February 22, 2021

 

Dear family members and friends:

 

It now has been just over a year since we started this journey with COVID-19 affecting our lives. This last year has been full of ups and downs, but we have pushed through. Our last in-house COVID-19 vaccine clinic is scheduled for Wednesday the 24th and we are very excited. Once this clinic is completed, we expect to have 100% of our current residents vaccinated and around 80% of our staff vaccinated against COVID-19. This is such a monumental milestone for the community.

 

With the vaccine in mind, we look forward to what possibilities the future may bring. As I am sure most of you are aware, the governor recently announced some relaxation of restrictions in the long-term care setting. Hearing this news brought us great joy, as we too are excited to start moving forward. The timeline below will better illustrate our current plan on how we will move forward and allow more access to the community and the residents.

 

Margaret Pratt Community Reopening Timeline

 

1. Week of February 22nd - Moving all assisted living dining services back to the main dining room, with cohorting still required.

2. February 24th - Third MPC COVID-19 Vaccine clinic.

3. March 10th - (Two weeks after final vaccine clinic) Indoor visitation resumes.

 

Margaret Pratt Community’s Supervised Indoor Visitation Plan

 

• Indoor visitation will begin on March 10, 2021. Indoor visitation that does not meet requirements for resident room visits, will still follow similar scheduling requirements such as we have been using for previous visitation. 

  • We will be offering a “designated area” within our community where supervised indoor visits may be scheduled for those residents and visitors that have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

  • Residents and visitors that have been determined to be “fully vaccinated”, are now authorized to have visits in the resident apartment.

    • “Fully vaccinated”: greater than or equal to 2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or greater than or equal to 2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine.

    • Visits that are eligible to be within the resident’s apartment, do not have scheduling restrictions.

  • Please continue to call our main number, 802-222-5554 to schedule visits within the designated visitation area.

  • Times available for the designated visitation area include Monday- Friday 8:30am- 10:45am, and 1:00pm- 4:00pm.

  • Visits within the designated visitation areas will be offered in 30-minute increments.

  • Weekends and nights will not be offered at this time within the designated visitation area.

• Residents and visitors must demonstrate a willingness and ability to comply with our infection control guidelines and visitation rules. Visitation rules include:

  • Mandatory face mask use

  • Mandatory use of hand sanitizer

  • No physical touch permitted in the designated visitation area.

  • Maximum of 2 visitors per visit

  • Maximum 1 visit per resident per day, and 2 visits per resident weekly

  • No bathroom availability for visitors

  • No food or drink for visitors

  • No passing of items between resident and visitor

  • No pets within the designated visitation area

  • Visitors will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 prior to the visit.

  • ACCD quarantine guidance regarding travel risk will be followed.

    • If a visitor is coming from another state to visit a resident, keep in mind that essential travel purposes to include work and care of others is authorized.

    • Additionally, all visitors outside of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine do not meet the criteria for essential travel purposes unless otherwise approved by the Executive Director.

  • Staff will be prepared to immediately end a visit if the visitor demonstrates an unwillingness or inability to comply with infection control core principles or visitation rules.

 

Physical Touch

 

• Brief physical touch may be authorized during resident apartment visits, when certain criteria are met. An example of brief physical touch includes: a hug at the beginning and/or end of the visit or briefly holding hands.

• Hand hygiene must be completed prior to physical touch and after physical touch.

• Mask use must still be used for the entire visit as tolerated/ able.

• Both resident and visitor must be “fully vaccinated” prior to brief physical touch.

  • “Fully vaccinated”: greater than or equal to 2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or greater than or equal to 2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine.

• No prolonged physical touch is allowed according to infection control guidelines. An example of prolonged physical touch includes kissing, snuggling, or any prolonged touching.

 

Transportation

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• Medically necessary appointments with MPC staff transport still require no additional quarantine period.

• Medically necessary appointments with a “fully vaccinated” family member now require no additional quarantine period.

• Some non-medically necessary trips may be permitted, based on the risk of the activity, vaccination status of the resident, and vaccination status of the family member transporting. These must be approved and discussed in advance.

 

This outlined plan may be subject to immediate changes if we see the virus status escalating within the geographic area or our community. We remain committed to keeping this deadly virus out of our community. We will continue mitigation strategies such as periodic staff testing, symptomatic resident and staff testing, and of course doing our part wearing all appropriate protective equipment. As always, we appreciate your support and cooperation during these uncertain times. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (802) 222-5554 or by email at zshephard@margaretpratt.org.

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Sincerely,