be transparent in our communications, while protecting the privacy of those who become sick.
Please sign up for our e-newsletter and/or following our Facebook page so that you have quick access to up-to-date information on the status of the health of our residents and staff. All of our notices are also posted on our website – www.sunriseretirement.com. You can sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the homepage.
Please continue to pray for the health and safety of all our residents and staff and we look forward to a time when we will have the chance to be together again!
Sincerely,
Hallie Salmen, CEO & Chris Schenkelberg, Administrator