Last updated: November 30, 2020
Dear Friends and Family of Pleasant View Communities:
As our nation, Pennsylvania and local communities deal with the coronavirus pandemic, we want to provide you with an update on how it has impacted our community and the steps we’re taking to address it.
We have felt the virus’s direct effects here at Pleasant View. Sadly, we have lost a total of four residents with COVID-19. Please join us in keeping these residents and their loved ones in your prayers as they grieve this terrible loss. They need our support at this difficult time, and we will continue to do everything we can to be helpful.
Pleasant View has had 30 residents who were diagnosed with COVID-19 — 23 have recovered. Currently we have three active cases in our skilled nursing facility.
When a resident tests positive for COVID-19, we take great care to ensure they’re made comfortable in an isolated setting and are under supervision. While caring for residents in isolation, staff wear full protective equipment, including medical gowns, gloves, eye protection and masks, and are restricted to working solely in this unit.
Regarding our staff, twenty-eight were diagnosed with COVID-19 — twenty-one have recovered and are able to return to work. The remaining staff members are quarantined in their homes. We’re currently following the “Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19” guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All people who have come into contact with these employees have been notified.
As the number of overall cases in our country and Pennsylvania increase, we expect there will be additional cases at our facility because this disease especially impacts people who live in communal settings.
Please know that we have followed, and will continue to do so, all guidance set forth for privacy, patient care, employee safety, and efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 as provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). These guidelines can be found here: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Nursing-Homes.aspx, and we remain in constant contact with DOH and CMS.
While we strive for transparency in everything we do, please know that we are bound by federal guidelines under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), that protect the privacy of our residents, who may not want their condition known. Our medical director follows all established federal laws in notifying families of any change in the medical condition of their loved ones. Our residents are our first priority.
Prior to each shift, staff are required to wash their hands, take their temperature and answer a series of questions to ensure they are not exhibiting any known COVID-19 symptoms. Employees also take their temperatures at the conclusion of their shift. Any employees who develop symptoms during a shift are immediately sent home. At that point, they are directed to quarantine at home. This process is also followed for outside vendors and agency workers, though these visits have been curtailed.
We also conduct a rigorous sanitation regimen that follows, and in some cases exceeds, all state and federal guidelines. We have increased the daily volume of cleaning done in common, medical and residential areas. All protective and medical equipment are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
Although this can be a challenge at times when providing medical care, our facility continues to practice safe distancing guidelines by limiting the number of people in one area and maintaining 6 feet of separation. Doors are shut in common areas to discourage group gatherings.
Our restaurant, Hearth and Harrow, is open for outdoor dining and offering indoor seating at 50% capacity. Meals are also available for pickup or delivery to residents and staff.
Once again, let us say how much we truly appreciate your understanding. While visitation opportunities have been eased for apartment and cottage residents, we are following the commonwealth’s reopening plan for visitation to skilled and personal care levels of living. We have created ways for you to interact with your loved ones and continue to encourage family members to communicate regularly through scheduled FaceTime or Skype calls, phone calls, and emails. In-person visitation is temporarily suspended. For virtual visitation, please contact a member of our activities departments at 717-664-6272 for residents in healthcare or personal care and 717-664-6344 for residents living independently in apartments or cottages.
Thank you for your support, patience and prayers. We will continue to provide you with periodic updates with as much information as we can on our efforts to combat COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Pleasant View Administration
