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.