Beatitudes Campus is continuing to test staff and residents. All residents in the Sierra Springs (3rd floor) and Vermilion Cliffs (4th floor) neighborhoods will be re-tested for COVID-19 today, August 7. The next all-staff testing at the campus is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11 in the Life Center.
Fitness Classes will Begin Monday, August 10th; Salon Appointments Begin Monday, August 17th.
‘Common-sense’ evokes images of down to earth, reasonable and practical people, but what of the unreasonable, impractical people, the ones accused of lacking common sense but who find uncommon yet transformative ways of doing things?
Last Thursday, July 30, we had our second all-staff COVID-19 testing. After a small delay in transporting the nasal swabs to the laboratory due to the hurricane on the east coast, we received the results and all staff tested negative!
On Thursday, Beatitudes Campus did another mass testing of all Beatitudes Campus staff. As I have said in many letters, we feel that this is one of the most important things we can do to slow the spread of COVID-19. We will be getting the staff results starting this evening. We did receive the results of Tuesday’s retesting of residents on the third and fourth floors in the Health Care Center. There were two positive asymptomatic residents and 26 negative results. We have moved the two residents from the fourth floor to our Isolation Unit on the third floor.
Out of 245 tests, four came back positive (1.6%) and all are asymptomatic and in quarantine at their homes. Today, residents on the third and fourth floors in the Health Care Center will be retested. We are now getting the results from retesting 13 Early Memory Support residents from last week – two residents tested positive; both are asymptomatic and are moving to the Isolation Unit in the Health Care Center. Nine residents tested negative and two results are still pending.
346 staff tested negative and nine tested positive. Eight of those nine staff remain asymptomatic and show no symptoms of COVID-19; however, because they carried the disease, they could spread it. These staff are currently in quarantine at their homes and monitored daily. Yesterday, July 23, we continued our weekly testing of approximately 245 direct care staff and support personnel, and plan to do that weekly at least for the next few weeks. We will continue to do biweekly mass testing for all campus staff and the next testing date is next Thursday, July 30.
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.
As of this morning, we currently have 19 active COVID-19 cases on campus – 6 residents and 13 staff. Thankfully, 46 individuals have recovered – 16 residents and 30 staff. We have lost 9 residents to COVID-19 and no staff. Our hearts prayers go out to the families and the individuals for healing and peace in this uncertain time.
“Right now, Arizonans are safer at home. And when you’re away from home, limit social gatherings, stay six feet from others, wash your hands and wear a mask.”
And then I thought of the staff I did not see, working behind the scenes, including those providing 24 hours-a-day service “behind closed doors” in our HCC and AL, truly serving on the front line. Again, a feeling of gratitude washed over me, and I realized I had begun repeating silently, like a mantra, “thank you for your service” for all of our over 400 employees.
So far, we have tested 72 residents in our licensed areas, and some within our independent living area have received COVID-19 tests. We know of 30 total positive results. Many individuals who have been tested have been asymptomatic or show very mild symptoms, and six have recovered.
In the testing we have done at the campus, we currently have 20 residents with active COVID-19 (8 residents in Vermilion Cliffs Advanced Memory Support neighborhood in the Health Care Center and 12 in the Virginia G. Piper Early Memory Support Neighborhood in the Health Care Center). We currently have 27 staff with active COVID-19 across the campus.
So far, we have had 559 residents and staff tested – 185 for the serology antibody test and 373 for the PCR (Nasal Swab) test.
The virus has spread very quickly in our state, and as a result, health care providers and medical labs are challenged to meet testing demands.
Of the 11 positive tests, 2 were Beatitudes at Home caregivers, 7 were direct care health care workers, 1 was a dining aide and 1 was a contract therapist.
On Saturday, June 20, a resident from our Vermilion Cliffs Advanced Memory Support neighborhood tested positive for COVID-19. Another resident from the same neighborhood tested positive today, June 22. Both residents were transferred to the Isolation Unit in the Health Care Center as soon as they showed symptoms earlier last week. The entire Vermilion Cliffs neighborhood is being closely monitored for fevers and signs/symptoms of COVID-19.
While the categories of wellness overlap and influence one another, some examples of physical wellness will include Mobile Valley Physicians, Oasis Outpatient Therapy, Dispatch Health, our own Fitness Director, Mike Smallwood, Zounds, Premier and Costco Hearing, mobile dentistry and more.
