10/30/2020
Dear Maristhill Residents and Families,
The facility has tested all of our staff on October 26th and 28th per Department of Public Health guidance for those individuals that had previously tested negative. Our staff continues to show no signs or symptoms of COVID-19. We will continue to test all of our staff every two weeks as directed by CMS and DPH. In addition, all the residents of Maristhill as of the date of this letter show no signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Our medical staff continues to monitor each resident’s health status for the COVID-19 virus.
As you may be aware if you are watching the news the trend of positive cases of COVID-19 is trending upward as we enter the colder months of 2020. What a year! And, to make it even more concerning for all of us is that we are entering the Flu season as well. I am pleased to inform you that we are providing the Flu vaccine to both our residents and staff. Nearly 100 % of our residents and staff have received the flu vaccine. Excellent news!
However, on the COVID-19 side we should keep in mind that this pandemic is far from over and we must continue our infection control practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The guidance that we follow to prevent the spread of COVID 19 is difficult at times to accept and even comprehend. The efforts by everyone and the sacrifices that are being made each day by residents, families and staff has helped keep us COVID 19 free since May at Maristhill. The difficulty that I have personally is that despite all of these efforts anything can cause an outbreak in a community, a healthcare facility or even your own home. The city of Waltham is RED ZONE community and we must be aware that the spread of COVID 19 is very real to all of us. I am asking all families to be cautious in these upcoming days and weeks to be extra cautious when visiting or planning visits to your loved ones. Please follow the guidance found on the Mass.gov website regarding restricted states and the criteria to follow when coming to visit Massachusetts.
We ask that our residents and staff do all that they can to support our facility and our community by following the recommendations set forth by the CDC and DPH:
- Social Distancing/staying home if possible and wear a facemask in public;
- Washing Hands for 20 seconds with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer;
- Self-isolating if showing any signs or symptoms of COVID-19; and
- Seek medical assistance as necessary
We wish to remind you that we have updated our Maristhill website and we hope that this updated version will be helpful for the families to keep in contact with the activities and news from Maristhill. Also, we still utilize Facetime and Skype for visits with families and residents.
Thank you all for your support. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Regards,
James Tracy
James Tracy,
President
