Dear Village at Belmar Community,
We are writing to you this evening to provide an update regarding the 8-week testing period of all associates at the community. This testing period has been mandated by the State of Colorado for all senior living communities and we voluntarily requested to be one of the first to receive the state’s supplies to start this process. We began week one of this testing process last week and tested all associates. Testing was conducted Tuesday through Thursday of last week, and results were processed by the laboratory for the Colorado Department of Health.
We tested 92 associates and received those test results back from the State of Colorado laboratory this week. Of the 92 tests that were performed, one associates tested positive and was asymptomatic. This associate was removed from the weekly staffing schedule, and contact tracing was done on that associates interactions over the prior 10 days. Based on the nature of the job duties and support that this associate provided to the community, we identified approximately 75 residents who we will require testing to ensure their safety. This associate’s interactions spanned over Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care. We can tell you that this associate was not in a caregiving role, and interactions with any residents were extremely limited, transactional in nature, and the associate was wearing proper PPE. The specific residents and/or family members of residents who had contact with the associate will be advised of the testing of their loved one. The tests that we will perform for residents will be processed by our laboratory, and we expect to have those result back Thursday and Friday of this week.
The State of Colorado mandated associate testing will continue this week, with over 90 additional tests that will be administered today through Thursday. We will continue to communicate with you as those tests occur and will let you know if other positive test results from our associates are detected.
The associate who tested positive had labored breathing last night and was admitted to the hospital. We understand that their condition is improving, and we are staying in communication with their loved ones to track their progress as their body processes this virus. Our thoughts and prayers are with this valued associate.
We thank you all for your patience and understanding during this difficult and uncertain time. We also want to reiterate that nothing is more important to us than keeping our residents, families and associates safe and healthy during this pandemic. We will continue to update you on this situation as additional pertinent information comes available, and we will continue to work diligently to keep of our community safe and healthy.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to Village at Belmar’s Executive Director, Michael Ruback.
Sincerely,
Susie Finley and Tom Finley
