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A Message to our Residents’ Families

VISITATION PROTOCOL DURING THE  COVID-19 PANDEMIC
For today’s COVID-19 report by facility please click here.

The entire team at Catholic Health Services prays this finds you and your family safe at home and healthy. Our commitment to our patients, residents and employees health and safety remains our highest priority during this national emergency. Working with the most up-to-date information from the CDC  and the Florida Department of Health, we continue to implement new protocols to help keep everyone we serve healthy and diminish the risk level at our facilities.

As the COVID 19 situation escalates in South Florida and throughout the country, we are aware that your concerns are heightened regarding the welfare of your loved one in our care.

We would like to share important updates and many additional precautions and protocols we have put in place to further protect our patients and residents.
  • Providing updates through the established COVID hotline for residents and families
  • Providing updates through the established COVID hotline for staff
  • Providing frequent updates on in-house TV channels for all residents and staff to view.
  • Conducting daily employee screenings, including temperature checks for all staff, and for visitors – upon entering the building.
  • Main entrances to provide screening tools to essential visitors entering the facility.
  • Eliminated communal dining throughout the facility.
  • Developing creative ways to help residents stay engaged and active without communal activities.
  • Making social and clinical calls for residents to engage with families and friends, ensuring they are doing well, and identifying any needs they may have.
In addition to the safety precautions previously ordered by Governor Desantis, we are taking the following measures to protect our Residents:
  • We have made significant investments in acquiring supplementary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to provide our caregivers the physical barriers necessary to contain and prevent any potential spread;
  • New isolation and recovery wings have been designated which will comfortably and safely separate any Resident with symptoms or those who might test positive, where we can care for them properly should the need arise;
  • Those Residents who test positive will be completely removed from the rest of the Resident population to avoid any possible contamination;
  • Clean transitional areas have been created to allow for staff and supplies to be safely deployed into isolation and recovery units;
  • Vital signs on all Residents are taken at least twice daily and recorded per protocols established by the CDC and Florida Department of Health; and,
  • Safe, user-friendly and accessible communications tools have been provided for Residents to maintain contact with family on a regular basis.

These are particularly stressful times for everyone and we are closely following the protocols prescribed by the CDC to keep each and every one of our Residents safe. In anticipation of the predictable need for testing, for weeks we have consistently reached out to our labs and other testing networks to procure 2,000 tests to protect our Residents and staff.  Our efforts on this front continue daily but unfortunately that degree of testing is still not available. Once given access to the testing kits we need, the level of confidence and planning to protect our Residents should increase as we can more effectively prevent further exposure.

We fully understand your frustration and confusion as this situation continues to evolve.  But please be assured that we continue to live our Mission daily and are dedicated to our healing ministry. Each of our staff members are fully committed to our patients’ welfare and safety. We will make every attempt to communicate with you weekly and provide the updates you need.

If you want additional and more specific information about your family member please call our COVID Hotline at 877-CHS-4ME2 and leave us a secured message with your name, your family member’s name and facility, as well as the email address where we can communicate with you quickly, directly and privately.

We welcome the opportunity to provide you with any information you need and to comfort you at this time.