Dear Family and Friends,

We continue to test staff and tenants as needed. At this time, no new cases have been reported.  We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Indoor visitation will resume once all test results are received and negative from testing completed on 4/1/21. 

As of this week, 80 percent of seniors have gotten at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine as well as 38 percent of residents aged 50 to 64. More than 1 million Minnesotans are now fully vaccinated and 1.66 million, or 38 percent have gotten at least one shot. On Tuesday, March 30^th, Minnesota expanded vaccine eligibility to all Minnesotans ages 16 and up. Although vaccinations are ramping up, Minnesota’s seven-day rolling average positivity rate has been increasing, and as of the latest data, it is at 5.3%, putting the state in the “caution” status.

We encourage you to do your part in stopping the spread of COVID-19 by connecting with your primary health care provider or using the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you.  Please continue to wear face masks, social distancing, wash your hands often and get tested if you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive or are experiencing COVID symptoms.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

As of today, we have no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center and no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Suncrest. Our care center is testing staff monthly. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

We continue to receive questions on how and when family and friends will receive their vaccine. Health officials have created a Vaccine Connector tool found at https://vaccineconnector.mn.gov/. This tool helps Minnesotans find out when, where, and how to get a COVID-19 vaccine. After you fill out a simple form, the Vaccine Connector will alert you when you are eligible to receive a vaccine, connect you to resources to schedule a vaccine appointment, and notify you if there are vaccine opportunities in your area.

It is not necessary to sign up if:

• You have already received your COVID-19 vaccine.

• You previously registered for the COVID-19 Vaccine Pilot Program or the COVID-19 Community Vaccination Program. You’re already on the Vaccine Connector list, and there is no need to re-submit your information.

• You completed the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Child Care survey. You’re already on the Vaccine Connector list, and there is no need to re-submit your information.

• You completed the Health Care Connection Form, you do not need to re-submit your information. The Minnesota Department of Health will work with health systems and local public health agencies to notify you about when and where you can get vaccinated.

We look forward to the day we can throw our doors wide open to the community. Until then, there are multiple ways residents in our setting can interact with one another and with their loved ones. We have resumed socially distanced communal dining and small group activities. We are currently able to offer indoor visits, virtual visits, essential caregiver visits, and compassionate care visits. We do ask that visitors are tested prior to entering our care center. Due to cost, we will no longer be able to test essential caregivers, compassionate caregivers or visitors in the care centers.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training.

For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

As of today, we have no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center and no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Suncrest. Our care center will begin monthly testing next week. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The CDC released a report that indicates a national average vaccination rate for care center residents of 77.8% and of care center staff, 37.5%. Minnesota is in a category with higher rates for both, with more than 80% of residents and more than 40% of staff. As of Wednesday of this week, 70,049 residents and staff of Minnesota’s long term care centers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. We have conducted our second vaccine clinic giving many residents and staff their second dose of the Moderna vaccine! We will be hosting our 3^rd Clinic in March. 

Viewcrest is excited to announce that we will begin limited indoor visitation starting on 2/8/2021.  These visits must be scheduled in advance with the activities department, please contact Jeremy Brew @ 218-279-4210 for more information.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

As of today, we have no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center and no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Suncrest. Our care center continues to test staff weekly. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

We plan to open for indoor visits soon.  For the safety of our residents and staff we ask that any visitors have a negative COVID test prior to their visit. If you would like to be tested during our routine testing, please reach out to Tara Adkins @ 218-279-4203.  

This week, MDH health officials contacted a computerized random selection of Minnesotans aged 65 and up, who signed up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, with only 11,700 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to give away, many on this list will not receive the vaccine this week. If you were not contacted on Wednesday, your name will remain on the list for the next round of vaccine distributions. For staff and residents at our care center (and assisted living) our next vaccination date is on 2/4/2021.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and like previous holidays throughout the COVID Pandemic, must be celebrated cautiously. MDH and CDC have not changed guidance regarding residents leaving our care centers during the pandemic and do require residents to quarantine upon return. With any holiday this year, we have seen an increase of visits requested. Please remember to plan ahead and schedule your virtual visit or, if available, indoor visits, with Jeremy Brew @ 218-279-4210 as soon as possible.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

As of today, we have had one additional resident and one staff member at Viewcrest test positive for COVID-19 in our care center. Our care center continues to test staff weekly. Suncrest has had no positive cases of COVID-19 this week. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Please be patient about changes in safety protocols as vaccinations roll out across Minnesota. Even though the vaccine is here, the virus is still being transmitted throughout our state and we need to continue to be cautious to protect the health and well-being of residents and staff.

Until we receive updated guidance from the State, we ask that everyone, even those not connected directly with our care center, continue infection prevention and control practices. Please wear a mask, wash your hands, don’t touch your face when you’re out and stay home if you’re feeling sick.  These measures will help keep the positivity rate low and allow our care center to host safe and socially distanced visitation for residents.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Melissa Hoglund, Director of Nursing at 218-279-4219 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

As of today, Suncrest has no confirmed cases of COVID-19. Viewcrest has had 2 additional residents test positive for COVID-19 this week and 4 additional staff members.  All staff and residents were tested on 1/7/2021 and we are awaiting results. Our care center continues to test staff weekly. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

We are bringing in the New Year with new hope and excitement. We have administered our first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in our care center. Suncrest staff and tenants received their first doses on 1/8/2021.

We have prepared a Frequently Asked Questions to help you understand why the vaccine is so important in defeating COVID-19. You can find this along with the Moderna Fact Sheet, on our website at sfhs.org/resources/covid-19/. If you have any other concerns or questions, please contact Chelsey Lindstrom Infection Control Nurse at 218-279-4204. 

We will continue following our infection prevention and control practices along with the latest guidance from MDH and CDC regarding safe visiting for our residents. As of today, our care center plans to look at opening visits as soon as our COVID unit is closed.  We will continue regular communication with our residents, friends and family on our COVID response, visitation guidelines and testing results.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator @ 218-279-4203if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

As of today, Suncrest has no confirmed cases of COVID-19. Viewcrest has had 8 additional residents test positive for COVID-19 within the last 24 hours and 3 additional staff members test positive for COVID-19 within the last 24 hours. As of today we have received testing back from Monday, 12/21/20 and some from Wednesday, 12/23/20. We are currently awaiting test results from Monday, 12/28/20 testing. Our care center continues to test residents and staff twice weekly. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

We are looking forward to receiving the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in the near future. The second dose of the vaccine will be administered 4 weeks after the first round and the third will be administered 4 weeks after the second. Protection from vaccine is not immediate; vaccine is a 2-dose series and will take 1 to 2 weeks following the second dose to be considered fully vaccinated. Vaccine efficacy is 94-95%. This data was assessed with two doses being administered. It is very important to get both doses to ensure good protection. Assisted living vaccination dates will be sent out soon.

When someone receives the vaccine they may experience side effects up to three days after vaccination. These side effects include injection site pain, tenderness and swelling of the lymph nodes in the same arm as the injection, swelling (hardness), and redness. General side effects include fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, nausea, and low grade fever.

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is one of the best ways to protect yourself and everyone around you, particularly those who are at increased risk for severe illness. Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Getting the vaccination will not only protect you from being infected; it will help us reduce visitation restrictions in the future.

While the vaccine is a significant factor in our fight against the virus, it is just the beginning to reopening our care centers. We continue to use the county positivity rate to measure the spread of the virus in our local communities and follow the recommendations from MDH and CDC on reopening. We continue to not allow visitors at this time.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Melissa Hoglund, Director of Nursing at 218-279-4219 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

Viewcrest and Suncrest tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. The results are shown below. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

• Viewcrest – 9 residents and 12 staff tested positive. No indoor visitation at this time. Testing staff twice weekly due to county positivity.

• Suncrest – 0 tenants and 0 staff tested positive. No indoor visitation at this time. Testing staff twice weekly due to county positivity.

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines pending approval by the FDA. We anticipate this will occur before the end of December. We appreciate and support the decision made by the federal government to prioritize long-term care residents and staff in the distributions of the COVID-19 vaccine. Our vaccination process for staff and residents will be based on guidance from MDH as well as official CDC recommendations that have yet to be released and we will share this with you very soon!

The beginning of December brought a surge of cases throughout Minnesota. Please help us protect our staff and residents by wearing a mask and social distancing. We again ask that you refrain from taking your loved one home over the Christmas holiday and schedule video visits with Jeremy at 218-279-4210.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

Viewcrest and Suncrest tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. The results are shown below. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Viewcrest –Residents were tested on Monday this week and staff were tested on Monday and Thursday. No positive cases were noted. No indoor visitation at this time. Testing staff twice weekly due to county positivity. •

Suncrest – Tenants and staff were tested on 11/27 & 12/4. One additional employee tested positive. No indoor visitation at this time. Tenant and staff testing will continue weekly until 14days have elapsed with no positive cases.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held an emergency meeting this week to review allocation recommendations for vaccines in phase 1 distribution. The advisory committee voted to include residents of long-term care communities in Phase 1A of vaccination. We anticipate a vaccine being available in the coming weeks and will keep you informed.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Viewcrest Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tara Adkins, Administrator, at 218-279-4203 if you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Family and Friends,

We recently learned that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the federal Medicare agency (CMS) are advising against residents leaving their care center for holiday visits. As we continue to fight against COVID-19, we ask that you not take your loved ones out this Thanksgiving.

By not taking your loved one out for a holiday visit, you will help us in protecting the health of everyone who lives and works here. One of the best things that you can do for your family this holiday season is to not gather in groups and keep everyone safe by wearing a facemask when you do.

We know just how special the holiday season can be and spending time with family is what adds meaning to our celebrations.  However, we need your help to protect our residents, our staff, and yourself during this pandemic’s risky time by limiting our contact with the broader community.  As Governor Walz told us the other night, the COVID-19 surge is at a dangerous level in Minnesota.

This past year has been a challenge like no other and we deeply appreciate the sacrifices that you and your family have already made during these past months. The hope of a COVID-19 vaccine is promising, but until that time we all need to use extra caution to slow the spread of this highly contagious disease.

If a resident does choose to go to a holiday gathering outside of our care center, the resident will need to quarantine in his or her room for 14-days after returning as a necessary precaution. Even when being very careful and following all of the guidelines, the risk of being infected when being out in the general public is high.

Our staff is committed to keeping you connected during the holiday seasons. We have a variety of activities planned that will engage our residents and are doing all we can to facilitate alternative means of communication between you and your loved one.

We know that this news may cause concern or that you may have questions about what we are doing to keep everyone safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 218-279-4203. 

Sincerely,

Tara Adkins, Administrator