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November 2021 Village Care Center Updates

As of Nov. 30, 2021

The following report summarizes the daily number of new COVID-19 cases at the Village Care Center. The data is updated when new cases are reported. Cumulative totals can be found in the Communication Updates section. If you have questions, please reach out to Tami Hoversten, administrator, at 816-347-2414 or [email protected].

  • Nov. 1: No new cases.
  • Nov. 2: No new cases.
  • Nov. 3: No new cases.
  • Nov. 4: A student tested positive for the virus.
  • Nov. 5: No new cases.
  • Nov. 6: No new cases.
  • Nov. 7: No new cases.
  • Nov. 8: No new cases.
  • Nov. 9: No new cases.
  • Nov. 10: No new cases.
  • Nov. 11: No new cases.
  • Nov. 12: No new cases.
  • Nov. 13: No new cases.
  • Nov. 14: No new cases.
  • Nov. 15: No new cases.
  • Nov. 16: No new cases.
  • Nov. 17: No new cases.
  • Nov. 18: No new cases.
  • Nov. 19: No new cases.
  • Nov. 20: No new cases.
  • Nov. 21: No new cases.
  • Nov. 22: No new cases.
  • Nov. 23: No new cases.
  • Nov. 24: No new cases.
  • Nov. 25: No new cases.
  • Nov. 26: No new cases.
  • Nov. 27: No new cases.
  • Nov. 28: No new cases.
  • Nov. 29: An associate tested positive.
  • Nov. 30: No new cases.

Letters to Families

Nov. 19,2021

It has been a while since I have sent an update from the Village Care Center. You can chalk that up to “no news is good news.” Today’s update, though, is actually all good news – and there is a lot of it!

To begin with, we do not have any active resident or associate COVID-19 cases in the VCC! There also are none in Village Assisted Living, and no active Independent Living resident cases. There are three associates outside of the VCC and VAL who are currently COVID+ and away from work. The majority of residents are fully vaccinated and have received boosters.

Additionally, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently issued new guidelines which require all staff members of organizations that are certified providers of Medicare and Medicaid to be vaccinated within 60 days of the mandate (released Nov. 4, 2021). John Knox Village falls under this rule.

  • This mandate, designed to protect residents, clients, patients and staff, requires all John Knox Village associates, regardless of where they work or their job title, to receive a full dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson) to be employed by John Knox Village.
  • In addition, all volunteers, agency personnel and students also need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
  • At this time, vaccination boosters are not required for those who are fully vaccinated.
  • I would love for you to listen to what our President and CEO, Dan Rexroth, has to say: https://bit.ly/3CDI70e

In another development, CMS has significantly changed the guidelines for Nursing Home Visitation. It is so exciting that we are starting to see some “normalcy” for all of us!  I do ask that everyone follow the VCC Visitation Guidelines_11162021 carefully, as my primary goal is still to keep our residents safe.

  • We are now able to allow visitors at all times, with no limit to the number of visitors.
  • We MUST continue to follow a set of Core Principles of Infection Control. These require visitors to the Village Care Center to be screened when they arrive, be diligent in practicing hand hygiene and social distancing, and wear masks.
  • I have attached a new version of our Visitation Guidelines specifically for the VCC that further explain these. Please take a moment to review these guidelines prior to your next visit.
  • Visits still must be limited to the resident’s room or in a dedicated location.  We will be allowing visits in the Main Dining Room when we are able to ensure that physical distancing is maintained.
  • If Jackson County community transmission level is substantial or high, all residents and visitors, regardless of vaccination status must wear face coverings at all times.

Lastly, we are in full swing with offering activities to the residents outside of their rooms. It is such a beautiful sight to walk around the building and see the residents attending activities and socializing with each other. I attended BINGO this week and we all had such a great time; everyone left a winner. There also was a wine and cheese event recently, and I can assure you this was very well attended.

Now we are gearing up for the holidays. Christmas decorations are already going up, and we are collecting gifts for all of our residents. If you would like to help with this, please stop by the reception desk and ask Debbie for more details.

It feels so good to be writing a letter to all of you that is full of positives. We are all anxious to see more visitors, as well as the smiles on our residents’ faces.

Each of us cares about the safety of our residents – and we care about you. Please make safe choices through the holiday season – especially when it comes to attending large gatherings. The last thing any of us wants is to become infected with the COVID virus and bring it into the VCC. And, please be sure to notify us if, after a visit, you learn that you had an exposure or have tested positive for COVID-19.

PS: DON’T FORGET YOUR MASK when you come to visit!

Communication Updates

Email updates frequently are sent to the families and responsible parties of Village Care Center residents. If you have a question, please contact Tami Hoversten, administrator, at [email protected]. If you would like to see the communication updates from 2020, please email [email protected].