COVID-19

Updated:  Friday, April 9, 2021

Breaking News

Governor Inslee issued a Proclamation on March 18 relaxing visitor restrictions in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. DSHS and DOH developed guidelines and regulations for us to follow. We began allowing visitors on March 29. Please review the following rules to ensure that we can safely open our doors to you, and continue to allow visitors.

1. Regardless of vaccination status, outdoor visits are preferred and there is no limit to the number of visitors for an outdoor visit as long as social distancing requirements can be met.
2. Unvaccinated residents may only visit with a vaccinated visitor; vaccinated residents may visit with an unvaccinated visitor; unvaccinated residents and unvaccinated guests may not visit indoors. 
3. If the visitor and the resident intended to be visited are not vaccinated, please call to schedule an outdoor visit, window visit, or a virtual visit.  It is a violation of the Governor’s Proclamation for guests to visit a resident if both parties are unvaccinated.
4. Well-fitting face masks are required for both visitor and resident at all times.  Well-fitting face masks are defined as covering both the mouth and nose with no gapping or drooping.
5. Because masks are required throughout the visit, food and drink are not permitted.
6. Hand hygiene is required before and after visits.
7. All visitors will be screened for signs & symptoms of COVID-19, temperature check, and whether there has been close contact with a COVID positive person.  Entry will be denied to those that fail screening.
8. Visitors must acknowledge they have reviewed the notice about unvaccinated visitors and that it is a violation of the Governor’s Proclamation to visit an unvaccinated resident if the visitor is also unvaccinated.
9. Indoor visits:
   • Indoor visits can be accommodated Monday – Friday from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 8:00 am until 2:30 pm.
   • For residents in private rooms, indoor visits are limited to two persons, and should take place in the room.
   • For residents who share a room, visits will occur in the room as long as both residents are completely vaccinated, and the roommate agrees.  Residents with roommates are limited to one visitor at a time in order to comply with infection control guidelines.
   • Visits are allowed only for residents who have been fully vaccinated, or when the visitor has been fully vaccinated.
   • Fully vaccinated means that 14 days have passed since the final vaccine dose.
   • Visitor should go directly to the visiting area for their resident.
   • Because of Social Distancing concerns, we prefer that visitors use stairs rather than elevators.
   • Visitors should go directly to the designated visiting area, limiting movement through the facility.  Any questions for staff should be addressed by phone or email after the visit.
   • Indoor visits are limited to 45 minutes.

Your cooperation in maintaining infection control protocols, including handwashing, social distancing, and wearing masks is imperative.  If COVID-19 finds its way into the Odd Fellows Home, residents will be subjected to quarantine, and all visitation will cease for at least one month.

Update

At this time, we have no cases of COVID-19 among our residents or staff. We are testing all our staff regularly.

We continue to screen all residents and all employees for signs and symptoms of this disease on a daily basis.  Employees with any symptoms, whether tested or not, are sent home for a 14-day quarantine period.

Obviously, those infected individuals who present no symptoms elude our screening efforts.

East Care Center

# of residents with confirmed COVID-19	0
# of residents with suspected COVID-19	0
# of residents with symptoms of COVID-19	0
3 or more residents or staff with new respiratory symptoms	no

West Care Center

# of residents with confirmed COVID-19	0
# of residents with suspected COVID-19	0
# of residents with symptoms of COVID-19	0
3 or more residents or staff with new respiratory symptoms	no

Assisted Living

# of residents with confirmed COVID-19	0
# of residents with suspected COVID-19	0
# of residents with symptoms of COVID-19	0
3 or more residents or staff with new respiratory symptoms	no

Merriam Street Apartments

# of residents with confirmed COVID-19

0

Clinton Street Apartments

# of residents with confirmed COVID-19

0

Employees

# of employees with confirmed COVID-19	0
# of employees with suspected COVID-19	0
# of employees with symptoms of COVID-19	0

Vaccination

Why do I have to wear a mask after getting immunized to COVID-19?

• The vaccine prevents COVID-19 disease, severe disease, and death.
• We do not know if the vaccine prevents asymptomatic infection.
• Until we know that, we must assume that vaccinated people might get COVID-19 but not know it.
• Masks and social distancing will still be required until we have more information.

How long does vaccine immunity to COVID-19 last?

• We don’t know.  COVID-19 is a brand-new human disease, we will need more time to determine how long vaccine responses last.

How will viral mutations affect COVID-19 vaccines?

• We don’t know.  Scientists are actively tracking this.  Viral mutation is always possible, so scientists factored this in when creating the vaccines.
• Flattening the curve and reducing infections also reduces the possibility of viral mutation.

New Admissions

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington Odd Fellows Home is taking extra precautions to prevent potential exposure to our residents.  Any resident admitted to our skilled nursing facility from the hospital or the community who is not fully vaccinated will be admitted under quarantine for 14 days regardless of the presence of any symptoms. Fully vaccinated means that at least 14 days have passed since the final vaccine dose.

Testing

We routinely test staff for COVID-19.

What We Are Doing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recommended a number of steps that we have implemented to help reduce the potential for the virus to enter our building. However, we need your help in battling COVID-19.

These restrictions are in place to protect our residents from unnecessary contact with people who may have had contact with COVID-19.  Twenty percent of residents residing in Long Term Care facilities who have contracted this disease have died.  We implore you to do your part to not add to that statistic.

Preventive measures and changes that the Odd Fellows Home has implemented:

1. Limited access to the facility; all exterior doors are locked 24/7.
2. Visitors are allowed under the limitations set by the Governor’s Proclamation.
3. All large group activities are cancelled.
4. All large group dining has been stopped.
5. All employees are screened for signs & symptoms of COVID-19 prior to work.
6. All residents are screened for signs & symptoms of COVID-19 on a daily basis.
7. Temporary satellite employee break rooms have been created to accommodate appropriate distancing.
8. A separately staffed quarantine unit has been set up for newly admitted residents and residents returning from the hospital who are not fully vaccinated, and for residents who have or are presumed to have COVID-19.
9. All staff wear masks.
10. All residents wear masks when they are out of their rooms.
11. All residents wear masks while receiving care.
12. Staff in the quarantine unit wear full PPE.

If you are not local, you can learn about COVID-19 in the Walla  Walla area.  The Walla Walla County Health Department provides updated information at its website.

The health, safety, and care of your loved one is our priority.  Thank you for your support as we navigate this unprecedented situation.

Visiting Residents

Walla Walla County is in Phase 3 of the recovery process. However, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are considered to be in Phase 2.  As Walla Walla County progresses through the re-opening sequence, the phased re-opening of long term care facilities is independent of that.

The County must maintain a transmission rate of fewer than 75 cases/100K for two weeks in order for facilities to qualify for moving to Phase 2 of the re-opening.  That metric was met on March 19. Walla Walla County currently has a transmission rate of 59.5/100K. In addition, the Odd Fellows Home must have a 28-day lapse since the last positive COVID-19 test; we meet that requirement. Finally, we must ensure that we have adequate staff, PPE, supplies, testing, and capacity; we do not meet this requirement, but we continually attempt to procure needed staff and supplies.

Outdoor Visits

Phase 2 for re-opening long term care facilities includes a provision for outdoor family visits.  As of August 12, 2020 we have been permitting outdoor visits.  These take place at various patios on the campus. Tables are set up in groups of three to promote social distancing.

There are a few rules for these visits Outdoor Visits:

1. Outdoor visits are always preferred and are the only in-person mode of visiting for residents and visitors who are not fully vaccinated.
2. Visitors will be screened for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 prior to the visit.
3. Masking, Social Distancing, and hand hygiene are mandatory.
4. Because masking is mandatory, food and drink are not permitted during outdoor visits.
5. All visits will take place outdoors in a designated Visiting Area.
6. There is no presumption of privacy for an outdoor visit.
7. Due to risk of exposure, holding hands, hugging, kissing, or other physical contact are not allowed during visits for residents and visitors who are not fully vaccinated.
8. Residents in quarantine are ineligible for outdoor visits.
9. Violation of social distancing and masking, and hygiene requirements will result in the family being banned from Outdoor Visits.  In addition, violations of social distancing and masking will result in a 14-day quarantine period for the resident.

Indoor Visits

On March 13, 2020 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services implemented a COVID mandate to all nursing and long-term care settings regarding visitor restrictions. The new requirements state that all facilities should restrict visitation for ALL visitors and non-essential healthcare personnel, except for certain compassionate care situations, which includes Hospice or end of life situations. On November 17, 2020, these policies were updated with changes being added due to new mandates put in place by Washington State DOH & DSHS. The state regulations have been revised yet again on February 1, 2021, and yet again on March 19, 2021.  The following guidelines must be strictly followed under our Compassionate Care Policy:

• Indoor visits are allowed for visitors or residents who are fully vaccinated.
• Compassionate Care Visits are intended for those resident who have COVID-19, or are in quarantine or isolation.
  • Limited to resident’s room only.
  • Do not stop to engage with residents or staff members.
  • Physical contact with residents is not allowed; no hugging or touching
  • Limited to two visitors at a time
• Do not visit if you are not feeling well or have had any symptoms of COVID 19. You will be screened prior to each visit and will not be allowed to visit if any presumptive signs of COVID-19 are present.
• Do not visit if you have had exposure to someone that has a cough, cold, or symptoms of COVID 19 until they receive a negative COVID test result or have had 14 full days from exposure.
• Do not visit if you have engaged in activities outside of State of Washington’s current mandates, including out of state travel and household activities that are currently discouraged.
• A properly fitting face mask must be worn at all times. Do not take the mask off while in your loved one’s room, NO EXCEPTIONS!
• Hand washing is required FREQUENTLY during visits. You will also need to complete a handwashing in-service with our nursing staff.

Please understand our residents are the most AT-RISK POPULATION.  If you do not follow the above guidelines you place your loved one and our facility at risk. If your loved one becomes positive, there is exposure to our staff that also increases exposure risk to our 300+ residents in the Odd Fellows Home.  If any of these guidelines are not followed, we have the right to revoke your visiting privileges.

We are asking difficult things of you during these very difficult times. While COVID 19 often is a mild disease with the general population, this is not the case in nursing homes. Facilities locally have had huge outbreaks and several deaths.  Please help our facility to not become part of these statistics.

Virtual Visits

We encourage families to communicate with their loved ones via FaceTime or Google Duo.  Our Activities Staff can help residents with this technology.  Please contact Lisa to help facilitate a virtual visit!

FaceTime  is a free video communication program from Apple for iPhone or iPad users.

GoogleDuo is a free video communication program for anyone with a GMail account.  Download at the App Store or Play Store.

Window Visits are set up so that you can visit with a resident through an intercom system. We have infrared heaters installed to try to make these visits as comfortable as possible for our families.

Of course, you are welcome to bring goodies or a “care package” to your loved one.  Just ring the doorbell at the main entrance from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, and we will meet you at the door to deliver your package!

Please remember, it’s not just your family member that you are sharing things with.  If you introduce the virus, 300+ people are now at risk.  Please help us keep everyone safe and respect the restrictions.  They apply to us all.

Assisted Living News

Kari has been keeping our Assisted Living community updated with a weekly newsletter. Here are the back issues: