Nursing homes in the Bradford and Smethport areas enacted new visitors’ policies as of this week, protecting the elderly residents through minimal to no visitation.
The Pavilion at Bradford Regional Medical Center has a no-visitors policy implemented, according to Dr. William Mills, senior vice president of quality and professional affairs at Upper Allegheny Health System, the parent company of BRMC.
Bradford Ecumenical Home Inc., shared a release Friday outlining the current no-visitor policy and the efforts in place to help “prevent and contain cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel virus.”
“The health and wellness of our residents and caregiving teams who support them is our top priority,” said Lisa Johnson, CEO of Bradford Ecumenical Home. “Our team is concerned, we are informed, and we are providing education and resources. This is a fast-changing situation, and we are committed to ensuring residents, their families, our dedicated staff, and community are aware of our efforts and the precautions required for COVID-19 prevention and containment.”
In light of this, the release stated, “The Continuing Care Retirement Community has also implemented its emergency preparedness plan advising all friends and family of our residents to refrain from visiting at this time. We understand the importance of communicating with loved ones and encourage folks to use other means such as telephone, video chat, email or social media.”
The release noted that Bradford Ecumenical Home officials are in regular communication with local and state public health officials, including Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services as well as with officials at the CDC.
“Adhering to these precautions are vital to helping us avoid and minimize the possible spread of coronavirus,” said Johnson. “At this time, we do not have any diagnosed cases of residents or staff being infected with coronavirus. Open communication is crucial. We will provide regular updates via our website, email and social media platforms regarding our community’s status.”
Bradford Manor posted a statement to its Facebook page Wednesday, noting that
“During this time of abundant precautions, our duty is to protect our resident’s health, safety, and quality of life. We have made the tough decision to limit 1 visitor per resident per day until further notice. This rapidly changing situation is being monitored by our team, we are following the newly updated CDC guidelines for COVID-19 and want to assure you that our top priority is the safety of our residents. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to our administrator or director of nursing and we would be glad to answer your questions.”
The visitation guidelines for Bradford Manor are as follows:
— One visitor at a time per resident, per day
— Visiting hours are as follows: 9 – 11 a.m., 1 – 3 p.m., 6 – 8 p.m.
— Visitors can enter through one door (which will be clearly marked), where a staff member will ask questions and check your temperature.
Questions include if you’ve traveled internationally to restricted countries, such as China, South Korea, Iran, Italy or Japan in the last 14 days; have you been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed or suspected of COVID-19 and whether you are exhibiting symptoms such as fever, cough and sore throat.
Smethport-area
As of Thursday morning, Sena Kean Manor issued a statement that the facility “is taking precautions. Until further notice, we are requesting that all visitors please refrain from visiting, secondary to the COVID-19 as per CMS guidelines and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are implementing these measures as a precaution, no presumed or confirmed cases have been found here. Please contact Sue Ganczac at 887-5601 if you have questions.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work together to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our residents and staff.”
Lakeview Senior Care and Living Center officials made a similar decision Thursday, enacting a no-visitors policy as of Friday morning.
Elk County
Penn Highlands Jefferson Manor in Brookville and Penn Highlands Elk Pinecrest Manor in St. Marys, both a part of Penn Highlands Healthcare, are restricting visitors, as per the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendations for long-term care facilities. This means no visitors are allowed unless there are emergency circumstances approved by nursing home administration. These restrictions are in place to protect residents and staff.
Also, Penn Highlands Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is limiting visitors to the babies’ parents. This will protect the littlest patients, families and staff.
