Daily Notes

April 23, 2020
6:00PM

Waveny LifeCare Network COVID-19 Daily Update
for Residents, Patients, and Families

Our first priority continues to be taking the most precautionary care and communication measures possible, given the unprecedented nature of the COVID crisis. This means being vigilant about our safety, clinical and hygiene protocols, and as responsive and transparent as possible in our family communications. We greatly appreciate your ongoing support and feedback.  

Aggregate data can be found at: waveny.org/daily-statistics

Given the above, we are adding to our Employee Screening preventive measures. As part of our current daily screening protocol, we now also take each employee’s pulse oximetry reading, in addition to their temperature, when they report to work. A “pulse-ox” is a small non-invasive device typically placed on a finger to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood, known as “saturation”. Normal oxygen saturation levels range from 95% to 100%. Values under 90% are considered low, could be an indication of COVID symptoms, in which case we would send the employee home under their health professional’s care.

We believe our daily staff monitoring adds an additional level of health and safety for both our residents and staff. We continue to send any employee home to await test results if they show symptoms of illness, and the mandatory use of Personal Protective Equipment by all at the Village, Care Center, Inn and Home Care services divisions at work.

Waveny is fortunate to leverage our relationship with a top-quality Connecticut based lab that is providing more accurate testing that most providers. Their response time continues to improve as we work on continual expansion of our testing capabilities.

CT State Survey Results: due to the COVID-19 state of urgency, this week the CT State Department of Public Health (DPH) conducted on-site visits to all of Connecticut's nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

Their mission was to conduct infection control surveys that assessed Waveny compliance with stringent visitor and hygiene directives, PPE protocols like using N95 respirators, and other specific care and safety measures.

According to Claudia Katz, Director Nursing, “On a positive note, Waveny Care Center received a ‘No Findings’ result, indicating DPH’s acceptance and approval of Waveny’s COVID- 19 implementation plan”.

The Village
There were no changes in the status of Village residents.

Care Center
One Care Center tested positive at the hospital. ServPro continues their advanced cleaning in the Care Center on a weekly basis.

The Inn
The Inn continues to have no positive cases of COVID-19.

Waveny Home Care
One Home Care client was discharged from home to the hospital and received a COVID positive test result.

Below is Today’s Daily Update, which reflects only the changes from yesterday’s information as it relates to the COVID-19 virus and Waveny’s patients, residents, and caregiver status.

Data:

Changes in the Number of Confirmed and Presumed Positive COVID-19 Cases of Residents/Patients Currently Residing within Waveny: 0
Village (Memory Care): 0  
Care Center (Full Skilled Nursing): 0            

Changes in the Number of Confirmed and Presumed Positive COVID-19 Cases of Residents/Patients Currently Hospitalized: 2

Changes in the Number of COVID-related Deaths (confirmed and presumed): 0
Village: 0
Care Center: 0                            

Changes in the Number of Employees who are COVID-19 Positive or Presumed Positive: 0
Employees with Direct Care: 0            
Employees with Non-Direct Care: 0

Changes in the Total of ALL Confirmed and Presumed COVID-19 Cases of Residents, Patients, and Employees: 2                                                                
Village: 0  
Care Center: 1 One new positive test result at the hospital
Home Care: 1 Client tested positive after being discharged to the hospital
Employees: 0  

Comments:  

As we move forward to navigate the coronavirus crisis, realize that we closely assess our daily clinical and operating performance to improve how we execute against the challenge. We take precautionary care and safety measures not just to exceed regulatory standards where possible, but to protect the well-being of our residents, return us to normalcy and because the pandemic has adversely impacted our families, provide the best service possible to our community.

Your nursing supervisor will have specific medical details on your family member. Please continue to reach out to them on clinical issues and to me on non-clinical issues. We will continue to provide consistent written communications during this pandemic, and we honor your ongoing care, support and understanding.

#WavenyStrong