Dear Family and Friends,

We recently learned that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the federal Medicare agency (CMS) are advising against residents leaving their care center for holiday visits. As we continue to fight against COVID-19, we ask that you not take your loved ones out this Thanksgiving.

By not taking your loved one out for a holiday visit, you will help us in protecting the health of everyone who lives and works here. One of the best things that you can do for your family this holiday season is to not gather in groups and keep everyone safe by wearing a facemask when you do.

We know just how special the holiday season can be and spending time with family is what adds meaning to our celebrations.  However, we need your help to protect our residents, our staff, and yourself during this pandemic’s risky time by limiting our contact with the broader community.  As Governor Walz told us the other night, the COVID-19 surge is at a dangerous level in Minnesota.

This past year has been a challenge like no other and we deeply appreciate the sacrifices that you and your family have already made during these past months. The hope of a COVID-19 vaccine is promising, but until that time we all need to use extra caution to slow the spread of this highly contagious disease.

If a resident does choose to go to a holiday gathering outside of our care center, the resident will need to quarantine in his or her room for 14-days after returning as a necessary precaution. Even when being very careful and following all of the guidelines, the risk of being infected when being out in the general public is high.

Our staff is committed to keeping you connected during the holiday seasons. We have a variety of activities planned that will engage our residents and are doing all we can to facilitate alternative means of communication between you and your loved one.

We know that this news may cause concern or that you may have questions about what we are doing to keep everyone safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 218-279-4203. 

Sincerely,

Tara Adkins, Administrator

November 23, 2020

Family and Friends,

Duluth Health Services regrets to inform you that we had a staff member of Viewcrest test positive for COVID-19 on 11/22/20. Point Prevalence Testing (PPT) will continue this week on Tuesday and Friday. We are excited to announce that we no longer have any residents with active COVID. We are closing our COVID unit as of today, November 23^rd.

As a reminder any staff who test positive will be quarantined at home and will not be allowed to return to work until they recover from the virus, are symptom free and pass the employee screening protocols. Our staff are equipped with specific training and personal protective equipment (PPE) to continue to provide safe, quality care, services and support to the residents of our community. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

Viewcrest Care Center conducted entire-site testing for both residents and staff on 11/17/2020. We are excited to announce that we have no additional cases of COVID-19 this week! We will be testing again on 11/24/2020. Suncrest Assisted Living continues to have no known cases of COVID-19.

Our county positivity rate has risen above 10% putting our care center in the “red zone.” According to CMS calculations, all Minnesota counties, but four, are now in the “red zone.” Being in the “red zone” requires our care center to routinely test our staff twice weekly. We are also required to suspend all indoor visits at this time. We encourage you to use alternate ways to connect with your loved ones such as Zoom, Facebook Portal, Phone, and Facetiming.

Suncrest Assisted Living is in one of the four counties that are in the “yellow zone.” Their staff will be routinely tested on a weekly basis. Indoor visitation is still available.

With hospital beds nearing capacity and healthcare staffing shortages, Governor Walz issued even more COVID restrictions this week. Restaurants, breweries, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and bars will be take-out only. Gyms will close and organized indoor sports will be suspended. We need your help to control the spread of the virus in our community. We encourage you to use masks, social distance and abide by the Governor’s Orders.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

Viewcrest Care Center conducted entire-site testing for both residents and staff on 11/10/2020. We are excited to announce that we have no additional cases of COVID-19 this week! We will be testing again on 11/17/2020. Suncrest Assisted Living continues to have no known cases of COVID-19.

Due to the positive cases at Viewcrest, we are still unable to host indoor or outdoor visits at this time. In order for visits to occur, there can be no new onset of COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days and the care center cannot currently be conducting outbreak testing. County positivity rates could also limit our ability to allow indoor visits. To schedule your visit at Suncrest, please contact Jodell Frenz @ 218-878-1180.

This week Governor Walz announced new COVID-19 restrictions. These include earlier bar and restaurant closing times and 10 person limits on all indoor and outdoor gatherings. We encourage everyone in their efforts to control the spread of the virus including wearing masks, social distancing and the recent turning back of the dial by the State.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

Viewcrest Care Center conducted entire-site testing for both residents and staff on 11/03/2020. Viewcrest had one resident and three staff members test positive for COVID-19 this week. We will be testing again on 11/10/2020. We have moved the positive resident to the separated COVID unit. Suncrest Assisted Living continues to have no known cases of COVID-19.

Due to the positive cases at Viewcrest, we are still unable to host indoor or outdoor visits at this time. Indoor visits are restricted until the care center has gone 14 days without any additional positive cases of COVID-19. To schedule your visit at Suncrest, please contact Jodell Frenz @ 218-878-1180.

Our top priority is to support and protect our residents and dedicated caregivers. We have equipped our staff with the training and supplies needed to provide safe, quality care, services and support to our residents. We continue to urge everyone to practice proper hand hygiene and safe physical distancing.

We are committed to ensuring that physical distancing does not mean isolation. We are working to have a variety of one-one activities small group activities that engage our residents.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

Viewcrest Care Center conducted entire-site testing for both residents and staff on 10/27/2020. This week we had two additional staff members test positive for COVID-19. No residents have tested positive this week and we have closed our COVID unit. We will be testing again on 11/03/2020. Suncrest Assisted Living continues to have no known cases of COVID-19.

Due to the positive cases at Viewcrest, we are still unable to host indoor or outdoor visits at this time. Indoor visits are restricted until the care center has gone 14 days without any additional positive cases of COVID-19.

While Suncrest Assisted Living welcomes the new indoor visitation guidelines, we continue to monitor the COVID outbreak in our community and nearby counties. Our care center may ask visitors to get tested for COVID-19 prior to visiting with your loved one. Even when not experiencing symptoms, you may test positive for COVID-19 and spread the virus without knowing. To schedule your visit or for more information on our visitation policy, please contact Jodell Frenz @ 218-878-1180COVID continues to change the way we celebrate holidays.

This year our Halloween celebrations include staff costume days 10/30 & 10/31 along with special Halloween treats delivered to each resident.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Don’t forget to get your flu shot this season to help protect our community. Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

We conducted entire-site testing (outbreak testing) on 10/13/20. All resident’s tested negative for COVID-19. We had one additional staff member test positive however, this employee had not worked in the building for over one month. In total we have had five employees test positive for COVID-19, three have recovered and have returned to work. We will be testing again on 10/20/20.

We are very excited to share the news that we will soon be able to resume indoor visits, and warmly welcome you back into our care center. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has issued guidance on how we can safely re-open to visitors while continuing to protect the health of our residents and staff. This guidance takes effect on October 17th. In the meantime, we remind you to take advantage of outdoor visits, window visits, and virtual visits.

Even though we are excited to open up our care center for indoor visits, it is tempered by the fact that rural communities are seeing more outbreak in recent weeks which has the potential to impact our care center’s ability to offer visitation. There can be no new onset of COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days and facility cannot currently be conducting outbreak testing. COVID-19 county positivity rates will determine how our care center will facilitate indoor visits.

For your planning purposes, please know we expect to accommodate indoor visitation very soon, following these strict guidelines:

• All indoor visits MUST be scheduled in advance.

• Visitors must be screened prior to entering the care center for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

• All visits must be conducted using social distancing.

• Visitors must wear a mask covering both nose and mouth while in the care center. Residents must wear a surgical mask during the visit.

• Proper hand hygiene must occur (use of alcohol-based hand rub) throughout visit.

• Visits may be restricted to a designated area within the building.

• Physical contact (hugs, kisses, handshakes, etc.) continues to be restricted to protect everyone from potential virus transmission.

• Visitors will be limited to two visitors per resident; the total number of visitors in the building will be limited; and the duration of visits will be limited.

• Visitors must adhere to all infection control policies (ICP) and staff should provide monitoring for those who may have difficulty adhering to ICP

• Cleaning/disinfecting high frequency touched surfaces and designated visitation areas must occur after each visit.

• All items brought to the visit must be left with staff for disinfection and not passed to the resident during the visit.

Our ability to resume visitation would not have been possible without the incredible commitment and dedication of our staff, who have worked tirelessly to manage the risks of COVID-19 and providing compassionate care and support to our residents at a time when they are physically separated by their loved ones. We know that you too, have made sacrifices during this incredibly difficult time and we thank you for your patience and understanding.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

October 10, 2020

Our residents and employees were tested for COVID-19 on 10/06/20. All resident’s tested negative for COVID-19. We had one additional staff member test positive. We will be testing again on 10/13/20. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is currently developing guidelines based on the recently issued CMS guidance on how we our can safety re-open our setting to visitors and continue to protect the health of our residents and staff. We plan to revise our current visitation policies to accommodate the MDH and CMS changes as soon as possible and distribute to residents and families.

We appreciate your patience as we take time to evaluate and implement the guidance so that we can safely resume indoor visitation. These requirements not only apply to our ability to resume indoor visitation but also identify triggers for when we may need to restrict visitation. Restricting visitation may happen if we have a positive case of COVID-19 among our residents and staff (what we are currently experiencing) or if our broader community falls into a higher risk category.

We deeply appreciate the sacrifices you continue to make to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our community and your patience as we prepare our setting to host safe indoor visitation. Our entire team looks forward to seeing you again. Families, friends and volunteers are a core fabric of what makes our community so special. In the meantime, we remind you to take advantage of window visits and the ability to connect residents and their loved ones through alternative communication, such as FaceTime, Zoom and Skype.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Your messages of support, prayers, and caring is important to those working to keep our residents healthy and safe. Without a doubt, there will be more challenges ahead, and we continue to ask for your patience as we make adjustments and implement this next phase in our visitation. Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

October 2nd, 2020

Our residents and employees were tested for COVID-19 on 09/29/20. We have had one additional staff member test positive for COVID-19. We will be testing again on 10/06/20. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The coming cooler months will continue to challenge us in limiting the impact of COVID-19 on our community. It is important for each of us to think about how our actions affect others we come in contact with. We must protect one another. You are a key partner in the safe reopening of our care center, please remember to social distance, wear a mask, and practice proper hand hygiene. Remember to stay home if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

If you or someone you know may be interested in working side by side with us as we truly make a difference in the lives of our residents, please contact our care center or visit www.jobswithus.org for more information.

We truly appreciate your patience as we navigate through this unprecedented time. We all look forward to the days ahead when we’re able to enjoy the simple pleasures of hugs, handshakes, and warm in-person greetings again.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203.

September 25, 2020

Our residents and employees were tested for COVID-19 on 09/22/20. All results have been received and are shown in the chart below.  We had 1 staff test positive for COVID-19.  We will be testing again on September 29^th.  We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

	Tests Positive	Tests Negative	Tests Pending	Total Tested
Residents	0	78	0	78
Staff	0	110	0	110

On September 17, 2020, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released Memorandum QSO-20-39-NH Nursing Home Visitation – COVID 19 which provides updated visitation guidelines for skilled nursing facilities; https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-39-nh.pdf. We are currently waiting for the MN Department of Health direction on this Memo before we begin working on a policy & implementation plan.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203.