BEAUMONT, Texas — Some nursing homes in Southeast Texas are beginning to limit visitors amid concern about the coronavirus.
Two nursing homes, Calder Woods and Pelican Bay Assisted Living Community, both in Beaumont, have released statements on social media announcing limited visitation beginning Thursday and Friday.
Pelican Bay is not allowing any non-essential visits effective immediately according to a post on the facility’s Facebook page on Thursday.
Calder Woods is limiting visitors to only residents with “end-of-life situations” and visits “essential to a resident’s emotional well-being and care” beginning March 13, 2020, at noon according to a post on their Facebook page.
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Our number one priority is the health and safety of our residents and team members. Below is an important update to our COVID-19 response.
Effective immediately, non-essential visits are no longer permitted at our community, and public events are canceled until further notice. We appreciate your understanding as we limit possible exposure of our residents to illness. Please continue to follow us on Facebook for any updates.
Buckner Retirement Services will implement a limited access visitation policy as a safety measure against the rapid advance of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. The limited access policy is effective Friday, March 13 at noon and will apply to BRS’s six communities, including Buckner Villas in Austin, Parkway Place in Houston, Ventana by Buckner in Dallas, Calder Woods in Beaumont, Westminster Place in Longview, and Baptist Retirement Community in San Angelo.
The temporary visitation policy follows guidelines proved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. They include the limitation of visitors within the communities except for end-of-life situations or when a visitor is essential for the resident’s emotional well-being and care.
From the CDC - Things facilities should do now, before there are cases in their community or facility…
Educate Residents, Healthcare Personnel, and Visitors
- Share the latest information about COVID-2019.
- Review CDC’s Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or Persons Under Investigation for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings.
- Educate and train HCP.
- Reinforce sick leave policies. Remind HCP not to report to work when ill.
- Reinforce adherence to infection prevention and control measures, including hand hygiene and selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Have HCP demonstrate competency with putting on and removing PPE.
- Educate both facility-based and consultant personnel (e.g., wound care, podiatry, barber) and volunteers. Including consultants is important because they often provide care in multiple facilities and can be exposed to or serve as a source of pathogen transmission.
- Educate residents and families including:
- information about COVID-19
- actions the facility is taking to protect them and their loved ones, including visitor restrictions
- actions residents and families can take to protect themselves in the facility
Provide Supplies for Recommended Infection Prevention and Control Practices
- Hand hygiene supplies:
- Put alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60–95% alcohol in every resident room (ideally both inside and outside of the room) and other resident care and common areas (e.g., outside dining hall, in therapy gym).
- Make sure that sinks are well-stocked with soap and paper towels for handwashing.
- Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette:
- Make tissues and facemasks available for coughing people.
- Consider designating staff to steward those supplies and encourage appropriate use by residents, visitors, and staff.
- Make necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available in areas where resident care is provided. Put a trash can near the exit inside the resident room to make it easy for staff to discard PPE prior to exiting the room, or before providing care for another resident in the same room. Facilities should have supplies of:
- facemasks
- respirators (if available and the facility has a respiratory protection program with trained, medically cleared, and fit-tested HCP)
- gowns
- gloves
- eye protection (i.e., face shield or goggles).
- Environmental cleaning and disinfection:
- Make sure that EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectants are available to allow for frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces and shared resident care equipment.
- Refer to List on the EPA website for EPA-registered disinfectants that have qualified under EPA’s emerging viral pathogens program for use against SARS-CoV-2.
