Covid-19 Information
January 26, 2022 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting six (6) staff members with PCR confirmed Covid-19. This brings our total active cases to twelve (12). The facility has had a cumulative total of eighty-six (86) Staff and twenty (20) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan exceeds revised state and local guidance. We have successfully made it two days without any additional Resident cases. All Residents in the building will be tested daily until Friday. Pending no additional Resident cases, we will sporadically test the Residents through day 14. Any new Resident case will reset the testing protocol to day 0. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
If you have any questions, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
January 24, 2022 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting three (3) staff members (of which one is pending) and two Residents (of which both are pending) with positive Covid-19 results. This brings our total active cases to thirteen (13). The facility has had a cumulative total of eighty (80) Staff and twenty (20) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work. The Residents are on isolation/droplet precautions and will remain in their private rooms until they have been medically cleared by the Physician/Medical Director.
Action Plan: Our action plan exceeds revised state and local guidance. Our testing protocol has been reset to day 0. All Residents in the building will be tested daily until Friday. Pending no additional Resident cases, we will sporadically test the Residents through day 14. Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day 0. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com with questions.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
January 21, 2022 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting three (3) staff members with positive Covid-19 results. This brings our total active cases to eight (8). The facility has had a cumulative total of seventy-seven (77) Staff and eighteen (18) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan exceeds revised state and local guidance. We have successfully made it through day 5 of our Resident Testing Protocol without any additional cases. We will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases of Covid-19. Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day 1. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
If you have any questions, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
January 19, 2022 Important Message
PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
We continue to receive inquiries regarding visitation and wanted to make a better attempt at clarifying.
Visitation has always been permitted during the internal spread covid-19 outbreak which began on 12/28/21.
- Our recommendation to limit visitation has been entirely prompted by the goal to safeguard the wellbeing of our Visitors, Staff, and Residents.
- Visitors who have felt comfortable entering the facility since this Covid-19 outbreak began on 12/28/21 have done so freely. A majority of our Visitors have chosen to postpone entering the facility out of concern for their own health/wellbeing, which is very much understandable.
- If you don't feel comfortable entering the facility, please share this with the Resident that you know. If you feel that they are having difficulty understanding why you made the decision you did, please contact Nursing or Social Services and we would be happy to try to help them better understand this delicate situation.
As always, if you have any questions please contact Heather Hefren hhefren@beechwoodhome.com (Director of Social Services), Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO).
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
January 19, 2022
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting three (3) staff members (of which one is still pending) with positive Covid-19 results. This brings our total active cases to seven (7). The facility has had a cumulative total of seventy-four (74) Staff and eighteen (18) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan exceeds revised state and local guidance. We have successfully made it through day 3 of our Resident Testing Protocol without any additional cases. All Residents in the building will be tested for five days straight. Once we achieve zero positive covid-19 cases during a five-day period, we will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases of Covid-19. Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day 1. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Please contact Scot Harmon at 513-842-0774 / sharmon@beechwoodhome.com with questions.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
January 17, 2022
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) staff member and one (1) Resident (of which is pending) with positive Covid-19 results. This brings our total active cases to five (5). The facility has had a cumulative total of seventy-one (71) Staff and eighteen (18) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The Resident is on isolation/droplet precautions and will remain in their private room until they have been medically cleared by the Physician/Medical Director. The staff member has been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan exceeds revised state and local guidance. Our testing protocol has been reset to day 1. All Residents were tested this morning and the results were all negative. All Residents in the building will be tested for five days straight. Once we achieve zero positive covid-19 cases during a five day period, we will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases of Covid-19. Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day 1. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Please contact 513-842-0774 with questions.
Administrator CEO, Administrator
Click on date to see previous communications
January 14, 2021
January 13, 2021 Update
January 10, 2022 Update
January 7, 2022
January 6, 2022 Update
January 5, 2022 Update
January 3, 2022 Update 2
January 3, 2022 Update 1
December 31, 2021 Update
December 30, 2021 Update
December 29, 2021 Update
December 28, 2021
December 27, 2021 Update
December 21, 2021 Update
December 17, 2021
December 15, 2021 Update
December 10, 2021
November 2021
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January 14, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Anticipated Return to New Normal Date: Pending no additional Resident cases of Covid, our projected return to new normal date of Tuesday January 18 is quickly approaching. On this day our clinical floors will be permitted to comingle again. Additionally, the 1st floor dining room and facility organized group activities will resume in the afternoon. While visitation has always been permitted during this outbreak, our recommendation to everyone has been to limit visitation for the safety of our visitors due to uncontrolled spread of Covid within the facility. As of January 18th, we no longer feel that the facility poses a greater risk to our visitors than the general community does as it pertains to Covid. Friendly reminder that all visitors are required to successfully pass the visitation screener prior to entry and are required to wear a surgical mask during the entirety of their visit per governmental regulations.
Positivity rate: Hamilton County's Positivity Rate has increased to 25.25% through the week of 1/4. This is a 6.16% increase over last week's reported positivity rate through 12/28. When the positivity rate is this high, the potential for a facility outbreak is dishearteningly high. The actions people make in their personal lives impact the wellbeing and operations of this facility. We hope that everyone who enters the facility does all that they possibly can to protect themselves from contracting covid-19.
Stimulus Checks and HCJFS: In January 2021, the 2nd round of pandemic stimulus checks were distributed, and facilities were instructed by The Ohio Department of Medicaid that these monies would not be counted as income for 12 months as it pertained to annual resource renewals. Effective February 2022, the liquid asset limit for those with Ohio Medicaid will be reduced to $3,400 and over resource warning letters will be distributed when RTA accounts at the facility exceed $3,100. Please also be aware that the resource limits will be reduced again in April pertaining to the 3rd/last stimulus checks.
Vaccine Mandate: Yesterday the Supreme Court deemed the CMS mandate for all healthcare workers in America to be constitutional. The facility is in a great position with an 97% compliance rate which leaves only 3% of our staff in need of action by the federally mandated compliance date in mid-April.
Vaccine Clinic: Our next vaccine clinic will be held on Tuesday January 18th from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM. Moderna and Pfizer boosters will be available. Anyone starting a Covid vaccination series will have Moderna administered. Please contact Scot Harmon if you are interested in participating.
As always, if you have any questions please contact Heather Hefren hhefren@beechwoodhome.com (Director of Social Services), Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO).
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
January 13, 2022 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (2) Staff members with a confirmed positive covid-19 test. This brings our total active cases to eight (8). The facility has had a cumulative total of sixty-eight (68) Staff and seventeen (17) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff member has been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan exceeds revised state and local guidance. We are now on day 10 of the Resident Testing Protocol and have transitioned to testing every 3 days, with the next test date of all Resident occurring on 1/14/22. We will continue testing every three days until we reach day 14 and if we continue to have zero new Resident cases on that day, will conclude that this internal spread of covid-19 has ended. Any new Resident cases will rest the testing protocol to day 0. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
If you have any questions, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
January 10, 2022
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) Staff member with a confirmed positive covid-19 test. This brings our total active cases to twelve (12). The facility has had a cumulative total of sixty-six (66) Staff and seventeen (17) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff member has been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan exceeds revised state and local guidance. We are now on day 7 of the Resident Testing Protocol and have transitioned to testing every 3 days, with the next test date of all Resident occurring on 1/11/22. We will continue testing every three days until we reach day 14 and if we continue to have zero new Resident cases on that day, will conclude that this internal spread of covid-19 has ended. Any new Resident cases will reset the testing protocol to day 0. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
If you have any questions, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
January 7th, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Resident Testing: We are thrilled to announced that we have successfully completed four days of Resident testing without identifying a new case. This is amazing news considering how transmissible the circulating Covid-19 variants are proving to be.
Hamilton County's positivity rate: Increased to 19.09% through the week of 12/28. This is a 6.77% increase over last week's reported positivity rate through 12/21. It is very likely that everyone reading this update knows someone or a handful of people recently diagnosed with Covid-19. When the positivity rate is this high, the potential for internal spread within the facility is likely. The actions people make in their personal lives impacts the wellbeing and operations of this facility. We hope that everyone who enters the facility does all that they possibly can to protect themselves for contracting covid-19 as it has a direct impact on The Beechwood Home.
Drop Off Tables: During this time when visitation is not recommended due to an internal spread of Covid-19 within the facility, the Activities Department will resume delivering items dropped off by family/friends for Residents to their rooms. Once we reach day 15 of the testing protocol, this service will no longer be available, and family/friends will be expected to take personal items for Residents up to their room themselves again.
Request for your Understanding: Like the rest of America, The Beechwood Home is impacted by staff members currently on medical leave due to contracting Covid-19. Similar to isolation guidance for the general public, isolation guidelines for medical workers have been updated by the CDC to mirror medical knowledge of Covid-19 and get staff back to work sooner. Our Covid-19 committee recently adopted a shorter isolation period for staff with no symptoms and with proof of a negative covid-19 test to return to work three days sooner. Resident Care is always the essential focus of the facility however we recognize that our staff goes above and beyond in many ways each and every day for our Residents. During these strained times, we ask for your understanding if our staff may not be able to help complete non-essential tasks for Residents.
Vaccine Clinic: Our next vaccine clinic will be held on Tuesday January 18th from 08:30 to 09:30. Moderna and Pfizer boosters will be available. Anyone starting a Covid vaccination series will have Moderna administered.
Timeline for Returning to New Normal: Any subsequent positive resident test will reset the timeline to day 0.
Day 1-5 from last known Resident positive result: daily testing of Residents. Residents separated by floor with alternating outdoor access. No group activities. 1st floor dining room closed.
Day 6-14 from last known Resident positive result: Testing of Residents will transition to every 3 days. Residents separated by floor with alternating outdoor access. No group activities. 1st floor dining room closed.
Day 15 from last known Resident positive result: comingling of Resident by floor, 1st floor dining room open and 1st floor Activities resume. Internal spread outbreak of Covid-19 concluded. Risk of visitors contracting covid-19 while within the facility has passed.
We test anyone with signs and symptoms of a respiratory illness at any time regardless of outbreak testing schedule.
As always, if you have any questions please contact Heather Hefren hhefren@beechwoodhome.com (Director of Social Services), Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO).
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
January 6th, 2022
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting two (2) Staff members with confirmed positive covid-19 test. This brings our total active cases to fifteen (15). The facility has had a cumulative total of sixty-three (63) Staff and seventeen (17) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan will exceed revised state and local guidance. All Residents in the building will be tested for five days straight. Once we achieve zero positive covid-19 cases during a five-day period, we will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases. We completed Resident testing today and observed zero new cases which puts us at day 3 of testing protocol. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
If you have any questions, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) and Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
January 5th, 2022
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting two (2) Staff members with a positive covid-19 test (of which one is still pending PCR). This brings our total active cases to fourteen (14). The facility has had a cumulative total of sixty two (62) Staff and seventeen (17) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan will exceed revised state and local guidance. All Residents in the building will be tested for five days straight. Once we achieve zero positive covid-19 cases during a five-day period, we will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases. We successfully completed Resident testing today and observed zero new cases which puts us at day 2 of testing. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
If you have any questions please contact Scot Harmon @ 513-842-0774 of sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
January 3rd, 2022 #2
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting four (4) Staff members with a positive covid-19 test (of which one is still pending PCR) and one (1) Resident pending PCR. This brings our total active cases to sixteen (16). The facility has had a cumulative total of sixty (60) Staff and seventeen (17) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work. The Resident is on isolation/droplet precautions and will remain in their private room until they have been medically cleared by the Physician/Medical Director.
Action Plan: Our action plan will exceed revised state and local guidance. All Residents in the building will be tested for five days straight. Once we achieve zero positive covid-19 cases during a five-day period, we will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases. Our testing protocol has been reset to day 0. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
If you have any questions please contact Scot Harmon @ 513-842-0774 of sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
January 3rd, 2022 #1
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
After receiving inquiries about our current visitation policy, a clarification seems warranted.
Per notice on 12/28/21·"We urgently recommend that visitors only enter the facility for emergencies until further notice. We cannot express enough how important it is to limit contact with others unless necessary until we have a better handle on the situation unfolding at the facility."
- The above is only a recommendation seeking to protect Residents and their loved ones. The Beechwood Home does not dictate visitation permissions/restrictions as we must adhere to OOH and CMS guidance for this topic.
- There are no restrictions on visitation into TC facilities in Ohio currently.
- The Beechwood Home is experiencing uncontrolled spread of Covid-19. To date this is not contained as we continue to identify cases in our Resident and Staff populations.
- Hamilton County's positivity rate has increased to 19.09% through the week of 12/28.This is a 6.77% increase over last week 's reported positivity rate through 12/21.
- Any visitor entering the facility does so at risk to themselves of contracting the virus.
- Any visitor entering the facility may unknowingly transmit the virus to a Resident which then has the potential to spread to other Residents, resulting in a new outbreak_
- Residents are encouraged to limit contact with others as much as possible to protect themselves. It is impossible to know who may be infectious and transmitting the virus. Current clinical data indicates that people are most infectious two days prior to showing symptoms (if they ever do) to 3 days post infection onset. Please see CDC website for more information, if interested .
- After considering all points listed above, we continue to strongly discourage visitors at this time however from regulatory standpoint visitors are permitted to enter the facility as their own discretion.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and acknowledgment of these measures aimed at keeping our Beechwood Family as safe and healthy as possible. We hope to get back to normal as soon as possible.
As always if you have any questions/comments/concerns please contact Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO).
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
December 31, 2021
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) Staff member with a positive covid-19 test (which is still pending PCR). This brings our total active cases to thirteen (13). The facility has had a cumulative total of fifty-six (56) Staff and sixteen (16) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff member has been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan will exceed revised state and local guidance. All Residents in the building will be tested for five days straight. Once we achieve zero positive covid-19 cases during a five-day period, we will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases. We successfully completed Resident testing today and observed zero new cases. Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day 1. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Contact us with questions: If you have any questions about COVID-19 or the steps that we are taking to protect our residents, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia A. Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
December 30, 2021
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting two (2) Staff members with positive covid-19 tests (of which one is still pending PCR) and one (1) Resident case (of which is still pending PCR). This brings our total active cases to twelve (12). The facility has had a cumulative total of fifty-five (55) Staff and sixteen (16) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work. The Resident is on isolation/droplet precautions and will remain in their private room until they have been medically cleared by the Physician/Medical Director.
Action Plan: Our action plan will exceed revised state and local guidance. All Residents in the building will be tested for five days straight. Once we achieve zero positive covid-19 cases during a five day period, we will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases of Covid-19. Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day 1. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Contact us with questions: If you have any questions about COVID-19 or the steps that we are taking to protect our residents, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia A. Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
December 29, 2021
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting two (2) Staff members with confirmed positive covid-19 tests and three (3) Resident cases (of which one is still pending PCR). This brings our total active cases to nine (9).The facility has had a cumulative total of fifty-three (53) Staff and fifteen (15) Resident Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and rem oved from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work. The Residents are on isolation/droplet precautions and will remain in their private rooms until they have been medically cleared by the Physician/Medical Director.
Action Plan: Our action plan will exceed revised state and local guidance. All Residents in the building will be tested for five days straight . Once we achieve zero positive covid-19 cases during a five-day period, we will transition to Resident testing every three days until we reach a total of fourteen days without any new Resident cases of Covid-19. Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day L Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Contact us with questions: If you have any questions about COVID-19 or the steps that we are taking to protect our residents, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia A. Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
December 28th, 2021
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
After reporting three staff positive cases yesterday and having an additional three pending cases today (two of which are Residents) our Coronavirus Committee met this morning to discuss aggressive actions for implementation with the goal of cutting the chain of transmission and limiting the internal spread to as few as possible. We hope the following measures will only be in place for a short period of time.
We will be rapid testing all Residents daily for the next five days to assess the extent of the spread in our facility. Any rapid positive test is immediately followed up with a STAT PCR test. After consulting with our Physician, assessing the reality of the staffing circumstances we face in addition to consulting with local/federal guidelines, we will be quarantining the Covid positive Residents in their rooms.
We urgently recommend that visitors only enter the facility for emergencies until further notice. We cannot express enough how important it is to limit contact with others unless necessary until we have a better handle on the situation unfolding at the facility.
Until further notice the following measures will be put into place again:
- The 1st floor dining room will be closed starting with dinner this evening. Residents able to feed themselves will be served meals in their private rooms.
- Group Activities have been suspended.
- Access to outdoor spaces will be permitted on alternating days keeping the 2nd and 3rd floor residents apart. Once we are confident the risk of internal spread has passed, we will resume floor intermingling.
We strongly encourage Residents to:
- Voluntarily self-isolate in your room to break any possible lines of transmission within the facility.
- Wear a mask if outside your private room. If you need one, please request one.
- Ask your loved ones NOT to visit.
- Socially distance from others.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and compliance with these measures aimed at keeping our Beechwood Family as safe and healthy as possible. We hope to get back to normal as soon as possible.
As always, if you have any questions please contact Heather Hefren hhefren@beechwoodhome.com (Director of Social Services), Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO).
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
December 27, 2021 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff, Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: WDecemb
e are reporting three (3) Staff member with positive covid-19 tests (of which one is still pending PCR). This brings our total active cases to five (5). The facility has had a cumulative total of fifty-one (51) Staff and twelve (12) Resident confirmed Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan will exceed revised state and local guidance. All Residents in the building were tested this morning and were negative. All Residents will be tested again next week. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Contact us with questions: If you have any questions about COVID-19 or the steps that we are taking to protect our residents, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia A. Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
December 21, 2021 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting two (2) Staff members with confirmed positive PCR covid-19 tests. This brings our total active cases to four (4). The facility has had a cumulative total of forty-eight staff (48) and twelve (12) Resident confirmed Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan will remain unchanged as these staff member have not been in the building since our outbreak testing started last week. All Residents in the building will be tested again this week. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Contact us with questions: If you have any questions about COVID-19 or the steps that we are taking to protect our residents, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia A. Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
December 17, 2021
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Positivity Rate: Hamilton County's positivity rate has increased to 10.73% through the week of 12/7. This is a 0.53% increase over last week's reported positivity rate through 11/30.
Megan on Leave: Megan (Director of Therapeutic Rec. and Volunteer Services) will be on FMLA leave until January 28th, 2022. We know that Megan is very involved in the lives of our Residents and Family Members through email/text however we ask that you please refrain from sending communications to her until February 1st. Rob is available to address all Activities questions/concerns and can be reached at RChapman@beechwoodhome.com. Heather and Tom from Social Services are also always available, so please do not hesitate to reach out.
Resident Outings: If a Resident is planning to attend a holiday event in the community, please let Social Services know ASAP so that plans can be added to our Resident Appointment calendar to ensure that they are ready in time for pickup.
Rapid Tests: Covid-19 Rapid Antigen tests are an amazing tool available at your local pharmacy which can significantly improve the chances that you have a safe and happy holiday gathering with loved ones. It is recommended that this diagnostic tool be used on the morning of a gathering to identify anyone that has the potential to spread covid-19 without knowing that they have the virus. If you have any questions about rapid tests, please let us know as we have lots of experience with them.
Vaccine Mandate Update/ Covid + Staff: The CMS vaccine mandate has been put on hold in Ohio due to legal action by various parties. Even if the CMS mandate was in place, there are medical and religious exemptions that people are permitted to claim that we are legally required to recognize. Vaccination does not provide 100% protection and it appears that the Omicron variant is the most able to evade vaccine protection to date. It is projected that there will be more breakthrough cases with Omicron however when this occurs the individual is significantly more likely to have a mild case compared to someone who is unvaccinated which is positive news. Considering the difficult situation we find ourselves in once again, we strongly encourage everyone to follow the infection control recommendations by public health officials. Keep socially distant from others not in your immediate household, wear a mask (even indoors), practice hand hygiene, keep up to date on your vaccinations and if you feel sick get tested ASAP.
On behalf of The Beechwood Home, wishing everyone a happy holiday season!
As always, if you have any questions please contact Heather Hefren hhefren@beechwoodhome.com (Director of Social Services), Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO).
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
December 15, 2021 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting two (2) Staff members with a confirmed positive PCR covid-19 test. This brings our total active cases to two (2). The facility has had a cumulative total of forty-six staff (46) and twelve (12) Resident confirmed Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff members have been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan will exceed revised state and local guidance. All residents in the building were tested and are negative. We will test all again next week and the following week assuming no more positives. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Contact us with questions: If you have any questions about COVID-19 or the steps that we are taking to protect our residents, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia A. Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
December 10th, 2021
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Post-Holiday Testing: Thrilled to report that we rapid tested all our Residents today to proactively identify any cases that may have been related to Thanksgiving Celebrations and everyone was negative! This is wonderful news when considering the status of Covid-19 in Hamilton County currently. We are amazingly fortunate that 94% of our Residents are vaccinated against Covid.
Positivity Rate: Hamilton County's positivity rate has increased to 10.2% through the week of 11/30. This is a 1.52% increase over last week's reported positivity rate through 11/23.
Preparing for a Safe Holiday with Rising Covid Rates: With the deteriorating status of Covid-19 in Hamilton County, we strongly encourage everyone to assess the risks associated with your family gathering and do all that is possible to protect yourself and a Residents in attendance as this ultimately could impact the wellbeing of others who reside at the facility. On a positive note, we now have some amazing tools at our disposal which include rapid testing and vaccines.
Rapid Tests: Covid-19 Rapid Antigen tests are an amazing tool available at your local pharmacy which can significantly improve the chances that you have a safe and happy holiday gathering with loved ones. It is recommended that this diagnostic tool be used on the morning of a gathering to identify anyone that has the potential to spread covid-19 without knowing that they have the virus. If you have any questions about rapid tests, please let us know as we have lots of experience with them.
Giving Tree: Thank you to everyone who participated in our Giving Tree program this year. In a couple weeks we will be having our mobile holiday party and provide a gift uniquely selected for each Resident.
As always, if you have any questions please contact Heather Hefren hhefren@beechwoodhome.com (Director of Social Services), Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO).
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
November 19, 2021
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Giving Tree: The Activities Department plans to host another mobile Holiday Party this year complete with festive music, delicious treats and gifts for every Resident. Our Giving Tree continues to exist in a digital format, and we are grateful to anyone who chooses to participate and help make this joyful event possible. Please drop off wrapped gifts with their unique identification number visible by December 6'" on the tables located between the glass doors at the Garden level Entrance.
https://signup.com/go/HkXuFjR
Family Satisfaction Survey: The Ohio Department of Aging will be conducting the Family Satisfaction Survey sometime soon. Contact information for each Resident's Emergency Contact #1,listed in our medical record, was submitted for participation. This year they will initially send a survey link by text before mailing a paper survey.
Holiday Reservations @ Beechwood: Hamilton County's positivity rate has increased to 7.35% through the week of 11/09. This is a 1.39% increase over last week's reported positivity rate through 11/02. Due to rising covid cases again in our community, there will not be an opportunity for family/friends to have their Thanksgiving meal at the facility. Additionally, reserving a large room at the facility to host a large gathering will not be possible. With that being said, Residents are permitted to attend a holiday gathering hosted in the community and we ask that you inform Social Services of your plans ASAP so that your event can be added to the Resident Appointment calendar.
Preparing for a Safe Holiday with Rising Covid Rates: Following our recent experience of Covid-19 within the facility, we strongly encourage everyone to assess the risks associated with your family gathering and do all that is possible to protect yourself and a Residents in attendance as this ultimately could impact the wellbeing of others who reside at the facility. Friendly reminder that rapid testing on the day of an event is a great way to identify someone with Covid-19 and potentially prevent a super spreader event within your family. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your health/gatherings.html
Rapid Tests: Below are links to the rapid tests that the facility receives from the health department. Each box contains TWO tests for $24 ($12 per test).
https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/binaxnow-covid-19-rapid-self-test-at-home-kit/ID=300414527-product
As always, if you have any questions please contact Heather Hefren hhefren@beechwoodhome.com (Director of Social Services), Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO).
On behalf of the facility, wishing everyone a safe, joyful and scrumptious Thanksgiving!
Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator
November 15, 2021 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) Staff member with a confirmed positive PCR covid-19 test. This brings our total active cases to one (1). The facility has had a cumulative total of forty-four staff (44) and twelve (12) Resident confirmed Covid-19 cases associated with the facility to date. The staff member has been placed on medical leave and removed from the schedule upon notification to minimize exposure risk to other Residents/Staff and will remain on medical leave until they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan will mirror revised state and local guidance. Zero (0) Residents were identified as close contacts therefore there will be no outbreak testing for Residents. Unvaccinated staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Contact us with questions: If you have any questions about COVID-19 or the steps that we are taking to protect our residents, please contact Scot Harmon, Administrator, at 513-842-0774, sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administ