October 29, 2020 at 5:00 pm
Dear Village at Belmar Community,
We wanted to provide an update to all of you regarding our community Covid-19 status. We were notified two days ago that an essential hospice caregiver who was visiting their participating hospice residents at the community received a positive Covid-19 test result. This caregiver was asymptomatic and was being tested based on routine testing required for essential workers. Once we learned of this positive result, we did PCR tests on all Memory Care residents. Today we had a Memory Care resident exhibit Covid-19 related symptoms and we conducted a rapid test and this resident tested positive. Based on this positive result, we rapid tested all residents and associates in Memory Care, rather than waiting overnight for yesterday’s test results. Through this testing we identified two more positive residents as well as a positive associate. One of the residents is asymptomatic, the other is exhibiting mild symptoms and one is being transferred to the hospital for further treatment. The associate is also experiencing mild symptoms and is recovering at home.
Based on contact tracing against the positive hospice caregiver, we also rapid tested all residents in Assisted Living who were also cared for by this individual and those results were all negative. All Assisted Living residents were also PCR tested yesterday as a component of our routine testing and we should have those results today or tomorrow. We also conducted PCR tests on all Memory Care residents and associates today to ensure that we have accurate findings. We expect to have today’s PCR testing results back in the coming days and will report these findings to you in our next update letter.
As a reminder, you should be aware that we do 2 types of Covid testing. The first is the PCR test which is the most sensitive with a higher reliability factor. We must send these tests to the lab and results are often delayed. The second test is the rapid test which gives us a result in 20 minutes but is not as reliable and has a higher rate of false negative than the PCR test.
As reported in a recent update letter, we have not had a positive resident in Assisted Living or Memory Care since May. We are moving swiftly to put all safety measures in place for the health and safety of all residents and associates. The Staffing Bubble that was developed back in May is being reimplemented to isolate and care for the positive residents in Memory Care. The Staffing Bubble consists of two associates who have moved into the community and are each working 12 hour shifts for the next 14 days (at a minimum). The Staffing Bubble will continue forward while we work through this situation. These associates will only be caring for Covid-19 positive residents and not interacting with any other residents or associates. During their Staffing Bubble assignment, these two associates will not leave the community.
All outdoor visitation for the community is on hold and we will conduct window visits for both Assisted Living and Memory Care. The Assisted Living dining room will remain closed and residents are being encouraged to remain in their apartments unless they are being escorted to participate in a window visit with the proper PPE. We are narrowing the definition of allowable essential workers and will only be giving access in emergent situations.
We have been in close communication with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Jefferson County Health Department and are following their direction and protocols, as well as those of our Medical Consultant, Dr. Gagandeep Singh.
Please remember that you can always check our Hotline for regular updates and those can be heard at (720) 545-0363.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to Village at Belmar’s Executive Director, Rebecca Norris, at (303) 351-5455.
Sincerely Tom & Susie Finley – Founder and Principal
