BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont nursing and rehab facility said it is recommending that its residents do not leave the facility over the Christmas holiday after more than 30 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past month.
Focused Care at Summer Place 'remained COVID-19 free until a resident tested positive on Nov. 16' according to a news release.
Testing since the Thanksgiving holiday has showed 34 positive test results in residents and five staff.
"Leaving the Focused Care community could increase your loved one’s risk for exposure to COVID-19 and we have options to keep you connected in a meaningful way via video chats, mobile phone calls and window visits," the facility said in a Dec. 15 news release.
The facility said it 'made clear it concurred with both federal and state agency recommendations' ahead of Thanksgiving.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued 'guidance' on Nov. 18, 'encouraging families to carefully consider family/group gatherings over the holidays.'
From a Focused Care at Summer Place news release:
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States during the spring of 2020, residents at Focused Care at Summer Place remained COVID-19 free until a resident tested positive on November 16th.
Following routine testing after the Thanksgiving holiday and including subsequent testing, 34 total residents were identified as positive for COVID-19 between December 7th and 10th. An additional 5 team members at the community tested positive and are quarantining off site.
Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday and again for December holidays, Focused Care conveyed recommendations to family members, residents and team members from the CDC and the Texas State Health and Human Services. The HHSC urged in a webinar to family members prior to Thanksgiving that they avoid large holiday gatherings and encouraged outdoor gatherings as opposed to indoor events. They also urged families to follow other CDC guidance, such as observing proper hand hygiene and wearing masks.
Focused Care made clear it concurred with both federal and state agency recommendations and the following information was sent to family members of loved ones cared for in Focused Care communities: Per guidance issued on November 18, 2020 from the federal government agency that oversees nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), we are encouraging families to carefully consider family/group gatherings over the holidays.
CMS recommends that residents do not leave the building, including during the holidays. Leaving the Focused Care community could increase your loved one’s risk for exposure to COVID-19 and we have options to keep you connected in a meaningful way via video chats, mobile phone calls and window visits. At the same time, Skilled Nursing News predicted a surge in long term care deaths attributed to COVID-19 following the holidays.
Focused Care has invested in several measures to reduce the rate of infection among the vulnerable residents to whom we provide care, and in light of this highly contagious and unpredictable virus, we have stepped up our efforts and our investment in protecting the health and safety of our residents and team members. All Focused Care long term care communities use MediClean Pro, a top of the line disinfectant registered by the EPA to treat against COVID-19, to disinfect surfaces and provide maximum effectiveness and germ sanitization. All Focused Care communities employ a strict and extensive sterilization protocol that covers disinfecting of equipment and supplies, resident rooms and general traffic areas.
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