Covid-19 Information
May 18th, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Letter from 360 Care: It has come to our attention that Residents/Responsible Parties are starting to receive a notice regarding medical and life insurance from 360 Care and are calling with questions. Please be aware that The Beechwood Home has NOT agreed to partner with this program and we’re NOT involved with its development. We have contacted 360 Care, who provides ancillary services in-house to our Residents, indicating that they are not authorized to use our name in any of their marketing materials. We apologize for any confusion this has caused. Please contact Heather @ Hhefren@beechwoodhome.com with questions.
Sign Out Books: As Residents begin to spend more time in the community, please remember to sign out/sign in at the books located on each clinical floor. This is vitally important if we are unable to locate a Resident and are investigating if we need to initiate a missing person protocol.
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).
Sincerely, Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
May 4, 2022
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) staff member who has tested positive for Covid-19. This brings our total active cases to two (2). The facility has had a cumulative total of ninety-four (94) Staff and twenty-two (22) Resident confirmed Covid-19 PCR 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 they meet the mandated criteria to return to work.
Action Plan: Our action plan will mirror revised state and local guidance. Seventeen (17) Residents were identified as close contacts and Nursing has contacted the responsible parties.
If you have not been contacted by Nursing about this matter, your loved one was not identified as a close contact. We have implemented Outbreak Testing which consists of four covid tests at intervals recommended by public health guidelines. All first-round rapid tests came back negative this morning. We will PCR the close contacts on Friday. The third covid test will be administered around a week from today. The fourth covid test will be administered about 14 days from today. Unvaccinated/not up-to-date staff are required to be tested weekly and we continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of up-to-date vaccinated staff weekly. Any subsequent positive test results will be communicated.
Additional protective measures will only be implemented if there is internal spread of covid-19 to the Residents.
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 (CEO, Administrator)
May 3rd, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Special Guest: Our beloved Father Earl K. Fernandes, who held mass at the facility from 2008-2016, will be officiating service on 5/6/2022 @ 3:00 PM followed by a short reception.
3rd Floor Care Conferences: Beginning 5/11/22, 3rd floor care conferences will be held on Wednesdays.
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).
Sincerely, Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
April 29, 2022
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) staff member with confirmed Covid-19. This brings our total active cases to one (1). The facility has had a cumulative total of ninety-three (93) Staff and twenty-two (22) 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 mirror revised state and local guidance. Zero (0) Residents were identified as close contacts therefore there will be no outbreak testing for Residents. Unvaccinated/not up-to-date staff are required to be tested weekly and we continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of up-to-date 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.
Click on date to see previous communications
April 22, 2022
March 25, 2022
March 11, 2022
February 18, 2022
February 11, 2022
February 11, 2022 Update
February 9, 2022 Update
February 4, 2022 Update
February 1, 2022 Update
January 30, 2022 Update
January 28, 2022
January 28, 2022 Update
January 26, 2022 Update
January 24, 2022 Update
January 21, 2022 Update
January 19, 2022 Important Message
January 19, 2022
January 17, 2022 Update
January 14, 2022
January 13, 2022 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 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
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April 22, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Guest Meals: In collaboration with Forefront and easing of pandemic restrictions, we are pleased to announce resuming guest meals for purchase during lunch and dinner beginning on Monday April 25th. The Guest meal offering will mirror the standard meal scheduled for the Residents. Beverages are not included, however they are available for purchase at a vending machine located on the 1st floor. The tray will be delivered to your loved one’s room along with their tray. Guest meals are available for purchase from the Receptionist at the Garden Level for $5 each and the only forms of acceptable payment at this time are cash or RTA deduction. Verbal permission from a Resident who is alert and oriented is required before a family member can request funds to purchase a meal be deducted from a Resident Trust Account. Orders will be communicated to the Kitchen following receipt of payment. Lunch requests need to be in by 11:00 AM and dinner requests need to be in by 4:00 PM. Orders will be accepted only on the day the meal is served (no pre-orders will be accepted). We will be trialing this program for two months. Please feel free to communicate feedback regarding your experience with this program to hhefren@beechwoodhome.com.
Breakfast Serving Times: To better reflect what is occurring in our dining rooms, breakfast will be served at the following times to ensure the highest qualify experience. 1st floor: 8:00 AM 2nd floor: 8:15 AM 3rd floor: 7:55 AM
Vaccine Booster Clinic: Skilled Care Pharmacy will be conducting a vaccine clinic on May 2nd between 9a-11a to administer vaccines to those who qualify. For the 2nd booster (aka 4th shot) a Resident/Staff member needs to be 50+ years old and a duration of at least four months has passed since your 1st booster (aka 3rd shot). This will be the last vaccination clinic available for staff related to the availability of vaccines in the community.
Who To Contact Quick Reference Guide: This guide was created to help direct questions/comments/concerns to the most appropriate individual to ensure a timely response to your inquiry.
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). Sincerely, Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
March 25, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Our Covid-19 committee met this week to discuss regulatory and facility specific restrictions currently in place related to the ongoing pandemic. We are very pleased to announce a relaxation of many of the restrictions put in place to protect our community. Please be aware that our Covid-19 committee will continue to assess that status of the pandemic and restrictions may be implemented again if conditions change.
Regulatory Mandates:
- Weekly staff testing of unvaccinated/not up-to-date vaccinated individuals. We will continue to proactively test all up-to-date vaccinated staff members on a weekly basis also.
- Outbreak testing of Residents
- Everyone within a LTC facility, except for Residents, are required to wear a mask with a minimum level of protection provided by a surgical mask. This needs to be worn during the duration of your visit.
- Setup of an isolation unit (which is utilizing our main therapy gym space).
Facility Specific Restrictions:
- RELAXATION- Effective today, the facility will have no formal visiting hours. As a result, the drop off tables will be removed from the glass entry way. Family/friends will need to take and/or pickup any items for a Resident to their room. Please be aware that visitors are not permitted to "sleep/spend the night" at the facility, anyone observed exhibiting this type of activity will be asked to leave.
- RELAXATION- Effective today visitors will have open access to the facility except for dining spaces.
- RELAXATION: Effective today 3rd party contractors will be required to undergo a rapid test if they are going into areas with Residents. Any contractor that will remain on the Garden Level is exempt going forward.
- RELAXATION: Effective today volunteers will be permitted to freely move about the facility. Volunteers are required to undergo a rapid test prior to entry.
- RELAXATION: Effective Monday 3/28/22 the door to the front circle will be open until 8:00 PM daily.
- RELAXATION: Facility sponsored outings into the community will resume gradually.
- RELAXATION: Tours of the facility will resume on an as needed basis, with as few people as possible. These individuals will be rapid tested prior to entry.
NO CHANGE: All entry into the facility will continue to occur on the Garden Level as we are still required to screen everyone prior to entry with a Covid questionnaire and temperature check.
NO CHANGE: Large event spaces (TLCR, Cinema Rooms and Beech Room) will continue to be unavailable for reservations.
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).
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
March 11, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Hamilton County's positivity rate: has decreased to 2.6% through the week of 3/2. This is a 1.81% decrease over last week's reported positivity rate through 2/23. The county is now officially YELLOW and eye protection is no longer mandatory for staff. Masks are still required by staff and visitors.
Staffing Changes: The following staffing changes have occurred recently, and we wanted to ensure everyone was aware of who to contact if needed. Please call 513-321-9294 and our Receptionist can help connect you.
- Denise Cooper has been promoted to Director of Nursing. Denise previously was the 3rd floor MDS Nurse and has been with Beechwood for over three years. She has served as the DON in previous facilities during her career.
- Susan Kerby has been promoted to Assistant Director of Nursing. Susan has served in a variety of roles including Medical Records, MDS and RN Supervisor during the 18 years she has worked here.
- Marcia Fancher has accepted the position of Clinical Coordinator/Scheduler. Marcia has been with Beechwood for 24 years and has served as our DON, ADON and as a Unit Manager.
- Belinda Rose is transitioning to full-time MDS Coordinator and will cover the 2nd and 3rd Floors. Belinda has been with Beechwood for over 16 years and has served as our DON during that time.
- Forefront: We are transitioning our Housekeeping/Environmental and Dietary/Culinary Services to Forefront Health Services starting 3/13/22. As with any change there may be some unforeseen challenges to work through however we are confident the service models delivered in the future will increase overall resident satisfaction in these very important aspects of Beechwood's operations. Our Administrator, Scot, will work closely with Forefront and serve as the primary communicator between the organizations. Social Services will also be available to receive feedback during this transition. Members of Forefront's Leadership Team will be available to Residents on March 17th at 1:30 PM to answer questions about their operations. Information can also be found at https://forefronthealthcare.com/. All employees who previously held positions in these departments have been offered employment with Forefront and most have elected to continue to serve The Beechwood Home in this capacity.
- Heather's Maternity Leave: Heather is projected to be on maternity leave starting late June/early July for 8-10 weeks. Similar to her maternity leave in 2020, a temp will be brought on to cover 3rd floor Social Service matters and other duties will be distributed amongst colleagues. If there are any major projects/concern you would like assistance with, please try to reach our ASAP.
Updates Going Forward: Due to the significant improvement pertaining to Covid-19's status in our community recently, distributing a weekly update has not been warranted. The feedback received since March 2020 regarding our communication practices has been overwhelmingly positive and we plan to continue to utilize this platform as needed to share information that is important for everyone to know.
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).
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
February 18, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Return to New Normal: We are thrilled to have resumed our "new normal" operations as of this morning with residents comingling, 1st-floor dining, and large group activities back in full swing. We appreciate everyone's patience during this 2nd Covid-19 outbreak within the facility.
Hamilton County's Positivity Rate: has decreased to 10.65% through the week of 2/9. This is a 4.69% decrease over last week's reported positivity rate through 2/2.
Mask Guidance: There is lots of chatter on the news sites this week that as the Omicron wave subsides, mask guidance is expected to be updated. As always during the pandemic, guidance for the general community differs from that for the Long-Term Care setting. We will continue to monitor our regulatory bodies for changes related to our setting and will communicate them as they become available.
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).
February 11, 2022
Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Anticipated Return to New Normal Date: Pending no additional Resident cases of Covid-19, our projected "return to new normal" date is Friday February 18th. 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.
Positivity rate: Hamilton County's positivity rate has decreased to 15.34% through the week of 2/2. This is a 5.31% decrease over last week's reported positivity rate through 1/25.
Vaccine Clinic: Our next vaccine clinic will be held on Tuesday February 15, 2022. Moderna and Pfizer boosters will be available. Anyone starting a Covid vaccination series will have Moderna administered. Please let us know if you are interested in participating.
Super Bowl Sunday: There is much enthusiasm swirling around Beechwood today in preparation for the Super Bowl on Sunday. The hallways are decorated with posters and balloons. People are decked out in their best fanwear. Activities has prepared Crush and Root Beer floats for everyone while the Kitchen has prepared themed cookies for the Residents. We anticipate the hallways to be filled with much cheering Sunday evening.
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).
Sincerely,
Scot Harmon (Administrator) & Patricia Clark, DM (CEO, Administrator)
February 11, 2022 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) staff member with PCR confirmed Covid-19. This brings our total active cases to three (3). The facility has had a cumulative total of ninety-two (92) Staff and twenty-two (22) 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 on day 8 of our Resident Testing Protocol. Pending no additional Resident cases, Residents will be tested on Monday and Thursday with an anticipated return to new normal date for Friday (2/18/22). Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day 0. Unvaccinated/non-boosted staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of boosted 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)
February 9, 2022 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) staff member with PCR confirmed Covid-19. This brings our total active cases to two (2). The facility has had a cumulative total of ninety-one (91) Staff and twenty-two (22) 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 on day 6 of our Resident Testing Protocol. All Residents in the building were PCR swabbed today. Pending no additional Resident cases, all Residents will be sporadically tested through day 14. Any new case will reset the testing protocol to day 0. Unvaccinated/non-boosted staff are required to be tested twice a week and we will continue voluntary surveillance monitoring of boosted 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)
February 4, 2022 Update
Dear Residents/Family/Friends/Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) staff member and one (1) Resident with PCR confirmed Covid-19. This brings our total active cases to four (4). The facility has had a cumulative total of ninety (90) Staff and twenty-two (22) 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. 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 exceeds revised state and local guidance. Our testing protocol has been reset and we are now at day 0. All Residents in the building will be tested daily Sunday-Tuesday with Rapid Antigen tests. Pending no additional Resident cases, all Residents will be PCR tested on Wednesday and then sporadically tested 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.
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)
February 1, 2022 Update
Dear Residents, Family, Friends and Staff,
Summary of Changes Since Last Notice: We are reporting one (1) staff member with PCR confirmed Covid-19. This brings our total active cases to seven (7).The facility has had a cumulative total of eighty-nine (89) Staff and twenty-one (21) 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. Our testing protocol has been reset and we are now at day 4. All Residents in the building will be tested tomorrow with Rapid Antigen tests. Pending no additional Resident cases, all Residents will be PCR tested on Thursday and then sporadically y tested 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.
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)