August 18, 2021

 

The Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to climb across the country. The positivity rate in Milwaukee County has exceeded 10% which now means that employees are required to test for COVID-19 two times per week. Currently we do not have any positive cases within our community.  If that changes, we will contact all parties involved, test and quarantine appropriately. Visitation may also be suspended in specific areas for limited periods of time pending results.  Compassionate care visits will still be permitted upon request.

For specific information regarding Maplewood and Palmer House visitation, we have established a Visit Line as a place for you to hear the most up to date information. Please consider calling prior to coming over:

Maplewood Visit Line —         414- 607-4191

Palmer House Visit Line —     414-607-4185

Our Core Principles of Covid-19 Infection Prevention remain in place.  They are as follows:

  • Each visitor must sign into the kiosks in Maplewood or Palmer House lobby, complete and pass a health screen including temperature reading. Wesley Park residents will be asked to complete a manual health screen prior to going up to their loved one’s apartment.
  • Each visitor must engage in frequent hand hygiene before, during and after visit.
  • Visitors should wear a proper fitting mask at all times.
  • Visitors should maintain a social distance of 6 feet or more between persons not in your household.
  • Recommended visiting hours are 9:00am – 8:00pm daily including weekends.
  • Assistance will be available at the entrances to help visitors with this new process.
  • In the event a resident or staff member test positive for Covid-19, visitation will be immediately suspended until tracing and additional testing can be completed.

 

Effective August, our employee testing will increase to weekly due to this positive case.  Both vaccinated and non-vaccinated employees must test.

We are continuing to encourage all of our team to receive the vaccine to reduce the spread and healthcare risks of Covid-19. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Martin, Quality & Clinical Support Nurse, at (414) 607-4135.

As a reminder, the following items are in place throughout the VMP community.

OUR RESIDENTS

  • Our dining rooms have been re-opened. The Bistro is open and back to its pre-Covid schedule.
  • Individuals and volunteers are being permitted to enter the campus for the purpose of entertainment, education, taxes, church services or other events.
  • The Stafford Center and Apartment Store are open for residents and employees.
  • Essential healthcare workers such as those that work for hospice, lab, x-ray, pharmacy or home health will be able to work with residents and will be subjected to health screening upon entry.
  • Plans to schedule outings in Maplewood and Palmer House are underway.
  • Transportation will be available for essential medical treatments and groceries.
  • Care Conferences with residents and families are being scheduled either virtual or in-person based on family preference.
  • Wesley Park residents are asked to complete a health screening upon return from any outside appointment or outing.

OUR STAFF

  • Our staff has completed the CDC Infection Control Facility Assessment to ensure we are in compliance with all aspects of infection control
  • We have documented current competencies on ALL staff for hand hygiene and use of PPE, including when to use, how to apply and how to remove and dispose of properly.
  • Every single person entering our building is screened- employee, vendor, surveyor, and family members.
  • Additionally, we ask staff who are sick to stay at home until they are no longer contagious.
  • No one may enter the campus, except through the 5 designated entrances- Maplewood Main entrance, Palmer House Main Entrance, and the 2 main entrances of WP and Hickory Park entrance. There are no exceptions for anyone.
  • All staff MUST wear a face mask at all times when in the facility.
  • All staff are trained on signs and symptoms of recognizing COVID and what to report.
  • All staff are trained on when to place some on isolation and how to place them in isolation, how to communicate the isolation to all staff immediately.

OUR CAMPUS

  • We focus on keeping rooms and common areas as clean and sanitized as possible to prevent the spread of germs. We have increased the frequency of the sanitization.
  • Our kitchens follow NSF-approved dishwashing techniques.
  • All staff members are trained in techniques to prevent the spread of germs specific to their individual roles in serving residents in our communities.
  • VMP has specialized electrostatic machines, called a Novaerus, which will routinely be used to disinfect common area surfaces.
  • We added more touchless hand sanitizer stations in our common areas.

If there are any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to call us at (414) 607-4100 or email us at vmp.healthcare@vmp.org.

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