We continue to do our mass COVID-19 testing of our staff across campus. On Monday, we conducted 277 tests and none were positive for COVID-19. We have decreased the number of COVID-19 cases to ten – three residents and seven staff.
At our regularly scheduled mass testing on Monday, January 4, 315 staff were tested for COVID-19 and all were negative except four (1% positivity rate). This week, we have had several residents and staff recover from COVID-19, and we are thankful for their return to health. We are reporting 70 cases of COVID-19 among staff and residents.
Beatitudes Campus continues to see an increase in cases, which has doubled last week’s number of cases. As of today, we have 31 cases on campus – 20 staff and 11 residents. The individuals infected are across all campus areas. We continue to aggressively test staff and residents in our licensed areas as it is one of our tools to mitigate the spread.
On Monday, December 7, we tested 273 staff and contractors for COVID-19. We received 272 negative results and one positive result. This staff person who was positive works in maintenance, and contact tracing for possible exposure has been completed. We send our prayers for recovery to this staff person.
Check bcampus.org for a current updated list of available amenities for residents.
Due to current, safety and health concerns, campus transportation has reverted to Safeway for our weekly shopping trips and will continue with them until further notice. Some of the reasons we switched from Fry’s to Safeway are issues with safety, unwanted solicitation around the entrance to the store, lack of available assistance from employees/management, constant unavailable carts to use and most importantly cleanliness during our current Covid19 pandemic.
As I have been doing some preliminary reading and preparation for our upcoming Bible Study on the Book of Proverbs (which you can watch on Channel 1-2, 3:00pm, beginning on Wednesday, October 28th), one verse stood out to me, particularly when rendered in contemporary language: “You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much – so be sensible and watch what you say” (Prov. 10:19).
Starting Tuesday, October 20, we are re-opening the Bistro for dining for Independent Living residents only for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reservations must be made. The dining room will be laid out in compliance with the CDC and state guidelines. Dining staff will be temperature checking all residents who are eating in the Bistro. Residents will be social distanced, two per table and we will accommodate a maximum of 40 residents. Outdoor seating will also be available.
The United States continues to lead the world in confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19. This week, we reached a grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic, with over 7 million (7,005,746 is the actual figure) confirmed COVID-19 cases and 203,240 confirmed COVID-19 deaths. According to Johns Hopkins University, Arizona ranks #5 in cases per 100,000 population (2,940 cases per 100,000 individuals) and #9 in deaths per 100,000 population (75 deaths per 100,000 individuals). As a country, we must be ever vigilant as we head into the fall season. Many infectious disease experts are warning of a potential surge of coronavirus cases as we enter a season of cooler weather and warn of a long-feared “second wave” of infections unless we continue to practice the public health protocols of masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.
I know we are all tired of reading statistics and pouring through endless data, but it’s the data that guide us in our decisions. At Beatitudes Campus, we must remain vigilant in monitoring the community transmission of the virus and the trends. All of our decisions for expanding visitations, off-campus visits and openings within the campus are made in stages and with scientific data at hand. In the last two weeks, we were able to allow outdoor visitation in our licensed areas. However, with a resident testing positive this week and a staff member testing positive, we are suspending visitation in the Piper Early Memory Support neighborhood for the near future.
We are allowing limited visitations from family for our Independent Living residents. You can view the visitor guidelines on our website (https://beatitudescampus.org/beatitudes-family/ and click on “Visitor Guidelines”). Please note all required forms for visitation are located there, too. This week, we have been able to expand off-campus outings for Independent Living residents to include visits to family and friends in gatherings of 10 people or less.
I want to thank all the residents, families and staff who have followed the public health guidance that we all know – wear your mask, keep physically distant and wash your hands. It is because of your adherence to these important guidelines that we are able to ease some of our restrictions, so please keep that up. These measures, along with testing, are the best tools we have right now to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
On Tuesday, September 22, we conducted another COVID-19 testing of our employees and all 338 results are negative. Because of previous week’s staff testing, with one positive result of a caregiver who worked in Early Memory Support, we re-tested all Piper Early Memory Support residents. A resident from that neighborhood tested positive and remains asymptomatic. The individual remains in isolation in the room right now and will be transferred to our COVID-19 unit in the Agelink building as soon as possible to complete the quarantine period. You can view the data from the campus in the dashboard at the end of this letter. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the life of an icon in American history – Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg spent her life in pursuit of an equal world. She fought for those who had no voice and was a fearless trailblazer and advocate for equality of all people and was a pioneering champion of women’s rights. Justice Ginsburg has said that a meaningful life means living for one’s family and one’s community, not for oneself. By those standards, she certainly lived a profoundly meaningful life and the ways she changed our lives will never be forgotten. America is a better place because of her service. She fought for the best version of ourselves. She hoisted the ambitions of millions of American women. I know that I wouldn’t be President and CEO of Beatitudes Campus were it not for Justice Ginsburg and her crusade for freedom and equality. I’m inspired by her life and legacy. It is now up to all of us to continue her fight and working together toward true equality.
While we are looking forward to affording more social opportunities to residents off-campus, it will be more important than ever for Independent Living residents to communicate with one another and take responsibility for knowing the social patterns of the residents they choose to commune with.
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.
We hope the opportunities presented to you this Lenten season by the Spiritual Life Department give you at least some ways to provide nutrition for your soul.
Success Matters will be hosting a Travel ID Application Workshop on March 17th at 10:00AM in Agelink 3 where we will provide you with the Travel ID application.
The next Town Hall will be at 2:00PM in the Life Center on Wednesday, March 4th. See you there!
Tickets for this event will be available at the Transportation office or by calling x12905. The cost for each ticket will be $3.50 that will be billed to your account.
Our Joys of Christmas celebration will take place on Sunday, December 15th at 3:00PM in the Life Center.
The next Town Hall will be held on Wednesday, December 4th at 2:00PM in the Life Center. Be There or Be Square!!
