Update: March 18, 2021
We are excited to announce new visitation guidance effective tomorrow!
The following memo was sent to first contacts of record for all of our Nursing Facility residents and copies were distributed to residents:
3/18/2021
Greetings,
We are so excited to share with you the changes in visitation guidelines. We apologize for the
delay, but clarification was required from state agencies before NAL could move forward. Although
still not yet completely normal, we are moving in the right direction! Thank you for your patience,
as together we have been working hard every day to reach this point - residents and families back
together again!
Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services are charged with weighing the risks of spreading COVID-19
with the risks of expanding visitation in nursing facilities. Although NAL may not always agree
with certain elements of issued guidance we are held to, we do agree that the well-being and safety
of our residents and staff are priority.
The sooner more people are vaccinated in the state, the sooner nursing facilities will fully return
to normal. We encourage everyone to get the vaccine when available to you or loved ones. And do
what you can do to slow the spread of COVID-19.
This notice is being distributed to residents and their first contact of record. Please pass this
on to other family and friends from whom the resident would welcome visits.
Effective Friday, March 19, 2021, visitation for residents will take place with the below listed
requirements:
• Each resident may have no more than 2 visitors of their choosing at any one time; visits
should occur routinely during Main Street operating hours to meet screening requirements. See Hours
of Operations and Visitor Requirements below.
• Visits will no longer be routinely scheduled. However, should a visit be requested outside of
the Main Street operating hours, the request will be accommodated. The visit must be scheduled by
contacting the staff nurse on duty where the resident resides. See General Visitor Requirements
below.
• Compassionate care visits will be available at any time. Should the visit take place after
Main Street hours, follow the above after-hours visitation request procedure.
• There are no time limits on visits.
• Children are welcome to visit so long as they are counted as 1 of the 2 visitors and are
accompanied by a supervising adult, to ensure infection control practices are maintained during the
visit.
Outdoor visitation is still recommended, when the weather allows, because this generally poses a
lower risk of transmission due to increased space and airflow. The visitor may choose, if weather
permits, to check in for screening and then assist the resident to any of the outside patio areas
for a visit.
Resident masking. Please notify the nurse prior to taking any resident from the unit, to ensure
residents are properly masked. Staff shall assist residents with masking; masks shall be worn by
residents while traveling through the facility and for the duration of the visit.
Visitation Areas.
Private Rooms - Residents who reside in private rooms can have visits in their room, if they choose
to do so.
Shared Rooms-If a resident resides in a shared room, the visit cannot take place in the room. We
ask that the visitor screen in at Entrance 4, proceed to the resident neighborhood to notify the
nurse they are here for a visit, and choose one of these visitation options where social distancing
can be accomplished:
1) Assist the resident to an outside visitation area, weather permitting
2) Assist the resident to a lounge or dining room area not being utilized
3) Assist the resident to the Main Street
General Visitor Requirements:
• When coming for a visit, you must check in at the Main Street front desk to be screened. You
then may proceed directly to your visitation area. Masks are required.
• We encourage visits during Main Street Operating Hours to reduce the demand for screening by
our staff nurses-your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Main Street Operating Hours are as follows:
(please check in and be screened at the café if no one is at the front desk) Monday- Thursday
8am-7pm
Friday 8am-8pm (after 4:30 p.m., please check in at Café for screening)
Saturday 9am-7pm
Sunday 9am-6pm
*Holiday Hours may vary
• All after-hours visitation requests, including compassionate care visits, must be communicated
and scheduled with a staff nurse on duty where the resident resides. The staff nurse must also be
contacted when you arrive at the facility. At which time, the nurse will meet you at Entrance #8 to
complete screening requirements.
• Residents who are in quarantine OR COVID positive, regardless of vaccination status, are not
permitted visits except for compassionate care situations until the quarantine period is released.
Visitor Infection Control Requirements:
Visitors are asked to adhere to listed requirements. If, at any time, infection control practices
are not followed during visitations, NewAldaya reserves the right to end the visitation and
restrict future visits related to continued non- compliance issues.
• Visitors must be screened at Entrance 4 prior to every visit, unless otherwise scheduled
through the staff nurse.
• Hand hygiene must be completed upon arrival at the screening area. Hand hygiene shall be
completed again at the end of the visit.
• A face mask is required during the entire visit.
• Visitors must maintain a social distance of 6 feet from other residents and staff in the
building.
Fully Vaccinated Residents (2 weeks past final dose)
• Quarantine is no longer required upon admission to the facility.
• Indoor visits are permitted.
• Residents may choose to have close contact (including touch) with their visitor while wearing
a face mask and performing hand hygiene before and after.
Unvaccinated or Not-fully Vaccinated Residents
• Indoor visits are permitted.
• All visitors must maintain a social distance of 6 feet from the resident during visits.
• Should the county positivity rate become ≥10% or ≤ 70% of nursing facility residents are fully
vaccinated, indoor visitation will not be permitted until at least one of the two criteria are met.
Q &A
What happens when more than 2 visitors arrive at the same time to visit a resident?
The visitors can determine the solution: i.e., take turns, swap spots, or one party returns later.
(If this becomes problematic, we may have to schedule visits for certain individuals. This will
ensure the resident is able to have visits from all the individuals they so choose.)
Do visits continue if there are any positive staff or resident cases?
Anytime a staff or resident positive case arises, unfortunately, visits will be stopped immediately
for the entire facility. At which time, all residents and staff must be tested. If no new cases are
identified, visitation will resume in the areas where there are no COVID cases. The area with the
positive case will have to suspend visits until the facility meets criteria to discontinue outbreak
testing.
We are so thankful to share this updated guidance, allowing all of us to move forward, and are
excited to welcome you back in the facility more frequently. We ask that you respect the infection
control guidelines listed and follow them during visits. Know that your cooperation will keep our
residents and staff safe and allow visitations to continue. Thank you for supporting us this last
year during the pandemic and for your continued support as we move ahead.
Sincerely,
Crystal Jasper, Director of Clinical Services
NewAldaya Lifescapes Frequently Asked Questions – This document will be updated on a weekly basis. Current as of February 24, 2021.
NewAldaya Update
NewAldaya has completed our third and final vaccination clinic, vaccinating over 400 residents, tenants and staff. A special thank you to NewAldaya staff who worked tirelessly to ensure our clinics were successful and well managed!
In other news, we are excited to announce the requirements have been met to facilitate indoor visitation for nursing facility residents and their family members. “It has been a long road getting to this point, and we are all so very excited for our residents to be able to see their loved ones again. Although things are still not completely normal, this is a step in the right direction!” Crystal Jasper, Director of NAL Clinical Services
The two requirements for facilitating indoor visitation are: 1) The county positivity rate is below 10% and 2) 14 days have passed with no resident or staff positive tests. PLEASE NOTE: If at any time one of these two requirements are not met, NAL will be required to cease indoor visitations until such time criteria is met.
Beginning Tuesday, February 23rd, visitation appointments can be made with the programming department by calling 319-553-2219 or 319-553-2218. The goal for the week of Feb 23rd is for each resident to have at least one visit, so please bear with us as we try to manage these arrangements and also follow the requirements. A more permanent plan will be developed in the future.
Residents who had COVID in the last 90 days, and who are currently doing visits on Main Street, these visits will continue with no changes.
Residents who have already scheduled a visit the week of February 23rd at Door #7 will be relocated to the resident’s private room or a designated indoor visitation area, which is required if the resident lives in a semi -private room.
Each resident is limited to 2 visitors per visit. Visitors should check in at door #4 on Main Street and staff will escort you to and from the resident’s room or designated visitation area.
Each visitor is required to do the following:
What’s Phase 1B?
Phase 1B of the State Vaccination Plan, launched on February 1, targets individuals over the age of 65 and essential workers (see IDPH link). Each county is responsible to develop and execute its vaccination plan, and plans may vary from county to county. MercyOne, Unity Point, People’s Clinic and independent healthcare providers are collaborating with Black Hawk County Health Department to coordinate vaccination appointments for individuals who reside in Black Hawk County and who meet Phase 1B eligibility. Patients will be contacted when an appointment is available. Officials emphasize the public should refrain from calling to schedule an appointment or “walking in” to request a vaccination. Individuals who do not have a primary care provider should contact Black Hawk County Health Department for assistance. County health department officials ask for patience as the process engages and reminds the public that weekly vaccine allocation determines the number of available appointments. Although currently limited, weekly vaccine supply is expected to increase.
Please refer to the following links for additional information. All sites are updated frequently with current information:
https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus/Vaccine/Information-for-the-Public
https://www.blackhawkcovid19.com/
https://www.peoples-clinic.com/covid-19-vaccine-updates/
https://mercyone.wistia.com/medias/4492n2b6be
https://www.unitypoint.org/waterloo/covid-19-vaccine.aspx
Important COVID-19 Communications
Consistent with CMS guidance, our COVID-19 activity reports include any cases of active COVID-19 among our staff and residents.
|
Neighborhood: Extended Care |
Resident Active COVID-19 Cases |
Staff Active COVID-19 Cases |
|
Harbor/River Ridge Extended Care |
0 |
0 |
|
Brook Extended Care |
0 |
0 |
|
Cascade Extended Care |
0 |
0 |
|
Memory Care House |
0 |
0 |
|
Neighborhood: Post-Acute Care |
||
|
Bay/Bay Suites Post-Acute Care |
0 | 0 |
|
Neighborhood: Assisted Living |
||
|
Bryhl Assisted Living |
0 | 0 |
|
Neighborhood: Independent Living |
||
|
Sena Rownd |
0 | 0 |
|
Glen Arbor |
0 | 0 |
|
Glen Meadows |
0 | 0 |
|
Park Ridge Ranches
|
0 |
0 |
|
Ancillary |
0 |
1. Since May, (77) seventy-seven total nursing facility residents were diagnosed with COVID -19; (63) sixty-three have fully recovered.
2. Since April, a total of (110) one-hundred-ten NAL staff members were diagnosed with COVID-19 and (110) one-hundred-ten have recovered.
3. County positivity rate above 10% requires employees testing twice a week. A positive employee test requires all nursing facility residents to be tested. Staff and resident testing will continue this week, per current guidance.
Thank you.
Q. Are you testing all residents and staff?
A. See above.
Q. Does NAL have sufficient PPE?
A. We began receiving manufactured PPE the week of April 13 and currently have sufficient supplies to meet immediate needs. PPE inventory is tracked and reported daily to Iowa Department of Public Health. This process allows us to work collectively to meet continued needs.
Q. Do all staff wear masks and PPE?
A. All staff must wear face masks while working in any resident setting. Additionally, face shields are worn in the Bryhl and Nursing Facility and by Home Connections workers when providing services in our residential neighborhoods. A full complement of PPE is required for staff caring for residents who’ve been placed in isolation for any reason.
Residents are encouraged to wear masks in all resident settings.
Q. Are you informing residents and families when a resident was in direct contact with a staff member who tests positive for the virus?
A. Residents who had direct contact with a staff member who tests positive for the virus are individually notified as well as their primary contacts. All NAL community residents, tenants, primary contacts and staff are notified when a positive COVID-19 diagnosis is received, and/or 3 or more residents and/or staff have new onset of symptoms of illness within 72 hours of one another. At least weekly, the above contact groups are updated regarding cumulative COVID -19 activity including: total, active and recovered COVID -19 cases among staff and residents. Current information can also be found on NewAldaya’s Face Book page and website: www.NewAldaya.org.
Q. How is an “outbreak” defined?
A. Iowa Department of Public Health defines an outbreak as three residents that test positive within a building.
Q. How do I contact a loved one?
A. If your loved has a telephone or other communication device, we encourage you to have regular contact with them. For those residents without a telephone, our program team is doing its best to offer video-chat calls for residents and families on a regular basis. However, due to a number of factors, we are not able to schedule video-chat appointments at this time.
Q. Can I visit a NewAldaya resident?
A. NewAldaya Nursing Facility
Bryhl Assisted Living:
The Bryhl continues phase 3 of its reopening plan.
Residential (Independent Living:
Q. Where can I find the most current visitor information?
A. NAL is providing communications on both our website and social media pages to inform the public of changes to visiting guidelines and operations.
Q. Are you accepting appointments for residential living, nursing facility and Bryhl tours?
Q. Is Main Street open?
Q. Are you still screening staff and visitors?
Q. Are Chapel services being held?
A. Chapel services have resumed. All current public health precautions are in effect: Social distancing, seating for groups, cleaning, etc.
Q. Is the Wellness Center open?
A. The Wellness Center is open to the public. All current public health precautions with regard to these spaces are in effect: Social distancing, seating for groups, cleaning, etc.
Q. Is the Salon open?
A. The Salon is open by appointment only. Please call 319.553-2210 to schedule your service. All current public health precautions with regard to salons are in effect: Social distancing, face coverings, cleaning, etc.
Q. Are Friday Night Live Performances resuming?
A. Elm's Pub is closed and Friday Night Live performances have been canceled until September 20th per the Governor's proclamation.
River Rock Cafe is open to the public offering a full menu as well as a choice of non-alcholic or alcoholic beverages.
Q. If I am committed to a volunteer activity, what should I do?
A. Thank you in advance for your continued and loyal commitment to our residents and community.
As the NAL community has varying reopening timelines and phases relative to its resident neighborhoods and facilities, NAL staff will contact volunteers directly during the coming weeks.