Daily Notes

May 24, 2020
7:00PM

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

Note: In observance of the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday, we will not issue a Daily Update tomorrow, Monday, but shall otherwise continue uninterrupted.  

Medical testing is a cornerstone of disease management. According to Quest Diagnostics, “An estimated 70% of all decisions regarding a patient’s diagnosis and treatment are based on laboratory test results.” This is especially true in Waveny LifeCare Network’s COVID-19 risk mitigation, care and recovery efforts. Given our Patients’ and Residents’ vulnerability to emerging diseases due to underlying comorbidities, we continue to apply stringent, CDC and DPH symptom, time, and test-based isolation strategies.

While the CDC and DPH have recommendations on quarantine after exposure should an exposure date be known, Waveny’s advanced protocols have always been based on test results and the accuracy of those results. It is well documented that a rather significant population will test positive and be infectious for SARS-CoV-2 without showing any symptoms whatsoever. Waveny continues to adhere to two - consecutive nasopharyngeal PCR negative test results and/or negative PCR and significant IgG production levels before removing full isolation protocols.

We preemptively applied these screening tactics and testing redundancies to symptomatic and asymptomatic Patients & Resident alike; thereby, assuring timeliness and accuracy. The absence of symptoms in some individuals makes it impossible for clinicians to accurately diagnose and/or optimally care for our patients without this level of testing. While this has and shall continue to be Waveny’s practice, it’s worth noting the Connecticut Governor and DPH have just recently considered promoting COVID testing for all patients and healthcare workers.

Going forward we will not loosen PPE utilization or Employee screening and testing protocols even with our Patients’ and Residents’ continued recovery. We believe proactively testing Patients, Residents and staff continues to give Patients and Residents their best chance to achieve recovery and optimal health. While we continue this practice, it is very unlikely that the testing capacity or the testing kits currently exists to test all healthcare providers—including their entire Patient base and staffing as has been Waveny’s practice. When and if this occurs, the volume of positive cases outside of Waveny will rise significantly causing its own second wave of positive test results, and carriers will need to be identified through expansive, costly contact tracing efforts.

We remain steadfast in our resolve to minimize the risk of new cases within our community.  

Silver Hill update:
In the earliest days of the first positive COVID-19 cases in New York, Waveny LifeCare Network reached out to Silver Hill Hospital and the state’s DPH to propose adding the closed Acute Care Unit on Silver Hill’s  campus to Waveny’s license in order to provide a COVID-only isolation facility for New Canaan and its surrounding communities.

Thankfully, this long-awaited isolation unit was approved, and as of May 21st, we are now accepting COVID-19 patients from its regional hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living residences, CCRCs, and local community. In the fulfilment of Waveny’s mission to protect our community’s safety, care and well-being, this unit is designed to provide:

1. A “safe harbor” for residents released from the hospital who require extensive medical and physical rehabilitation after continued treatment and who also continue to test positive for COVID-19;

2. A quarantine solution for hospital, nursing home patients, and assisted living residences with the coronavirus to protect those who haven’t already been infected;

3. Urgently needed relief for local hospitals to reduce their bottleneck of COVID-19 patients who no longer require to be in the hospital but who are unable to care for themselves at home, thus allowing hospitals to resume normal activities like elective surgeries that were being delayed.

Despite our efforts, other post-acute healthcare communities and healthcare providers may not see the urgent need to cohort and isolate COVID residents nor provide the breadth of testing capabilities. Nonetheless we continue to believe our surrounding community is best served by the establishment of this specialized COVID-19 facility. Units specializing in any field of medicine have typically be proven to have better patient outcomes, which should always be our primary goal.

Waveny’s aggregate data can be found at: waveny.org/daily-statistics

The Village
There are no Resident status updates to report today.  

Care Center
There are no Patient status updates to report today.      

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

Waveny Home Care
There are no Client status updates to report today.  

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: 0    

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

Changes in the Number of Employees who tested positive for PCR. All will be retested, but not work until test results are negative or proven to be recuperated and not contagious: 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: 0                                                              
Village: 0
Care Center: 0  
Home Care: 0
Employees: 0

Comments:  

We are committed to continuing to maximize Patient and Resident care and recovery, with particular focus on conversions of COVID-19 test results from positive to negative. We believe accelerating proven preventive and recovery measures will protect our seniors’ safety and promote their best clinical outcomes. We so greatly appreciate your support and engagement.

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 or questions.

#WavenyStrong