Dear Residents, Tenants, Family and Friends,

As of 10/29/2020, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at RenVilla, MOM, PV, or ERC. We routinely test staff weekly at RenVilla. This will be moving to monthly based on CMS reported county transmission rates. We completed the first round of Point-Prevalence Testing for staff and tenants at MOM this week. All tests returned negative. We will be conducting the 2^nd (hopefully final) round on 11/3 at MOM. There were no changes for PV or ERC. We follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

While we welcome the new indoor visitation guidelines, we continue to monitor the COVID outbreak in our community and nearby counties. RHS may ask visitors to get tested for COVID-19 prior to visiting with your loved one. Even when not experiencing symptoms, you may test positive for COVID-19 and spread the virus without knowing. Buildings conducting Point-Prevalence Testing cannot have indoor visits until after that testing is complete. To discuss scheduling your visit or for more information on our visitation policy, please contact:

• RenVilla – Deb Vizecky at dvizecky@renvilla.sfhs.org
• MOM – Deb Wertish at dwertish@renvilla.sfhs.org
• PV – Amy Klawitter at aklawitter@renvilla.sfhs.org

COVID continues to change the way we celebrate holidays. This year our Halloween celebrations include window costume parades, virtual costume contests, and treat bag giveaways.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. Most specifically, we are hiring for door screeners. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Don’t forget to get your flu shot this season to help protect our community. Please follow our website www.rhs.sfhs.org and/or Facebook page (@Renville Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside RHS. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie Knoshal, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

Casie Knoshal

  Administrator

  Renville Health Services

   Phone: (320) 329-4373

   Fax: (320) 329-3678

Dear Family and Friends,

As of 10/22/2020, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center or housing buildings. Our next round of staff testing is on 10/27/2020 for RenVilla staff. We follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Our care center and housing buildings have plans to start indoor visitation. We have begun the process of scheduling those visits. As a safety precaution, we are requesting visitors to follow the same surveillance testing frequency requirements as employees. As a reminder, we will follow state and federal guidance for visitation, which includes following the core infection control protocols, including screening of all visitors for signs & symptoms of COVID, proper hand hygiene, face coverings, and social distancing. Please recognize that this virus is still spreading throughout our state and that we may need to restrict visitation if we experience positive cases of COVID-19 in our settings, identify a broader risk of exposure both in our settings and/or the broader community, or encounter other factors that affect the safety of visitation.

Due to high demand and the safety of our residents, all visits must be scheduled in advance. As a reminder, only two people may visit at one time. To schedule your visit or for more information on our visitation policy, please contact per building:

• RenVilla – Deb Vizecky at dvizecky@renvilla.sfhf.org
• MOM – Deb Wertish at dwertish@renvilla.sfhs.org
• PV – Amy Klawitter at aklawitter@renvilla.sfhs.org

We will be hosting a virtual Family Council Meeting on November 4, 2020 from 5:00 – 5:30PM for RenVilla family members. The directions to access the meeting are as follows.

• RenVilla Family Council
  Wed, Nov 4, 2020 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM (CST)
• Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
  https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/401489949
• You can also dial in using your phone.
  United States: +1 (872) 240-3412
• Access Code: 401-489-949
• New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/401489949

Please follow our website www.rhs.sfhs.org and/or Facebook page (@Renville Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie Knoshal, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

Casie Knoshal

  Administrator

  Renville Health Services

   Phone: (320) 329-4373

   Fax: (320) 329-3678

Dear Family and Friends,

We conducted point-prevalence (outbreak) testing on 10/13/2020. There were no new positive residents and no new positive staff. This means that RenVilla will now be able to transition into surveillance testing. Surveillance testing is conducted in correlation with Renville’s county transmission rate per CMS. Renville County is currently in the yellow. This means RenVilla will test employees weekly. We will be testing staff on 10/20/2020.

We are very excited to share the news that we will soon be able to resume indoor visits, and warmly welcome you back into our care center. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has issued guidance on how we can safely re-open to visitors while continuing to protect the health of our residents and staff. This guidance takes effect on October 17^th.  In the meantime, we remind you to take advantage of outdoor visits, window visits, and virtual visits.

Even though we are excited to open up our care center for indoor visits, it is tempered by the fact that rural communities are seeing more outbreaks in recent weeks which has the potential to impact our care center’s ability to offer visitation. There can be no new onset of COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days and facility cannot currently be conducting outbreak testing.  COVID-19 county positivity rates will determine how our care center will facilitate indoor visits.

For your planning purposes, please know we expect to accommodate indoor visitation very soon, following these strict guidelines:

• All indoor visits MUST be scheduled in advance.
• Visitors will be asked to follow the same surveillance testing requirements as staff.
• Visitors must be screened prior to entering the care center for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
• All visits must be conducted using social distancing.
• Visitors must wear a mask covering both nose and mouth while in the care center. Residents must wear a surgical mask during the visit.
• Proper hand hygiene must occur (use of alcohol-based hand rub) throughout visit.
• Visits will be restricted to a designated area within the building.
• Physical contact (hugs, kisses, handshakes, etc.) continues to be restricted to protect everyone from potential virus transmission.
• Visitors will be limited to two visitors per resident; the total number of visitors in the building will also be limited; and the duration of visits will be limited.
• Visitors must adhere to all infection control policies (ICP) and staff should provide monitoring for those who may have difficulty adhering to ICP
• Cleaning/disinfecting high frequency touched surfaces and designated visitation areas must occur after each visit.
• All items brought to the visit must be left with staff for disinfection and not passed to the resident during the visit.

Our ability to resume visitation would not have been possible without the incredible commitment and dedication of our staff. They have been working tirelessly to manage the risks of COVID-19 and providing compassionate care and support to our residents at a time when they are physically separated from their loved ones. We know that you too, have made sacrifices during this incredibly difficult time and we thank you for your patience and understanding.

Please follow our website www.rhs.sfhs.org and/or Facebook page (@Renville Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie Knoshal, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

October 8^th,2020

As families were updated earlier this week, a symptomatic RenVilla employee was tested after last week’s PPT testing, and the results came back positive. The employee had worked just shy of 2 days prior to symptom onset. Therefore, we restarted the utilization of full PPE for all residents (this includes gowning) due to the possibility of exposure. Also reported to families earlier this week, a resident that became symptomatic tested positive utilizing the rapid antigen machine. The resident is now in quarantine in the COVID Unit.

All RenVilla residents and staff were tested on October 6^th. There was 1 employee who tested positive. However, that employee has not worked at RHS since 9/18/2020. Therefore, the transmission for the employee is unrelated to the building and there was no risk of exposure to the residents or employees here at RHS. All other results returned negative. We will be testing again on October 13^th. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

We deeply appreciate the sacrifices you continue to make to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our community and your patience as we navigate through the COVID Pandemic. Our entire team looks forward to seeing you again. Families, friends and volunteers are a core fabric of what makes our community so special. In the meantime, we remind you to take advantage of window visits and the ability to connect residents and their loved ones through alternative communication, such as FaceTime, Zoom and Skype.

Thank you again for being partners with us in fighting the COVID-19 virus. Your messages of support, prayers, and caring is important to those working to keep our residents healthy and safe. Please follow our Facebook page (@Renville Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

October 2^nd, 2020

Since 9/23/2020, the RenVilla has had 2 residents test positive for COVID-19 and 0 employees test positive. The RenVilla residents and employees were all tested for COVID-19 on 09/29/2020. Those results all returned negative. We will be testing again on October 6^th. We will continue to test weekly until we have 2 weeks of no new cases (residents or staff). After that point we will test based on community transmission. That is reviewed weekly, but currently, transmission rates would also require us to test weekly.

We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

We have received our rapid Antigen testing machine. We are using this technology to test residents and staff that are showing signs and symptoms in order to quickly quarantine positive residents and staff from the rest of our community. These tests show results within an hour and are then confirmed by the PCR testing that usually takes between 2-7 days.

The coming cooler months will continue to challenge us in limiting the impact of COVID-19 on our community. It is important for each of us to think about how our actions affect others we come in contact with. We must protect one another.  You are a key partner in the safe reopening of our care center, please remember to social distance, wear a mask, and practice proper hand hygiene. Remember to stay home if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Due to the positive cases in our care center. We are unable to resume patio visits at this time, but we are preparing to resume them as soon as possible within MDH regulations.

Staff will continue to wear PPE and follow rigorous infection control protocols. The COVID Unit is continuing to function effectively. The staff that work on the unit have zero physical contact with the non-segregated unit/staff/residents. The unit is completely physically segregated from our buildings.

We could not fight this battle without our remarkable staff of caregivers. Every day, they risk their own health to provide our residents with the support and compassion they need.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Renville Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

September 25, 2020

RenVilla residents and employees were tested for COVID-19 on 09/22/2020. All results have been received and are shown in the chart below.  We have had 0 residents test positive for COVID-19. We had 1 employee test positive. This employee has had no contact with residents and has had extremely low contact with staff as contact is not required within the employee’s job function. We will be testing again on September 29^th. Even with no new cases, community transmission rates in Renville County will require us to continue weekly testing at this point in time at skilled nursing facilities. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

	Tests Positive	Tests Negative	Tests Pending	Total Tested
Residents	0	37	0	37
Staff	1	75	0	76

Due to the lack of exposure to positive cases for the necessary timeframe, RHS is now able to end facility wide quarantine. Residents will be able to move about in the facility and go outside much more easily. Activities will be resuming patio time for residents with music this weekend. We are unable to resume patio visits at this time, but we are preparing to resume them as soon as possible within MDH regulations. We are also preparing for indoor visits for when the weather is colder. How we will be able to facilitate indoor visits is still in process.

Staff will continue to wear PPE and follow rigorous infection control protocols. The COVID Unit is continuing to function effectively. The staff that work on the unit have zero physical contact with the non-segregated unit/staff/residents. The unit is completely physically segregated from our buildings. Over the course of the summer, the unit has been open and taking care of positive case for 40 days. In this time, 0 staff working the unit have tested positive and 0 concerns of transmission related to the unit have occurred.

We continue to be concerned with the overwhelming amount of new cases in Renville County, surrounding counties, and across Minnesota. Thankfully, we have experience, and we have a proven process to keep residents as safe as possible. This puts us in a unique position to help our community’s most vulnerable if they test positive with our currently operational segregated unit.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Renville Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

09/18/2020

Our residents and employees were tested for COVID-19 on 09/15/2020. We are happy to announce that we have no new positive cases of COVID-19 in Renvilla. We will be testing again on September 22nd. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The COVID Pandemic has created new employment opportunities in our care center for people wanting to help our most at-risk population combat this virus. If you or someone you know may be interested in working side by side with us as we truly make a difference in the lives of our residents, please contact our care center or visit www.jobswithus.org for more information. 

Please follow our Facebook page (@Renville Health Services) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

09/10/2020

Our residents and employees were tested for COVID-19 on 09/08/2020. All results have been received and are shown in the chart below.  We have had 1 resident test positive for COVID-19.  We will be testing again on September 15^th. We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

	Tests Positive	Tests Negative	Tests Pending	Total Tested
Residents	1	37	0	38
Staff	0	71	0	71

The resident testing positive for COVID-19 has been transferred to our COVID unit. As a reminder, staff that work in our segregated unit will not care for residents outside of the unit or interact with any employees that are providing direct care to residents outside of the unit. All staff in the segregated unit will be equipped with N95 masks, face shields and gowns. Staff will enter and exit the segregated unit from a separate door to prevent exposure to the rest of our care center, residents and employees. 

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.rhs.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

09/03/2020

Our residents and employees were tested for COVID-19 on 09/01/2020. All results have been received and are shown in the chart below.  We have had 2 staff members test positive for COVID-19. These cases are believed to be a result of community based transmission. You can help us limit the spread of COVID-19 in our community through appropriate hand hygiene, mask use, and social distancing.

	Tests Positive	Tests Negative	Tests Pending	Total Tested
Residents	0	40	0	40
Staff	2	65	0	67

We will be testing for the 3rd time next week. This week, CMS and MDH released new testing requirements for our care center’s staff and residents that are effective immediately. “Facility Staff” is defined broadly, to include employees, consultants, contractors, volunteers, and caregivers who provide care and services to residents on behalf of the facility, and students in the facility’s nurse aide training programs or from affiliated academic institutions.  The requirements outline routine testing depending on our county positivity rate:

• Low: Monthly testing in counties with less than 5% positivity
• Medium: Weekly testing in counties with 5-10% positivity
• High: Bi-weekly testing in counties with greater than 10% positivity

The rule also requires testing in three scenarios: (i) symptomatic individual identified; (ii) outbreak (new case arises in facility); and (iii) routine testing.  While CMS does not recommend routine testing of residents unless the resident leaves the facility regularly, it does require routine testing of staff.

Currently, our policy is to test residents and staff if they are symptomatic, had exposure to someone positive and during a known outbreak in our facility like we are experiencing now. Due to our county positivity rate, we will now be testing all staff monthly. This frequency is subject to change pending our county positivity rate.

Updated information on our planning and preparedness for Coronavirus and our activities within our care center can be found by visiting our website (www.rhs.sfhs.org) or our Facebook page. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Casie, Administrator at 320-329-4373 or by email at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

On Tuesday evening, we received notification that an employee who works at the RenVilla tested positive for Covid-19 as a result of community-based transmission. This employee is at home on quarantine. No residents are positive at this time.

Unfortunately, this means we needed to stop all patio visits and beautician visits at this time. In addition, we initiated another round of point-prevalence-testing. The first round of testing for residents and employees was completed today. We believe this is the best way to protect residents, staff, and our community.

We will continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).We continue to evaluate the increase in cases in our community and surrounding area and take those numbers into consideration. With the increase in cases, we implore our community members to take this virus seriously, mask, and social distance from one another. It is truly unfortunate that we have another confirmed case of Covid-19 as visitation guidelines are beginning to loosen. We will continue to evaluate this and make decisions based on positive cases in the facility, community, and on our testing results.

We will continue to update the community on our status as well as on our ongoing work to prevent the spread of COVID-19 via our website (www.rhs.sfhs.org). If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask. You can reach me at cknoshal@renvilla.sfhs.org.

Thank you for your support and understanding during this challenging and unprecedented time.

Stay safe,

Casie Knoshal

Administrator

Renville Health Services