On February 8th, 2021, we received our second round of COVID-19 vaccination shots. We have one further follow up clinic scheduled, so that any volunteer, employee or resident who opted out originally could chose to start their process with the second clinic. We learned a couple lessons from our first clinic, so this one went even more smoothly than the last. We kept hot soup and refreshments available, and participant were able to relax while they watched a live-stream cam of a new baby eagle hatchling in it’s first few hours of life. What a blessed day!
(Updated 02/16/2021)
On January 18, 2021, Chehalis West Assisted Living Center received their first round of COVID-19 vaccination shots. A follow up clinic is scheduled for February 8th to administer the second round. The clinic went off smoothly, with all residents, staff and volunteers who wanted to participate having the opportunity to do so. The observation room sounded like a party for much of the day, as those who had just gotten the shots were able to relax and chat, observing social distancing policy, and being treated to beverages while vital signs were monitored.
(Updated 01/19/2021)
Here at Chehalis West, we believe the health and safety of our residents should guide every decision we make, especially when it comes to infection control. Because of this belief, we are going above and beyond state requirements for COVID safety precautions.
Of course, there is the standards that we all know. Our staff is trained to practice social distancing to the extent possible in this line of work. We also all wear our masks at all times in the facility, and require our residents to mask up every time they leave their apartment.
All staff, residents, care personnel, and visitors get checked in at the front door by washing their hands, getting their temperature checked, and answering our COVID questionnaire. By using this system, we keep any high-risk individuals out. Residents also have their vital signs recorded every morning so that we can monitor any changes, and act on any symptoms immediately.
Regular hand washing has always been a priority for us, and with the new concerns, we have increased the frequency of washings, as well as added new sanitizer stations throughout the facility. We have also provided each staff member with a clip-on sanitizer container, so that even in the community, they can continue safe practices!
Our housekeepers start every weekday at 6:00am by thoroughly disinfecting all frequently touched surfaces in our communal areas. Throughout the day, housekeeping aides, laundry aides, nurse aides, and kitchen aides continue to regularly disinfect all communal spaces. We have a specific disinfection shift on the weekend, so that we can be sure there is a thorough and focused disinfection of all frequently touched public surfaces seven days a week.
We have arranged our dining room so that residents can enjoy their meals in a community environment, while still maintaining at least 6 feet of space. We also offer in-room dining at the residents request. Likewise, our activities room has been arranged so that we can conduct regular activities while maintaining social distance, and we have scheduled time in the dining room for activities, so that as many people as possible can participate. We have also implemented in-room activities, so that each resident can participate according to their own comfort level.
Part of our safe practices demand that we shut down the dining and activity rooms in the event of an active COVID-19 case in the facility until we are sure that it is contained. We believe that the social and emotional health of our residents must be taken into deep consideration at all times, so we work hard to keep communal gathering spaces within our facility open.
With this in consideration, our staff has been trained to evaluate their activities outside of work. We require that they follow all state mandated regulations for COVID-19 control, and we ask that they do not attend functions or take actions that might increase their risk for contamination.
At this time, we have had 6 positive COVID-19 cases in our facility, 5 of them being with employees, and 1 of them being a resident. Because of our safe practices and policies, we were able to contain the positive cases and stop the spread of the virus. We recognize that nobody is immune to the virus. Instead, it is up to us to ensure vigilant actions so that no matter what, we keep our residents safe!
We are always happy to answer questions and concerns by family members and community. Feel free to call us here at (360) 748-9911!
(Updated 1/15/2021)