Dear All Residents, Associates and Families of Byron Park;
I hope this letter finds you and your family well and that you had a healthy Passover and Easter weekend. This letter is to update you on a status change of the COVID-19 cases at our community. We have received notification of a third associate with a presumptive positive test result for Covid-19. In partnership with our associate and Public Health we have identified the origin of exposure to be outside of Byron Park. There is no concern of spread between associates in the community. This associate will continue to remain out of the community and at home for 14 days.
Public Health has provided two RN/PHN case managers through their Communicable Disease Program to follow our community daily. This daily tracking began at our first COVID positive associate and will remain in effect for 14 days from the last case. Community Care Licensing, Department of Social Services is also made aware of any cases or changes of status to an individual. Public Health and Byron Park have been able to identify the exposure of origin for each of these associates definitively. Each origin of exposure is linked to a positive COVID individual outside of Byron Park.
With every case a full review and notification to any individuals who may have had exposure is completed. If you were not notified by phone of possible exposure you either did not encounter this associate or your interaction did not meet the criteria of exposure. Based on our current protocols, with associates wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) following CDC guidelines, we maintain confidence of minimal exposure as does Public Health.
In accordance with patient privacy laws, additional details about the patient and updates on their condition will be provided only by healthcare authorities. The protocols that we put into place earlier, continue to remain in place. These include restricting visitors, monitoring each resident and associate for temperature and respiratory symptoms, suspending all meal service and activities, and increased disinfecting of all high-traffic/high-touch areas and the suspension any new move-ins for 14 days and will reevaluate at that time.
For the safety of all residents, we will continue to require all residents to quarantine in their apartments and have provided masks for residents to wear as well. We are also asking residents to uphold our states shelter in place and social distancing orders and not visit each other within the community as well.
Due to the nature of our community and our concern for your safety, some of our practices are above and beyond our states shelter in place orders and must be complied with. The measures we implemented over the last four weeks are aligned with requirements to manage an active COVID-19 case. Keeping maximum safety protocols in place are not just necessary but the reason we continue to have no residents/ associates suspected to have exposure risk from the affected individual.
As expected, the question of mass testing will be asked again. Currently, this is neither recommended by Public Health nor possible. We review this question any time there is a new case. The cases we are seeing are in alignment with what is happening in our greater community outside of Byron Park. The availability and determination for COVID-19 tests are not controlled by our community or company. Until tests are widely available to the public and communities like ours, we continue to follow the protocols set by the CDC and will refer residents and staff to their PCP or health provider if symptoms are exhibited that are related to the virus.
We understand that you may have questions and concerns during this difficult time, please reach out as those arise. I will continue to keep you informed and updated about our operations every Friday unless there is a critical change as in the case of this letter. Every Wednesday starting this week I will also be sending a letter with fun anecdotes and images of the ways Byron Park is getting through this together. Our sense of community and friendship continues to be a bright light in this unique time. Thank you for your constant feedback, support and partnership as we navigate this challenging time together.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Pastora
Executive Director, Byron Park