Northcrest Update on COVID-19
As you may have heard in the news, President Trump has declared a national emergency as a result of COVID-19. This development triggers heightened infection control practices and protocols as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Governor Reynolds updated information on COVID-19 cases in Iowa and continued to urge Iowans to help with mitigation efforts by washing hands, cleaning surfaces frequently, avoiding non-essential air travel, staying home while sick, social distancing and calling your doctor.
Effective immediately, Northcrest Community will restrict visitation on our campus as required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
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We have a screening protocol we will use for all residents, family members, visitors, staff and vendors. You will be asked to complete a short questionnaire and to take your temperature when you come to the main building of Northcrest. Please use only the front entrance and stop at the receptionist desk for screening.
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Protocol remains the same for the Health Center and Heartwood House with no visitors permitted. We understand that communication with loved ones is incredibly important and encourage you to communicate with them in other ways such as the telephone, video chat, e-mail or other forms of social media.
In addition to restricting visitation to prevent the illness on our campus, we are also focused on infection control best practices with our staff and residents. Staff have been trained on the symptoms of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), CDC recommended infection prevention techniques, and have clear protocols for staff to stay home and not come to work if they are ill or symptomatic. Remember that you are a key partner in keeping yourself and others healthy—wash your hands often; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; notify staff if you feel sick.
We continue to monitor information and guidance from the IDHP, the CDC, CMS and are working with state and local public health and emergency preparedness officials to prevent the illness and strengthen our preparation for and response to outbreak.
We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause, but we are keeping the safety of residents and staff as our number one priority. Communication is key. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with questions or concerns you may have.
Sincerely,