Updated August 9, 2021

Ensuring residents are cared for in a safe and healthy environment is our greatest concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recommended a variety of steps that we have implemented to help reduce the potential for the virus to enter our buildings. Additionally, our facilities are in close contact with the local and state health departments and are following their guidance.

Our facilities are routinely testing staff as directed by state and local health departments and as directed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) based on the facility’s status and county positivity rates. We are hopeful that by doing this we can continue to reduce the spread of this disease amongst our residents and the community as a whole.

At this time, we are offering at least 8 hours of visitation 7 days per week. Please contact the facility directly for specific visitation hours. If you are unable to visit during the established visitation hours, please contact the facility to set up a visitation time.

All visitors will be screened for temperature and must complete a questionnaire regarding signs and symptoms of COVID-19, any recent exposure to a COVID positive person, any recent travel, and vaccination status.

Due to the increase in new positive cases and the Delta variant nationwide, the CDC recommends masking of both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, especially in indoor spaces. As a result, we have modified the visitation rules as follows in order to protect our residents:

• Masks are required to be worn at all times by all visitors and the resident during visits regardless of the vaccination status of the resident or visitors—this includes during visits outdoors.
• Visitors must physically distance from others outside of their group including other residents, staff, and visitors at all times during visits. If the resident and visitors are fully vaccinated, everyone must wear a mask but no physical distancing is needed during the visit.
• All visitors must perform hand hygiene after screening and before leaving the visitation area. Hand sanitizer dispensers are located outside, inside resident rooms, and throughout the facility.
• Visitors must go directly to the area where the visit will take place and are not allowed in other areas of the facility.
• Outdoors visits do not need to be scheduled and are preferred, if weather permits.

For indoor visits in one of our visitation areas, we encourage you to schedule a time to use the space to ensure it is available and the visit may be limited to 60 minutes to allow time for other residents and visitors to use the space as well, if requested. If the space is not available, we will make every effort to find another area to visit with your loved one.

We hope to make these visits a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. Please contact the facility Administrator if you have any questions.

*The facility reserves the right to stop a visit or restrict further visits for any visitors who violate the visitation rules or any of the core principles of infection control which include screening, masking, hand hygiene, and physical distancing from others as outlined above.*

We are currently offering monthly vaccination clinics at our facilities for residents who have not been vaccinated.

Trips and outings outside of the facility (other than for medical reasons) are strongly discouraged. Upon return to the facility, a 14-day quarantine may be required. Residents who tested positive for COVID in the last 90 days will not need to quarantine.

As a reminder, if the facility has a positive case, visitations may be suspended or restricted for a period of time.  We recommend that you call the facility prior to visiting your loved one. No more than 2 visitors are allowed at a time in a room (private or semi-private) and the privacy curtain must be pulled between the residents during the visit if a roommate is present. There is no specific time limit on room visits as long as it does not interfere with the roommate’s care, privacy, preferences, or ability to also have visitors.  Please do not visit if you have any cold-like symptoms, fever, or other COVID symptoms, or have been exposed to someone with COVID in the last 14 days.

For additional information, please visit the CDC’s Coronavirus Disease information page at http://cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

As the resident’s representative, you will be receiving weekly updates with the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the facility via an automated phone call to the phone number we have on record. If you would prefer to receive this weekly communication through an email, please contact the facility to update your method of communication.

FOR ILLINOIS FACILITIES: You can view up to date number of positive cases of COVID-19 for each facility on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/long-term-care-facility-outbreaks-covid-19

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