COVID-19 Delta Variant Update

Dear Friend of Heritage,

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect people of all ages. Recently, the nation has experienced an increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases, with the entrance of the new Delta COVID-19 variant. Heritage has always been committed to putting the safety and well-being of those who we both serve and employ, as our top priority. During these challenging times, our entire team is working tirelessly to ensure the safety of your loved one. I cannot begin to thank our staff for all they have done to help our residents and their loved ones. They continue to again and again rise to the occasion, offering help whenever, and wherever, it is needed. They have my undying gratitude and truly are the reason we are #HeritageStrong.

As our teams continue to protect each senior who calls a Heritage community home from this unprecedented illness, I want to personally thank you for your constant patience, support, and understanding over the eighteen months.  While we understand you may feel weary living in the constantly changing world of COVID-19 guidelines, we also know that this battle is not yet over. I also wanted to share with you the practices below that will remain in effect until further notice as we work together to keep those we love safe, healthy, and free from harm.

• All staff and visitors in Heritage independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing and rehabilitation communities, nationwide, are required to wear face masks at all times. We continue to screen our staff daily and continue to follow all testing guidelines, as required.
• Visitation at all skilled nursing facilities and assisted living will continue to be held as allowed by current Department of Health and CDC guidelines.
• We encourage residents in all communities to wear a mask as they are able, regardless of vaccine status, in accordance with CDC recommendations.
• We encourage our residents, staff, and loved ones to consider receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Acknowledging that many have concerns and questions, Heritage encourages all residents, their families, and staff to educate themselves on the potential benefits and risks of receiving the vaccine in order to determine which option is right for them. On our website, heritage1886.org/coronavirus, you will find a variety of resources from the CDC to share with your loved ones as you make your decisions.

We continue to seek God’s wisdom and pray for His protection for as we seek to keep each resident and staff member safe, and to promote Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living in these difficult times.

Sincerely,
Lisa Haglund
President and CEO
Heritage Ministries

COVID-19 Update

As we approach the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Heritage COVID-19 task force would like to thank all of the residents and family members who have been so patient and understanding as we navigate through these challenging times.

We continue to take a very proactive approach in preventing and responding to COVID-19. For example, we screen all of our residents and employees every shift for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. We test all of our employees for COVID-19 twice a week at a minimum, with many being tested more often. We test all new residents in our communities three times in their first ten days . We clean and disinfect all of our surfaces every four hours, and utilize electro-static sprayers to ensure maximum disinfection. To date we have vaccinated over 800 residents and over 500 employees. I am hopeful that with this, as well as our advocacy efforts, we will begin to see a return to normal. I ask for your continued support and cooperation through these difficult times, and thank you for the honor of caring for your loved one.

Jeremy Rutter
Chief Clinical Officer,
Heritage Ministries

COVID-19 Vaccination Update

Heritage President and CEO, Lisa Haglund, confirmed today that The Kenney, a Heritage senior living community in West Seattle, Washington, will offer COVID-19 vaccinations to its residents and staff this month.

“We are blessed beyond measure that our prayers have been heard, and that our residents and healthcare heroes in our senior living communities at The Kenney are among the first to be given the option to receive the vaccine,” Haglund released in a statement on Monday.

The Kenney will offer the option to receive the vaccine to all of their residents, including assisted living, memory support, and those residing in independent living, as well as staff members. The community will initially receive the Moderna vaccine, and will offer multiple clinics on-site at The Kenney to ensure all those who wish receive the immunization are able to do so. A licensed and COVID-19 vaccine certified pharmacist will perform all vaccine administration.

“While we remain respectful of the right to choose vaccination, for the first time in almost a year, our most vulnerable population and the healthcare heroes who care for them, have an individual choice in how they will fight COVID-19. We are so appreciative of our local, state, and federal agencies for recognizing this need. We remain hopeful that the vaccine will provide additional protection to those who have chosen to receive it as we continue to battle the pandemic,” Haglund said.

2020 Year End Letter

Dear Friends of Heritage,

As 2020 draws to a close, we wanted to reach out to you, our residents and families, and thank you for your understanding, support, and most of all, your prayers, during this challenging year. You and your loved ones deserve the very best from us during this difficult time, and our Heritage teams, from chaplaincy to activities and everyone in between, are committed to using love, imagination, innovation, and faith to find ways to encourage and provide hope in the midst of this pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many time-honored traditions and heart-warming gatherings to change drastically this season. As we face those challenges, our Heritage communities, nationwide, have been determined to make the Christmas holiday season extra special.

Our teams are working tirelessly each day to “Bring the Joy” as we create innovative ways for our residents to enjoy meaningful moments, and special memories. In November, we launched a free eCard program to allow family members, friends, and the community to send free cards to their loved ones electronically throughout the year. From our online shoebox Thanksgiving Day Parade, to socially distanced hallway sing-a-longs, community car parades, and recorded holiday performances from area groups televised in our communities, our “Bring the Joy” initiative has helped our residents, staff, and community members to still enjoy traditional activities during a difficult time.

We are working daily to keep our residents safe, loved, and well cared for. We continue to monitor staff daily, and enhanced personal protective equipment is being used as needed in all of our communities to limit transmission of the virus. With the news of an upcoming vaccine for COVID-19, we know you may have many questions. Heritage is working with CVS, Omnicare, and Walgreens to distribute the vaccine to any residents who wish to receive it. We understand that choosing to receive the vaccine is a personal choice, and recently provided all of our residents and families with information to help make that decision. In the upcoming days and weeks community staff will be contacting you and your loved ones to discuss the vaccine, timing and availability further.

Our COVID-19 response team continues to be committed to acting in the best interest of all Heritage residents and staff, monitoring and implementing the constantly changing guidelines and protocols of local, state, and federal authorities. We also continue to advocate with our elected officials for a more reasonable and compassionate approach to visitation. You can find more information on ways you can get involved by visiting our Advocacy page here.

We understand how difficult this pandemic has been for both you and your loved ones, and thank you again for your patience and understanding. We look to the new year with prayerful hope, and continue to seek God’s wisdom. We pray for His supernatural protection, as we work to keep each resident safe, and to promote Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living during these unprecedented times.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Lisa Haglund
President and CEO

COVID-19 Vaccine Statement

Dear Friends of Heritage,

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of our nation’s greatest challenges in modern history. For more than nine months, residents of Heritage and senior living communities nationwide, have lived apart from those they love and have been unable to visit each other face-to-face, or experience the warm embrace of a loving hug from a family member. Heritage employees have put their own health at risk daily and have worked tirelessly using love, imagination, innovation, and faith to find ways to encourage and provide hope in the midst of this pandemic while caring for our greatest generation, our seniors.

For months, we have asked you to join us in prayer for an end to the pandemic that has disrupted life in so many ways. As an organization, we are grateful the newly released COVID-19 vaccines are now placing the world’s attention and priority on our most affected populations, our seniors and front-line healthcare workers.

We are blessed beyond measure that our prayers have been heard, and that our seniors and healthcare heroes in our skilled nursing communities will be among the first to be given the option to receive the vaccine. While we remain respectful of the right to choose vaccination, for the first time in almost a year, our most vulnerable population will have an individual choice in how they will fight COVID-19, and we are so appreciative of our local, state, and federal agencies for recognizing this need.

Our communities have partnered with CVS, Omnicare, and Walgreens to distribute the vaccine to staff and residents who wish to receive it, and will be offering multiple clinics. We understand that some people may be concerned about getting vaccinated. The CDC has stated that while these vaccines are being developed as quickly as possible, routine processes and procedures remain in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine that is authorized or approved for use.

We understand that receiving the vaccine is a personal choice each person must decide upon. Acknowledging that many have concerns and questions, Heritage encourages all residents, their families, and staff to educate themselves on the potential benefits and risks of receiving the vaccine in order to determine which option is right for them. Click here find a variety of resources from the CDC to share with your loved ones as you make your decisions. We encourage you to reach out to your healthcare provider with any questions you may have. We will also continue to communicate with you and your loved ones as we receive any information on vaccination options and availability for our assisted living and independent living staff and residents.

We continue to seek God’s wisdom and pray for His supernatural protection for those whom He has entrusted to our care, as we seek to keep each resident safe, and to promote Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living in these difficult times.

Sincerely,
Lisa Haglund
President and CEO

COVID-19 Update

Dear Friends of Heritage,

As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide, the safety and health of our residents and staff continues to be of the utmost importance. It has now been over three months since our skilled nursing and assisted living facilities have been closed to visitors. Staff continue to be monitored daily upon arrival for work and wear surgical masks and eye protection, such as face shields, to limit the transmission of COVID-19 from potential asymptomatic employees. Staff in our skilled nursing and rehabilitation and assisted living communities are nowreceiving mandatory COVID-19testing, as required by the state. We continue to regularly monitor residents for symptoms throughout the day.

Our COVID-19 response team is committed to acting in the best interest of all residents and staff. This group continues to monitor and implement the ever-changing guidelines and protocols of the CDC, as well as local, state, and federal authorities, as phases of reopening begin to emerge. We understand that many of you have expressed concern regarding visitation and seeing your loved one. The current reopening phases in many areas where our communities are located allow for small group gatherings. However, skilled nursing and rehabilitation and assisted living communities are held to a different level of regulation. Our teams continue to provide for both the physical and emotional care of those we serve during these difficult times through various resident engagement activities, to help all residents stay active and engaged. Phone calls, video chats, and window visits continue to be arranged through the social work and activities departments. We are happy to assist in scheduling these visits; however, we do request they be limited to one per day so that we can assure all residents have equal opportunity.

At this time, the following guidelines have been implemented at all of our skilled nursing and assisted living communities:

• No group activities.
• No congregate dining.
• Residents who need assistance with eating can be assisted in the dining spaces with no more than two residents per table at least six feet apart.
• No visitors, with the exception of compassionate end of life. Please contact your community directly for information.
• Residents are required to wear a mask while outside of their room (as tolerated).
• Residents are allowed to go outside if they maintain social distancing and wear a mask (as tolerated).
• Residents are allowed to leave the facility for essential medical appointments, and must wear a mask.
• Residents are not allowed to leave the facility for non-essential reasons (visitation, beauty shop, dining, etc). Exceptions can be made for extenuating circumstances, to be approved by the Heritage COVID-19 team.
• No beautician services in facility.

At this time, the following guidelines have been implemented at all of our Assisted Living Communities:

• No group activities
• No congregate dining
• No visitors with the exception of compassionate EOL (this includes residents visiting other resident’s rooms)
• Residents required to wear a mask while outside of their room (as tolerated)
• Residents are allowed to go outside if they maintain social distancing and wear a mask (as tolerated)
• Residents are allowed to leave facility for essential medical appointments. Must wear a mask.
• Residents are strongly encouraged not to leave facility for non-essential reasons (visitation, beauty shop, dining, etc).
• Residents are required to quarantine if exposed to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID. Quarantine length will be determined by State requirements.
• No beautician services in facility.

At this time, following additional guidelines apply to Independent Living residents in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington only:

• No group activities.
• No congregate dining.
• Residents required to wear a mask while outside of their room (as tolerated).
• Limit of one visitor per resident per day.
• Visitor must be masked and screened.
• Tours allowed, participants must be masked and screened.
• Moving help limited to two, must be masked and screened.
• Residents can go out of the facility as allowed by state reopening phases. Must wear a mask.
• Residents must self-monitor for symptoms. Report any symptoms to administrator.
• No beautician services in facility.

The following additional guidelines apply to Independent Living Residents in New York State only (*unless services are offered in a building that houses assisted living residents*).

• Residents are required to wear a mask while outside of their room (as tolerated).
• Limit of one visitor per resident per day.
• Visitor must be masked and screened.
• Tours allowed, participants must be masked and screened.
• Moving help limited to two, must be masked and screened.
• Residents can go out of the facility as allowed by state reopening phases. Must wear a mask.
• Residents must self-monitor for symptoms. Report any symptoms to the administrator.
• Beautician services are allowed in the facility.
• Limited to one resident in the beauty shop at a time.
• Both the resident and beautician must wear a mask.
• The entire beauty shop will be disinfected between residents.
• Group activities are allowed.
• All participants must maintain a six foot distance from each other and wear a mask as tolerated.
• Gatherings are limited to 25% of maximum room occupancy, or 25 people, (including residents, staff, and guests) whichever is less.
• Congregate dining is now allowed (diners must maintain a social distance of six feet)
• Limited to 25% of maximum room occupancy, or 25 people, (including residents, staff, and guests) whichever is less.

Additionally, in response to increased rates of COVID-19 transmission in certain states, and to protect New York’s successful containment of COVID-19, the state has joined with New Jersey and Connecticut in jointly issuing a travel advisory for any individual returning from travel to states that have a significant degree of community-wide spread of COVID-19. Based upon Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 205, issued June 25, 2020, the following states meet the criteria for required 14-day quarantine. This order will apply to anyone interacting with any of our New York state communities.

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• California
• Florida
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Idaho
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah

As more details are made available to us by state and local governments regarding time frames for the reopening of visitation in our communities, we assure you, we will immediately reach out to you with any information. We understand how difficult this separation is for you and your loved ones. Our compassionate staff continues to provide care, comfort, and love to each of our residents, and we thank you for all of the thoughts, prayers, and support you have offered them during this uncertain time.

We continue to seek God’s wisdom and pray for His supernatural protection for those whom He has entrusted to our care, as we seek to keep each resident safe and to promote Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living in these difficult times.

Sincerely,

Lisa Haglund
President and CEO

COVID-19 Update

Dear Friends of Heritage,

As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide, the safety and health of our residents and staff continues to be of the utmost importance. It has now been over three months since our skilled nursing and assisted living facilities have been closed to visitors. Staff continue to be monitored daily upon arrival for work and wear surgical masks and eye protection, such as face shields, to limit the transmission of COVID-19 from potential asymptomatic employees. Staff in our skilled nursing and rehabilitation and assisted living communities are nowreceiving mandatory COVID-19testing, as required by the state. We continue to regularly monitor residents for symptoms throughout the day.

Our COVID-19 response team is committed to acting in the best interest of all residents and staff. This group continues to monitor and implement the ever-changing guidelines and protocols of the CDC, as well as local, state, and federal authorities, as phases of reopening begin to emerge. We understand that many of you have expressed concern regarding visitation and seeing your loved one. The current reopening phases in many areas where our communities are located allow for small group gatherings. However, skilled nursing and rehabilitation and assisted living communities are held to a different level of regulation. Our teams continue to provide for both the physical and emotional care of those we serve during these difficult times through various resident engagement activities, to help all residents stay active and engaged. Phone calls, video chats, and window visits continue to be arranged through the social work and activities departments. We are happy to assist in scheduling these visits; however, we do request they be limited to one per day so that we can assure all residents have equal opportunity.

At this time, the following guidelines have been implemented at all of our skilled nursing and assisted living communities:

Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Communities:

• No group activities.
• No congregate dining.
• Residents who need assistance with eating can be assisted in dining spaces with no more than two residents per table, at least six feet apart.
• No visitors, with the exception of compassionate end of life. Please contact your community directly for information.
• Residents are required to wear a mask while outside of their room (as tolerated).
• Residents are allowed to go outside if they maintain social distancing and wear a mask (as tolerated).
• Residents are allowed to leave facility for essential medical appointments, and must wear a mask.
• Residents are not allowed to leave the facility for non-essential reasons (visitation, beauty shop, dining, etc). Exceptions can be made for extenuating circumstances, to be approved by the Heritage COVID-19 team.
• No beautician services in facility.

Assisted Living Communities:

• No group activities.
• No congregate dining.
• No visitors, with the exception of compassionate end of life. Please contact your community directly for information.
• Residents required to wear a mask while outside of their room (as tolerated).
• Residents are allowed to go outside if they maintain social distancing and wear a mask (as tolerated).
• Residents are allowed to leave the facility for essential medical appointments, and must wear a mask.
• Residents are strongly encouraged not to leave the facility for non-essential reasons (visitation, beauty shop, dining, etc).
• No beautician services in facility.

The following additional guidelines apply to independent living residents only:

• No group activities.
• No congregate dining.
• Residents are required to wear a mask while outside of their room (as tolerated).
• Limit of one visitor per resident per day.
• Visitor must be masked and screened.
• Tours allowed, participants must be masked and screened.
• Moving help limited to two, must be masked and screened.
• Residents can go out of the facility as allowed by state reopening phases. Must wear a mask.
• Residents must self-monitor for symptoms. Report any symptoms to administrator.
• No beautician services in facility.

As more details are made available to us by state and local governments regarding time frames for the reopening of visitation in our communities, we assure you, we will immediately reach out to you with any information. We understand how difficult this separation is for you and your loved ones. Our compassionate staff continue to provide care, comfort, and love to each of our residents, and we thank you for all of the thoughts, prayers, and support you have offered them during this uncertain time.

We continue to seek God’s wisdom and pray for His supernatural protection for those whom He has entrusted to our care, as we seek to keep each resident safe and to promote Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living in these difficult times.

Sincerely,

Lisa Haglund
President and CEO

Letter to Residents, Families, and Community Members

Dear Friends of Heritage,

It has now been three months since our facilities have been closed to visitors. Staff are being monitored daily upon arrival for work and have been wearing surgical masks and eye protection to limit the transmission of COVID-19 from potential asymptomatic employees. In several states, our employees, as well as our residents, are being tested for COVID-19. Our New York state employees are now being tested once a week per state mandate.

Our COVID-19 task force continues to monitor and implement the ever-changing guidelines and protocols of the various agencies that have oversight of our facilities. While many states are currently in a phased reopening plan, our guidance comes from the CDC primarily, with other state and federal guidelines. For our nursing homes and assisted living communities, the guidance to reopen will come through the state Department of Health as directed by the CDC. For our independent living communities, we are following CDC guidance for retirement communities. This guidance differs from the state specific guidance that apply to general businesses. As such, what you are hearing in the news about reopening of services may not apply to you and your loved one in a certain level of care.

In accordance with these guidelines, we are still unable to allow for group activities, congregate dining, and visitation. Our teams continue to provide for both the physical and emotional care of those we serve. Phone calls, video chats, and window visits are being arranged through the social work and activities departments. We are happy to assist in scheduling these visits; however, we do request they be limited to one per day so that we can assure all residents have equal opportunity.

We continue to seek God’s wisdom and pray for His supernatural protecting for those whom He has entrusted to our care, as we seek to keep them safe and to promote Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living in these difficult times.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Rutter
Chief Clinical Officer
Heritage Ministries

Current Visitation Policies

At this time, the following guidelines have been implemented at all of our communities:

• Visitation at all skilled nursing and rehabilitation and assisted living communities continue to be suspended until further notice.
• Common areas, including handrails and door knobs, are disinfected frequently.
• Masks are being worn in accordance with local, state, and federal guidelines at each location.
• Social distancing must be observed at all times.
• All pet visits continue to be suspended.

The following additional guidelines apply to independent living residents only:

• Independent living residents are to follow the phases of reopening as directed by state and local governments in their community. We encourage these residents to continue to follow the best practices of social distancing, and to wear a mask when unable to social distance.
• Independent living residents may not enter skilled nursing and rehabilitation or assisted living communities due to continued visitor restriction.

Download letter to independent living residents
Download letter to assisted living and skilled nursing families

Letter to Friends of The Kenney

I reach out today to share many updates with you.

On May 11, 2020, I was confirmed to lead as permanent President and CEO for Heritage and its affiliates. I am honored and blessed to have been chosen to lead Heritage through this unprecedented time, and look forward to working with each member of our staff as we continue to promote Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living to all those entrusted to our care.

I began my career with Northwest Bank, a ten billion dollar corporation, for over twenty years, prior to joining the Heritage organization, where I have most recently served as the Vice President of Marketing, Development, and Sales. I truly believe in giving back, and have been an active member of the community throughout the years, with involvement ranging from Chautauqua Leadership Network, PTA, St. Susan Center, Family Services, and the Bemus Point United Methodist Church. My husband, Jason, and I reside in Bemus Point, NY, along with our four children, Allison, Brennan, Madelynn, and Michael in Bemus Point. We are active members of the Bemus Point United Methodist Church.

Additionally, Jeremy Rutter, Heritage Vice President of Skilled Nursing Operations and Executive Director of Hearthstone Communities, a Heritage senior living community in Woodstock, IL, has been named Chief Clinical Officer of our organization. He previously served Heritage as the Administrator of Record at The Village in Gerry, NY and Administrator at The Park in Jamestown, NY, two Heritage rehab and skilled nursing communities.

It has now been over two months since our skilled nursing and assisted living facilities have been closed to visitors. Staff are being monitored daily upon arrival for work, continue to wear surgical masks, and are now wearing eye protection, such as face shields, to limit the transmission of COVID-19 from potential asymptomatic employees. We continue to regularly monitor residents for symptoms throughout day.

The health and safety of our staff and residents are of the utmost importance. As we have been directed to move into mandated testing for all employees by Governor Cuomo’s office, we needed to determine how we could implement that efficiently, while complying with all regulations, and preventing any impact to resident care. Our COVID-19 response team is committed to acting in the best interest of all staff and residents.

As a result, Heritage skilled nursing and rehabilitation communities in Chautauqua County temporarily ceased all admissions effective Tuesday, May 19, 2020, in response to the New York State mandate to test all nursing home employees for COVID-19. This temporary admission halt will affect The Village in Gerry, NY, The Park in Jamestown, NY, and The Green in Greenhurst, NY. We will not accept admissions into our skilled nursing communities until we have sufficient test results indicating that our staffing will not be negatively impacted by our compliance with the executive order.

Our COVID-19 task force continues to monitor and implement the ever-changing guidelines and protocols of the CDC as well as local, state, and federal authorities. At this time, the following guidelines have been implemented at all of our communities:

• Visitation at all skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, and independent living communities are suspended until further notice.
• Common areas, including handrails and door knobs, are disinfected frequently.
• Masks are being worn in accordance with local, state, and federal guidelines at each location.
• Social distancing must be observed at all times.
• All pet visits continue to be suspended.
• We continue to discourage any non-essential trips or errands for our independent living residents. We do have a grocery delivery system in place to protect our residents and staff from exposure. If you are interested in using this service, please contact your community directly.

Our teams continue to provide for both the physical and emotional care of those we serve during these difficult times through various resident engagement activities. Phone calls, video chats, and window visits are being arranged through the social work and activities departments. We are happy to assist in scheduling these visits; however, we do request they be limited to one per day so that we can assure all residents have equal opportunity.

In an effort to offer more expedient and transparent communication, we have implemented an auto call system, so all families can be notified immediately, in the event we have a resident with a confirmed positive COVID-19 test. We ask that you send your current email address to questions@heritage1886.org so we may also contact you via email, or call 1-833-623-0162 with any questions.

We continue to seek God’s wisdom and pray for His supernatural protection for those whom He has entrusted to our care, as we seek to keep them safe and to promote Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living in these difficult times.

Sincerely,
Lisa Haglund
President and CEO

COVID-19 Update

Dear Residents, Families, and Community Members,

We are grateful to report that as of this writing, none of our Heritage or Heritage affiliated communities have any positive cases of COVID-19. We continue to work diligently to ensure the health and safety of our residents and staff.

As mentioned in my last communication, residents of our skilled nursing facilities are being closely monitored for any signs or symptoms. We continue to check temperatures three times per day. The same is true in our assisted living communities with temperatures being taken twice daily. We continue to reach out to those who reside in our independent living communities to check on their health and have expanded our services to include meal delivery and grocery pick up.

The leadership teams of our communities have completed table top drills and each community currently has the necessary personal protective equipment in place for the safety of our staff, should we have a positive case. In the event of a positive case, each skilled nursing facility has a dedicated location for those individuals. Staff are aware of the procedures that will be followed to assure their safety and to avoid any potential spread throughout the facility.

I want to remind you that we are now going on 18 days since our communities essentially went into a quarantine scenario. All visitation was stopped and all congregate dining and large group activities were discontinued. Staff have been wearing surgical masks anytime they are working in direct care areas. All of these steps have been taken to avoid unknowingly introducing COVID-19 into our facilities.

In addition to the steps being taken to assure the health of your loved ones, our teams are working diligently to provide opportunities for life enrichment and connection with those under our care. Please feel free to contact the appropriate facility if you want to arrange a virtual visit. Additionally, in some of our communities, window visits may be possible.

We have been blessed to receive many donations from the community, and we know that many of you are praying for our residents and staff. Words cannot express how important your support is to our care teams! We continue to seek God’s supernatural protection for our residents, staff, and communities.

Sincerely,
David Smeltzer
Heritage President and CEO

UPDATED 3/10/2020

Voluntary Stop Placement

John Cruz, The Kenney Executive Director, has announced that The Kenney, a Heritage senior living community in West Seattle, has issued a voluntary stop placement on all visitors.

The Kenney currently has NO confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, they are taking precautions.

At The Kenney, our residents and those we serve are our highest concern. The health and safety of both our residents and staff is of the utmost importance, and we are taking action to reduce the risk of exposure for all. On 3/9/20 there was were ten active cases of Coronavirus in assisted living communities in and around the Seattle area. Gov. Inslee’s orders as of 3/10/2020 we are proactively issuing a voluntary stop placement through 4/1/20. Our staff have been well trained in preparation to support our residents.

Effectively immediately, The Kenney will restrict all visitors except for those visiting end-of-life residents. End-of-life residents may have one visitor per day, age 18 or older. All visitors will be screened for illness before being allowed to visit using a screening questionnaire. To reduce the spread of influenza and other respiratory illnesses, The Kenney is also restricting all visitors younger than 18 years of age until further notice.

Presently, any individuals, including vendors and employees, are being screened daily before entering a building. Ancillary service vendors should provide and wear personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the crisis. Those who exhibit any symptoms, have recently traveled, or have been near anyone ill with symptoms are not currently being granted entrance.
The Kenney staff have prepared extensively, and Executive Director, John Cruz, shared he has confidence in the team. “The Kenney and Heritage have taken a proactive approach to prevent the spread and transmission of COVID-19 within its communities. Heritage has formed a COVID-19 task force, including experts in the fields of nursing homes, and senior housing.”

UPDATED 3/10/2020

New Directives from Governor Inslee

As of 9am this morning, Governor Inslee announced new orders pertaining to nursing homes in the State of Washington to help curtail the spread of COVID-19 throughout the state.

A short outline of the new directives goes as follows:

1. All residents will be limited to one visitor per day for the duration of the emergency.
2. All visitors will be required to follow all screening procedures as determined by the facility before being allowed to enter.
3. All visitors will be required to wear protective gear when visiting.
4. All visitors will logged in and logs will be maintained for thirty (30)days.
5. All workers are to be screened before reporting to work for each shift for COVID-19 symptoms.
6. Residents who might be showing symptoms of COVID-19 as determined by medical professionals, must be isolated in their rooms.
7. No names of individuals with COVID-19 are to be disclosed to the general public as per HIPPA laws.
8. Real time information pertaining to those individuals with COVID-19 will be transmitted to family members through DSHS.

UPDATED 3/4/2020

Statement from The Kenney Regarding COVID-19

At The Kenney, our residents and those we serve are our highest concern. We would like to assure the public that we currently have no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) at The Kenney. The health and safety of both our residents and staff is of the utmost importance, and we are taking action to reduce the risk of exposure for all.

The steps we are implementing are directly tied to the recommendations of the CDC and Public Health-Seattle & King County, and we will adjust our steps if those recommendations change.

• Effective immediately, we are asking visitors to not enter our community if they are exhibiting any type of symptoms or have recently traveled to any area of concern.
• We are not holding events that bring outside groups of people to the Kenney, and are minimizing large group and outside trip activities to lessen the chance of exposure.
• Our staff has been well trained in preparation to support our residents.

We thank everyone for their patience and cooperation. Working together we can minimize the impact of this disease on our community.