Nursing Visitation Update

Dear Residents, Family Members and Teammates,

Presbyterian Village North (PVN) was featured in this Sunday’s edition of the Dallas Morning News as one of the 12 providers in the state, and one of two in Dallas, that meets the criteria for outside visitation to skilled nursing and assisted living. It is important to note that this permission does not apply to the COVID unit, which is considered skilled nursing, but is in a separate building. The criteria created by the state to allow visitations is strict and extremely difficult to administer. However, as we stated earlier, we support this new regulation and believe that the value of face to face interaction is more than worth the expense and difficulty to implement the new regulations.

Key elements of the regulations include:

• Weekly testing of employees;
• A cessation of visits for 14 days if a skilled nursing employee tests positive;
• The visits may only occur out of doors;
• Adherence to social distancing (six feet apart);
• Wearing of masks; and
• No physical contact between parties.

Click here for full listing of requirements.

The cornerstone of these regulations center around weekly testing of employees. PVN is fortunate to have an onsite lab and the equipment to conduct rapid tests. We are currently working through the first phase of this testing and are seeking additional clarification from the state regarding this process. In the interim, we are finalizing the procedures under which these outdoor visits can occur.

Please bear in mind, if an employee tests positive the visits will cease until the employee base in skilled nursing remains COVID-free for 14 days. This creates a highly unpredictable environment as positivity rates remain high in the metroplex. However, we are hopeful that our teammates’ strict adherence to infection control both while on and off duty will help to reduce this unpredictability.

We appreciate your patience as we work toward compliance with the new regulations and will notify you shortly regarding protocols for visitation In the meantime please feel contact us with questions.

Sincerely,

Bryan Cooper

Executive Director