A letter from Dahl Memorial on visitation

Dear Residents and Families:

At DMHA, the health and safety of our residents is of utmost importance. Following up to date recommendations, we are changing our visitation policy, to allow for family visits, however, please do not visit if you are ill or if you have had close contact with someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the prior 14 days as this creates a risk for our entire staff and residents.

INDOOR VISITATION:

• There will be 2 time slots a day that a visit can be scheduled each day of the week. Please call 406-775-8730 to schedule a visit. Times that are available: 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

• The visit will have a maximum time limit of 1 hour.

• Maximum number of visitors will be 2. Please, no children under 10.

• The entrance that will be used is the old Public Health door on the southeast corner of the building. You will need to call when you arrive so that a staff member may let you in the door.

• Upon arrival you will be asked if you have any symptoms of COVID -19 illness or have been around anyone who has tested positive for COVID in the last 14 days.

• You will be taken to the visitation room where further instructions will be given to you.

• Expectations are to sanitize your hands upon arrival and wear a mask.

• Current guidance is to remain 6 feet away from your loved one - with everyone in the room wearing a mask.

• You will only be allowed in the visitation room. There will be a way of notifying staff when you are ready to leave the room upon completion of your visit so you can exit the building without going out of the room to get a nurse.

• A negative pressure fan is in place. This must remain on at all times.

EXCEPTIONS TO INDOOR VISITATION:

• When there is a high risk of COVID-19 transmission (note: compassionate care visits will be permitted). The scenarios to limit indoor visitation include:

• Unvaccinated residents, if the nursing home’s COVID-19 county positivity rate is >10% and>70% of residents in the facility are fully vaccinated;

• Residents with confirmed COVID-19 infection, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated until they have met the 2 criteria to discontinue Transmission-Based Precautions; or

• Residents in quarantine, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met criteria for release from quarantine.

OUTDOOR VISITATION:

• There will be 2 time slots a day that a visit can be scheduled each day of the week. Please call 406-775-8730 to schedule a visit. Times that are available: 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

• The visit will have a maximum time limit of 1 hour.

• Upon arrival you will be asked if you have any symptoms of COVID -19 illness or have been around anyone who has tested positive for COVID in the last 14 days.

• Maximum number of visitors will be 4. Please, no children under 10.

• Current guidance is to remain 6 feet away from your loved one - with everyone wearing a mask.

• There will be a way of notifying staff when you are done with your visit.

• If you develop fever or symptoms consistent with COVID-19 within 14 days of visiting the facility, please notify the nursing staff so that we can watch for any changes in the health of your family member.

ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANING AND DISINFECTION:

After each visitation, nursing staff or housekeeping will disinfect all high touch areas of the room. This includes but is not limited to door knobs, and chair arms. Houskeeping will clean the entire room and floors daily if there are visitors scheduled or as needed based on traffic in the room for that week.

SOCIAL EXCERSIONS OUTSIDE THE FACILITY

• If taking loved ones out of the facility for less than 24 hours, visitors and residents will receive the information that shows actions they should take to protect themselves, emphasizing the importance of source control, physical distancing and hand hygiene.

• Considerations for fully vaccinated residents who are visiting friends or family in a private setting outside the facility are described in the Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People

• For the purposes of this guidance, people are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 ≥2 weeks after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or ≥2 weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen ).†

Fully vaccinated people can:

• Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing

• Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing

• Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic

For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:

• Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing

• Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease

• Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households

• Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings

• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms

Residents and family should inform the facility if they have close contact with a person with SARS-CoV-2 infection while outside the facility.

• We may also consider quarantining residents who leave the facility if, based on an assessment of risk, uncertainty exists about their adherence or the adherence of those around them to recommended IPC measures.

Watch for symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• New loss of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

We encourage you to review the CDC website for information about COVID-19, including its symptoms, how it spreads, and actions you can take to protect your health: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

Thank you very much for everything you are doing to keep our residents and facility staff safe and healthy. We continue to closely monitor the situation in our community.

Please contact us with additional questions at 406-775-8730.

Thank-you,

Ryan Tooke, CEO