Beatitudes Community

State of the Campus – July 21

21, 2020

Dear Families, Residents and Staff,

Today we just passed the six-month date of when the confirmed case of COVID-19 appeared in the United States on 20, 2020. The first confirmed case appeared in Arizona on January 26. The last six months have been an evolving time as we, with the help of the scientific and medical community, have learned much about this disease. Today, one of the things we know for sure, is that testing is one of the most powerful tools we have to mitigate the spread of the disease. Not only does testing confirm that people with COVID-like actually have the disease and gets them in quarantine quicker, it also can pinpoint the asymptomatic individuals who may actually be spreading the disease. Current data suggests that 40 percent of COVID-19 cases involve people who have no symptoms of the disease.

In Arizona, people are routinely waiting more than a week to get their test results for COVID-19. The need for quick results, no more than a three-day turnaround, is essential to identify people with positive results, isolate/quarantine them and trace their contacts. Any delay impedes that process. Here at the campus, we look forward to receiving the point-of-care testing units and kits that have been promised by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. These test kits give rapid, on-the-spot testing results at a cost of $25 per test.

We have received the results of the staff testing blitz conducted last week. 338 staff tested negative and eight staff tested positive; all eight staff are asymptomatic and are in quarantine at home; nine results are still pending. This situation highlights why testing and quick turnaround of testing results are so important. With the screening that we instituted four months ago, before anyone steps foot on campus – temperature checks and symptom checks – we are never able to catch the asymptomatic or presymptomatic individuals without routine testing and a 24-hour turnaround of results. We are continuing with our aggressive schedule of mass testing. All Center and Assisted Living team members – direct care workers and support staff, along with our transportation and security teams – will be tested on Thursday, July 23. Next Thursday, July 30, we will be testing the entire campus staff again.

We report that a resident in Independent Living has tested positive for COVID-19. The resident lives in Plaza South and is in quarantine at home. We have 22 total active cases of COVID-19 on campus – four residents and 18 staff. We report that 17 residents and 35 staff have recovered from COVID-19. Sadly, since my last letter, we lost two beloved residents due to COVID-19. We will hold the families close in our hearts and pray for their comfort in the days to come. More detailed information can be found on our dashboard at the end of the letter.

 Thank you for trusting us during the past six months. We are all learning from scientists and each other as we go along, pivoting as data and guidance becomes available, and keeping the health and safety of our residents, staff and the greater community as our top priority.

We are Beatitudes Strong!

My best,

Michelle Just, President and CEO

Author Info: Michelle Just
Michelle Just is the President & CEO of , a team member since August 2000.

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