Results of First Round of Testing for COVID-19

April 21, 2020

Dear Residents, Family Members and Teammates,

We received the results of the first round of COVID-19 testing. They indicated:

 One additional short-term skilled nursing resident tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of residents impacted to five. This resident has been moved to the COVID-19 unit in the Health Care Center.
 Four skilled nursing teammates on the short-term unit tested positive. These teammates are now quarantining at home as they recover from the virus. Teammates in the short-term rehab unit are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) as they continue to provide care. We now have access to the government stockpiles of PPE and continue to acquire PPE from outside resources.
 A fifth and final teammate from Presbyterian Village North’s (PVN) administrative team tested positive for the virus. This teammate had limited interaction at The Oaks. As a cautionary measure, we are requesting that residents of The Oaks quarantine themselves in their units. Testing of residents of The Oaks will be a priority when we receive more testing kits. This should happen within the next few days.
 We are happy to report that the remainder of the therapy staff tested negative, leaving the total number of therapists testing positive to four. The impacted therapists continue to quarantine and will not return to work until CDC guidelines are met.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with these individuals.

It is important to note that the majority of the individuals testing positive for the virus have been asymptomatic. It is only through testing that we have been identifying those who would otherwise have gone undetected. We recognize that not everyone has our resources and are fortunate as an organization to have limited access to test kits. We are deploying these strategically, but with the ultimate goal to test all residents and teammates of PVN.

We also have anti-body tests that can be used if someone is symptomatic. Again, there are strict protocols surrounding the use of these tests. However, we remain among the fortunate to have them. Our best defense continues to be handwashing, and wearing gloves and masks as appropriate. Sheltering in place and social distancing throughout the community is also important. Even though we have positive cases on our campus, these measures help to limit the potential spread of the virus.

Those located in the administrative offices of PVN, including me, will self-quarantine at home. I have been tested and do not have COVID-19; however, our protocol is to quarantine at home for a period of time. I will continue my duties remotely until I can return to work. In the interim, the team at Forefront Living remains available as well our leadership team.
Contact us at pvninfo@forefrontliving.org or 214.355.9019 for additional information.

Sincerely,
Bryan Cooper
Executive Director