COVID-19 Update
August 20, 2021
Happy Friday residents, family members and responsible parties;
Palomar Vista is pleased to report that we are currently COVID free; no staff or residents are positive for COVID-19. Of course, as you have probably heard, due to the delta variant and the general relaxing of precautions in the public, the incident rate for COVID-19 is on the rise again.
As a reminder; Recently it has been mandated that that all employees working in healthcare settings such as skilled nursing in California must be vaccinated. Additionally, all visitors to healthcare settings like Palomar Vista must provide proof of vaccination or a negative test within the last three days. These new requirements are not unique to Palomar Vista, they are being enforced statewide.
Currently, per guidance we test all staff monthly and any unvaccinated staff twice weekly. We are also testing residents only for medical needs. Typically for doctors’ appointments, new admissions, potential symptoms, etc.
As I am sure you have read, COVID-19 has not gone away yet. New variants like the Delta are causing infection rates to rise. There are several skilled nursing facilities in our area that have seen outbreaks. So even with restrictions loosening up in our private lives, not everything has changed for Healthcare Providers such as skilled nursing facilities. We must continue to use the visitation guidelines below until we are given the greenlight to change.
Please remember it is as important now as ever to follow infection control protocols. Also, please be mindful that we are still limited to how many appointments that we can manage at one time, so please bear with our staff if the time slot you ask for is not available. We will do what we can to accommodate your requests.
General visitation guidelines:
- All visits require an appointment (preferably 48 hours in advance) and will be made in blocks of 30 minutes at a time. Contact the receptionist to make an appointment. (760)746-0303.
- Visits are preferably outside, as this is the safest setting to protect both visitors and residents from transmission of COVID-19. If outdoors is not an option, provisions for in room visits will be made.
- Preferred visitation hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm every day, however accommodations will be made for outside these hours if necessary.
Any visitor coming to the facility, regardless of their vaccination status, must adhere to the following:
- Be screened for fever and COVID-19 symptoms, wear appropriate facial covering, and perform hand hygiene when in the facility. Also, if entering the building, visitors must provide proof of vaccination or of a negative COVID test in the past 3 days
- If personal protective equipment (PPE) is required for contact with the resident due to quarantine or COVID positive isolation status (including fully vaccinated visitors), it must be donned and doffed according to instruction by the healthcare professional
- If a visitor has COVID-19 symptoms or has been in close contact with a confirmed positive case, they must reschedule their visit
Visitors who are unable to adhere to the core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention will not be permitted to visit and will be asked to leave.
I know this sounds like a lot of rules and regulations, but they are necessary to help protect our residents and staff, as well as the visitors themselves. If we do happen to have a COVID-19 outbreak we may need to limit visitation again.
ACTION REQUESTED: Did a care provider make a positive impact on you or your loved one here at Palomar Vista? Please share your gratitude for them through Wambi; https://portal.pvwambi.com/en , a recognition system we use to highlight those meaningful moments. You can also text PALOMAR to 616.449.2624, or simply scan this QR code with your smart device.
And as always, thank you for putting your trust in us.
The Palomar Vista Team
