MoreToday’s Daily COVID-19 Report
A message to our East Long Meadow Skilled Nursing Center Staff, Families and Community
At East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center, we understand what an incredibly difficult time this is, and how important communication is to our extended community of residents, family members and staff. Therefore, we will continue to be providing regular updates on how the COVID-19 virus has impacted our facility. The below chart will be updated daily. As we share this information, please know that our staff across our organization are working tirelessly to manage this crisis. We are guided by all the proper regulatory and clinical guidelines, and you can be sure that we are always working for the best interest of our residents and staff. We thank you for your ongoing support during these challenging days. It means more than you could realize to our staff and residents. Please stay healthy and safe.
4.24.2020 Update
As of today, at East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center, 47 residents in-house have tested positive and 43 residents have tested negative. Sadly, 9 residents have passed away due to COVID-19 related issues.
4.17.2020 Update
East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center leadership made the decision to test all residents currently residing at the facility for COVID-19 due to recent positive cases in-house. As a result, 46 residents are currently being cared for at East Longmeadow that are positive for COVID-19, 50 residents are negative and six residents have passed away. We are deeply saddened by these losses in our community. We will continue to communicate closely with our residents and staff and stay in close contact with local and state health departments.
4.14.2020 Update
As of today, April 14, East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center has a total of 20 residents who are currently in-house that have tested positive. As many are aware, this pandemic is a rapidly evolving situation affecting communities, hospitals and nursing centers everywhere. We are learning and adapting to new developments every day, and we continue to work together within our system and with the Massachusetts Department of Health to address unprecedented challenges. Our full commitment is to protect the health and safety of our patients, residents and our heroic employees during this pandemic who continue with their tireless efforts and are providing tremendous care to our residents.
I am also deeply saddened to report that one resident has passed away in-house. It is extremely difficult at times like this to continue to remain positive, but through community support we are encouraged to push on and continue to care for our residents in tremendous ways during this unfathomable time. I could not be prouder to be standing behind the East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing team that have been on the front-line since this has begun and will continue to be there for our residents, your loved ones. It is humbling to be part of a community that during such times of trial continue to find the selfless emotional and physical strength to remain hopeful and full of fight.
Our existing protocols remain in place: staff absences are noted; all staff are being screened at the beginning of their shift for respiratory symptoms, actively taking their temperature for evidence of fever, shortness of breath, new or change in cough, and sore throat. If they are ill, they will self-isolate at home. We are following guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Health in this matter. I recognize that this is a time of great uncertainty. I can assure that your support has tremendous meaning to our residents and staff.
Respectfully,
Andy Goodsell, Administrator
4.10.2020 Update
As of today, April 10, the number of residents being cared for at East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing that have tested positive for COVID-19 is five. This is an increase of one from yesterday.
4.9.2020 Statement by Administrator
The past several weeks have been unprecedented, for our country and the world, as the COVID-19 virus has become front and center in all of our lives. The concerns you may have are shared by healthcare providers like ourselves as we navigate these uncharted waters. At East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center we recognize that time-sensitive and transparent communication with our residents, families and community is critical to how we all respond to this health crisis.
We have confirmed that four residents, who have been residing at our skilled nursing center, have recently tested positive for COVID-19. We have and will continue to work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the state and local health departments to isolate this situation and mitigate any future problems.
Please be assured that we have been preparing for this situation for the last several weeks knowing that the virus is present in our local communities. We are confident that our team of clinicians, nurses, aides and other support staff at East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing are well prepared to protect the ongoing health of our residents.
Throughout this entire public health crisis, we have been guided by, and consulted with, key federal and state agencies who are involved in the prevention and mitigation of the Corona virus. Their infection control, screening and assessment protocols have been instrumental in our preparedness for this situation. We continue to assess our residents and staff daily for signs or symptoms of COVID-19. It was the strict adherence to these protocols that enabled us to identify these cases and resulted in a swift response in caring for these patients and putting immediate precautions in place to help isolate the situation. We will continue to follow the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s guidance on notifying members of our community who may have had contact with these residents.
We understand the concerns around COVID-19. Now, with two residents who have tested positive; patients, families and community members may feel worried about the care we are able to provide to them or their loved ones. We encourage you to remember that the team members working to care for our residents at East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing are your neighbors and community members. They continue to work incredibly hard to ensure that our most vulnerable populations are being cared for with the highest quality of care, compassion and resources to safeguard their health and wellbeing.
East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing remains committed, as your community partner, to provide the best care possible. We are grateful for the efforts of our team here and our local healthcare partners, for their commitment and dedication to our residents and families. We are humbled by your trust in us and will continue to work tirelessly to earn that trust and confidence each day.
This website will be updated frequently with current information and updates that pertain to this evolving situation as it becomes available.
Best regards,
Andrew Goodsell, Adminsitrator