We are down to the final week in preparing for our new Executive Director, Monica Adcock to join our team on Monday, April 5th. We are so excited for everyone to meet her and will be sending out invitations for small meet and greet opportunities next week. In preparation for Monica’s arrival, we will be dismantling the Indoor Visit Station on Thursday, April 1st and officially turning the space back over to the Executive Director office.
This also comes with exciting news that families and visitors who have been fully vaccinated (2 weeks after receiving their 2nd vaccine) can now visit you in your apartment without restriction. We do ask that vaccinated families bring their vaccine card for us to record, wear their masks while visiting, and sign in upon arrival with our Accushield system. We are not quite prepared to have families dine with us in the dining room just yet, attend wellness programs, or visit inside common areas. We ask that families sign in and go directly to your apartment to enjoy their visit with you.
Families and visitors that have not been vaccinated are also welcomed to visit and will be asked to participate in our testing protocols as we have asked our essential visitors to do throughout COVID. We have set up an opportunity this Thursday April 1st from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm for families and visitors to come in and test. Families and visitors will be asked to come in during the designated testing time to give a saliva sample, wait to hear back from us that we have received their results from the lab (typically a 24–48-hour turnaround time), and plan their visit within 24 hours of receiving their negative results from us. Please ask your families and visitors to come prepared with their insurance cards. Each visit will require a new saliva test and waiting period. We ask that you be patient with us as we get started and make plans to increase the frequency of testing for future visits. While we understand that this is not the most ideal scenario, it is a BIG step in the right direction for us! If you have any questions, please see Penny or Melissa at the Front Desk as they will be assisting with testing.
With Easter weekend upon us, we want you to be able to have your loved ones visits but need to ensure that we are maintaining the safety of the entire community. I want to remind residents and families that you are not restricted from leaving and visiting outside of First Colonial Inn, whether it be a walk around the community, a car ride, or a longer visit at your loved ones home. I have received several questions regarding these scenarios and wanted to clarify. I would like to remind you all that the risk of COVID is still prevalent and we need to continue to be diligent with mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing.
I also wanted to take a moment to share with you that Michael, “MJ”, our Chef De Cusine is no longer here with us. Please continue to support Ashley and the dining team through this transition. We are committed to following up on the recent feedback we received during the Dining Focus Groups and are actively recruiting for his replacement. Easter reservations for the Dining Room will be available Wednesday afternoon.
A few final updates to share, you may have noticed that we have taken down the elevator signs limiting occupants. Please ride at your discretion and be considerate of others. The carpet in the Grange is being professionally cleaned and final preparations are being made to reopen it for community card games. I will have an update on our intercom system for you all next week as we are making final arrangements to replace the system with upgraded technology.
COVID-19 TESTING SCHEDULE REMINDER:
EVERY TUESDAY
Individual Saliva Test in The Montpelier Room
9:30am—11:30am All Residents, Associates, and Essential Visitors
Dana Gregory,
Interim Executive Director