Dear Resident, Family Members and Staff,
The purpose of this letter is to share IMPORTANT INFORMATION regarding actions currently being taken at The Pines of Machias and Olean to address the Corona Virus (COVID-19) Health Emergency that is taking place across the country. Under the guidance of the New York State Department of Health and the National Centers for Disease Control, all nursing homes and health care entities are being directed to enhance current policies and procedures that will assist in keeping our most vulnerable populations safe.
To that end we will be implementing the following changes:
- Facility regular visiting hours will be 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ONLY
- All visitors must check in at the front desk and verify that they are not experiencing symptoms of illness (fever, cough), had contact with someone who has known COVID-19, or have traveled to areas with widespread outbreaks.
- The facility is temporarily suspending our community trips and outings.
- The facility cannot accommodate large (more than 4 people) parties for holidays or special events.
We understand and recognize that these temporary measures may cause some inconvenience or frustration but we ask everyone for their compliance and understanding. Our goal is to keep our residents as safe as possible
Additionally, the following measures can be taken to help:
- Don’t come to the facility if you are feeling ill, have a cough or fever. Wait until you feel 100% better before you return.
- Wash your hands frequently. Soap and water if they are visibly dirty and hand sanitizer often and in between.
The facility will also be monitoring our staff for illness to help prevent infection. If COVID-19 infections become wide spread in our local community, it may lead to staffing shortages at the facility. If that is the case, we will have an “all hands on deck” approach, utilizing everyone in the building to help with resident care to assure everyone receives the care they need.
Together, we will try our best to minimize the COVID-19 impact on our residents and operations. We thank you for your cooperation and invite you to bring any concerns or questions to Administration or the RN Supervisor.
Sincerely,
Kelly Reed, Director of Nursing Homes
Tammy W. Schmidt, Administrator, The Pines of Machias 353-8516 x4629
Tammy Reynolds, Administrator, The Pines of Olean 373-1910 x4515
Bev Fehringer, Director of Nursing, The Pines of Machias 353-8516 x4605
Jennifer Childs, Director of Nursing, The Pines of Olean 373-1910 x4444