Covid-19 Information

June 18, 2021 (Current)

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Regulatory Changes: During a press conference yesterday, Governor DeWine terminated the state of emergency declaration for Ohio and added that the Director of Health would be discussing which orders would be rescinded with expected effective dates during a pre-planned webinar with LTC industry leaders today (6/18/21). Yesterday Juneteenth became a national holiday, and it is being observed for the 1st time today. As a result, the previously scheduled webinar has been rescheduled for Wednesday. We will communicate any changes to the LTC setting following the webinar in a Special Update next week.

Hamilton County's positivity rate: has declined to 1.8%. The visitation program can continue if the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

As always, if you have any questions please contact Scot Harmon sharmon@beechwoodhome.com (Administrator) and/or Patricia Clark pclark@beechwoodhome.com (CEO) and/or Heather Hefren hhefren@beechwoodhome.com (Director of Social Services).
Sincerely,

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

Click on date to see previous communications

June 11, 2021

June 4, 2021

May 28, 2021

May 21, 2021

May 14, 2021

May 8, 2021 Special Update

May 7, 2021

April 30, 2021

April 23, 2021

April 16, 2021

April 9, 2021 Special Update

April 9, 2021

April 3, 2021 Special Update

March 26, 2021

March 23, 2021 Special Update

March 22, 2021 Special Update

March 19, 2021

March 17, 2021 Special Update

March 12, 2021 Special Update

March 12, 2021

March 11, 2021 Special Update

March 5, 2021

February 26, 2021

February 18, 2121 Special Update

February 12, 2021

February 5, 2021

January 29, 2021

January 26, 2021 Special Update

January 25, 2021 Special Update

January 22, 2021

January 16, 2021 Special Update

January 15, 2021 Special Update

January 13, 2021 Special Update

January 11, 2021 Special Update

January 8, 2021 Special Update

January 8, 2021

December 2020

November 2020

October 2020

September 2020

August 2020

July 2020

June 2020

May 2020

April 2020

March 2020

_____________________________________________________________________________

June 11, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Regulatory Changes: There have been no regulatory/order changes from The Ohio Department of Health pertaining to Long Term Care facilities despite relaxation for the general public.

Hamilton County's positivity rate: has declined at 2.4%. The visitation program can continue if the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

June 4, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Stimulus Checks: Three rounds of stimulus checks have been distributed by the federal government totaling $3,200 to date. A majority of our residents received $1,200 (May 2020), $600 (January 2021) and $1,400 (April 2021). For the purposes of Medicaid eligibility, the stimulus checks individually do not count as income for a year. As a result, the grace period for the first stimulus check has now expired. If after taking all of your liquid assets and subtracting $2,000 ($600 + $1400), the amount exceeds $2,000 you are in jeopardy of losing your Medicaid coverage. Please take steps to spend down ASAP.

Hamilton County’s positivity rate: has declined at 3.0%. The visitation program can continue if the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

May 28, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Life Safety: Our Facilities Department would like to remind everyone of the following Life Safety regulations. In the coming weeks staff will be conducting audits for these items observed in plain site and will be removing any violations. Please take the next week to remove these items from the facility.

No items can be stored on the top shelf of the closet. It is purposely slanted to prevent items from being stored within 18” of the ceiling.
No extension cords, timers, surge protectors/power strips, 3-prong to 2-prong adapters and multiple plug adapters allowed in resident rooms. If there is a need for additional electrical outlets, please contact the maintenance department at 513-842-2774.
No items with heating elements or open flames
- candles are permitted if the wick has been removed
- hair dryers and curling irons are permitted if stored in the nursing station

Ohio Public Health Advisory System: This notification system is slated to be terminated.

Hamilton County’s positivity rate: has declined at 3.4%. The visitation program can continue as long as the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Thanks: The Emergency Preparedness Committee would like to thank everyone once again for all that you have done over the last year to help keep those who reside here safe by adhering to infection control practices. We will continue to communicate change from The Ohio Department of Health as they occur but appreciate your patience as Long Term Care Facilities continue to operate under a different set of orders than the general public.

Wishing everyone a safe Memorial Day.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

May 21, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Vaccine Clinic: Our next vaccine clinic will occur on 5/24/21 and Moderna will be administered. Residents and Staff that are interested in getting vaccinated during our clinic in June please contact Sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.

Ohio Public Health Advisory System: Hamilton County has turned orange. This indicates “Level 2 Public Emergency: increased exposure and spread. Exercise high degree of caution”. See https://coronavirus.ohio.gov for more information.

Hamilton County’s positivity rate: has declined at 3.7%. The visitation program can continue as long as the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

May 14, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

CDC Recommendations: The CDC recently made recommendations related to fully vaccinated individuals regarding mask use which delighted many. Please be aware that these recommendations do NOT apply to Long Term Care Facilities. All staff and visitors are still required by The Ohio Department of Health to wear a surgical mask while inside the facility. Residents are strongly encouraged to wear masks.

Vaccine Clinic: Our next vaccine clinic will occur on 5/24/21 and Moderna will be administered. Residents and Staff that are interested in getting vaccinated please contact Sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.

Ohio Public Health Advisory System: Hamilton County remains "red". This indicates "Level 3 Public Emergency: very high exposure and spread. Limit activities as much as possible". coronavirus.ohio.gov for more information.

Hamilton County's positivity rate: has remained stable at 4.6%. The visitation program can continue as long as the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

May 8, 2021 Special Update

Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Summary of Changes Since Last Notice:
We are reporting one (1) additional staff member who has tested positive. This brings our total active cases to one (1). The facility has had cumulative total of twenty-nine (29) staff confirmed Covid-19 tests 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 a physician certifies they are safe to return to work.

Action Plan.
Our action plan will mirror revised state and local guidance. Under this approach, all residents were tested yesterday evening and all tests came back negative. Zero (0) residents were identified as close contacts as a result Scheduled Visitation will continue without interruption. We will test all residents again next week and the following week. If all residents remain COVID-free throughout this period, we will revert back to testing of staff only. Unvaccinated staff will continue to be tested twice a week. 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
Administrator CEO

May 7, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Personal Shopping: For the extended period of time that family members were unable to come into the facility, many residents benefited from the personal shopping the Activities Department conducted on their behalf. As restrictions continue to relax, this department is resuming many pre-pandemic activities which no longer affords extended periods of time out of the facility. We ask that Residents and their loved ones coordinate on this topic going forward as much as possible.

Vaccine Clinic: Our next vaccine clinic will occur on 5/24/21 and Moderna will be administered. Residents and Staff that are interested in getting vaccinated please contact Sharmon@beechwoodhome.com.

Ohio Public Health Advisory System: Hamilton County remains “red”. This indicates “Level 3 Public Emergency: very high exposure and spread. Limit activities as much as possible”. See https://coronavirus.ohio.gov for more information.

Hamilton County’s positivity rate: has declined to 4.6%. The visitation program can continue as long as the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

April 30, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

COVID-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Hamilton County's positivity rate: has increased to 4.9%. The visitation program can continue as long as the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation: Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

April 23, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

PSA: We strongly encourage everyone to read the article below about a nursing home in KY which resulted in 18 fully vaccinated residents contracting covid-19. Vaccination is a significant tool in the fight again Covid-19 however we also want to stress that no vaccine ever created protects someone from illness 100%. The Ohio Department of Health now allows visitors to enter the facility and the vaccination status of these individuals is unknown. While not required, we strongly encourage anyone who visits the facility get vaccinated as you may be engaging with a resident in way that does not adhere to best practices regarding infection control. We acknowledge that there are staff members who have declined the vaccine taking care of your loved ones however these individuals are mandated to be covid tested twice a week and any positive case are hopefully caught before it can spread within the facility. We also have monthly vaccine clinics and hope that our staff vaccination rate continues to improve each month. https://www.kentucky.com/news/coronavirus/article250862594.html

Managing Risk: We acknowledge covid fatigue is an emotion felt by many however a majority of Ohioans are still not fully vaccinated. For those that are fully vaccinated, it easily can be interpreted as a liberating experience resulting in a life that returns to normal however this is not recommended by medical experts, especially as the highly infectious variant B.1.1.7 is currently circulating in our community. Local hospitals in Cincinnati are experiencing a surge in covid related admissions. In Europe the spread of B.1.1.7 is being characterized as an epidemic within a pandemic. The Ohio Department of Health continues to have restrictions stricter for nursing homes than is recommended by the CDC for the general public because congregate care setting are especially prone to a covid-19 outbreak due to the density of individuals. The Emergency Planning Committee simply requests that everyone ask themselves “is this worth the exposure?” as they go about their lives.

Mask Use Within the Facility:

Residents are required to wear a mask while attending a facility sponsored group activity.
Visitors are required to wear a mask at all times while in the facility.
Staff are required to wear a mask at all times in the facility unless they are working in a private office or eating while 6’ apart from anyone.
Residents are strongly encouraged to wear a mask while out of their room.

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a visitation opportunity.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

April 16, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Help Keep Us Covid Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Resident Quarantine: Currently The Ohio Department of Health mandates that a resident who has had a possible exposure to covid-19 quarantine for 14 days regardless of vaccination status. We recognize that this is more restrictive than the current recommendations by the CDC and acknowledge your frustration if this occurs to you or your loved one. The facility is licensed and operates under ODH therefore this is something we are required to do. If/when this occurs to your loved one, scheduled in-room visitation is suspended per ODH however compassionate care visits are available for scheduling per ODH. We recognize that this is confusing as your visit experience is almost identical. The more significant impact is felt by the resident who needs to stay in their room for 14 days. We hope that ODH reflects CDC regarding this topic soon.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation B.1.1.7 is now the dominant strain of covid-19 in America and it is significantly more infectious than the wild type (original strain) leading to exponential growth of Covid cases over the last couple weeks across the country. Please do all that you can to slow the spread of Covid, so that this program can continue uninterrupted. Appointments are available by scheduled request. Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a day/time for a visitation opportunity.

Hamilton County’s positivity rate: reporting unavailable this week. The visitation program can continue as long as the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

April 9, 2021 Special Update

Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Summary of Changes Since Last Notice:

We are reporting one (1) additional staff member who has tested positive. This brings our total active cases to two (2). The facility has had cumulative total of twenty-eight (28) confirmed Covid-19 tests 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 a physician certifies they are safe to return to work.

Action Plan.

Our action plan will mirror revised state and local guidance. Under this approach, all residents were tested this morning and all tests came back negative. Nineteen (19) residents were identified as close contacts and all families of those residents have been contacted. We will test all residents again next week and the following week. If all residents remain COVID-free throughout this period, we will revert back to testing of staff only. The staff will continue to be tested until the state testing schedule is revised. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.

If the responsible party/POA for your loved one was not contacted this morning, the scheduled indoor visitation program remains in operation without any interruption.

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) and Patricia A. Clark, DM (Administrator, CEO)

April 9, 2021

Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Covid-19 Status: We have had no known positive resident cases of COVID-19!

Happy 1^st Anniversary to our DON Kendra Smith: Kendra joined our team in March last year as our Director of Nursing, just as all our lives took an unexpected turn for the unknown. She has tirelessly led the nursing team during the pandemic, and we want to congratulate her for the amazing Covid Free resident status that we proudly continue. We hope that more family members can meet her as the facility takes steps back to normalcy, something Kendra is very much looking forward to experiencing for the first time. When not at work, Kendra is chasing around five children, two dogs, mastering car mechanic skills or enjoying nature with her fiancé. She can be reached at ksmith@beechwoodhome.com.

Weekend Front Door Access: Beginning this weekend, the front doors will be open from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM for resident use only on Saturdays and Sundays. A Weekend Security Guard will be upstairs at the desk controlling access through the doors. Staff and family members are not permitted to use this as an entrance into the facility due to Covid monitoring setup at the Garden Level Entrance.

Make Up Shower Program- Kendra is rolling out a program to ensure that any missed showers are made up shortly afterwards. This program will be monitored by our Supervisors and audited by Kendra.

Scheduled In-Room Visitation: Scheduled In-Room Visitation appears to be going well and we thank everyone for their compliance with the program structure. We encourage everyone to continue to follow infection control guidelines to prevent a surge of Covid specifically related to B.1.1.7 variant in Ohio. Appointments are available by scheduled request. Please e-mail melder@beechwoodhome.com to request a day/time for a visitation opportunity.

Hamilton County’s positivity rate: has remained stable at 4.1%. The visitation program can continue as long as the positivity rate remains below 10%.

Help Keep Us Covid-19 Free: If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or an upper respiratory infection, please stay away from the facility.

Scot Harmon, Patricia A. Clark, DM
Administrator CEO, Administrator

April 3, 2021 Special Update

Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,

Summary of Changes Since Last Notice:

We are reporting one (1) additional staff member who has tested positive. This brings our total active cases to two (2). The facility has had cumulative total of twenty-seven (27) confirmed Covid-19 tests 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 a physician certifies they are safe to return to work.

Action Plan.

Our action plan will mirror revised state and local guidance. Under this approach, all residents were tested yesterday morning and all tests came back negative. Zero (0) residents were identified as close contacts as a result Scheduled Visitation will continue without interruption. We will test all residents again next week and the following week. If all residents remain COVID-free throughout this period, we will revert back to testing of staff only. The staff will continue to be tested twice a week until the state testing schedule is revised. 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) and Patricia A. Clark, DM (Administrator, CEO)