March 26th, 2021

Dear Family and Friends,

Our campus continues to test and monitor staff and residents for signs or symptoms of COVID-19. As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19. We continue to follow recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

This past Monday Trinity Campus officially opened its doors to visitors.  What joyous reunions we witnessed throughout the week.  Thank you to everyone who practiced good infection control while in building.  Keeping visits to resident rooms and good mask use is essential.  We are so appreciative of everyone’s efforts to keep everyone safe!  An answer to a frequently asked question from family members, Trinity Care Center will continue to hold care conferences by phone.

This week marks a new milestone for Minnesota. Over 2 million vaccine doses have now been administered! Another milestone this week; Governor Walz announced that all Minnesotans ages 16 and up will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by March 30^th! We encourage you to connect with your primary health care provider or use the Vaccine Locator map (Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)) to find a vaccine appointment near you.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

March 19^th, 2021

Trinity monitored staff and residents for COVID-19 this week. There were no positive cases on campus. 

We are very excited to share the news that state and federal agencies that previously limited visitation in our setting have now issued guidance on how we can relax visitation restrictions and continue to protect the health of our residents and staff. As a result, this coming Monday 3/22/21 we will safely be opening our doors to visitors. We encourage you to come visit between the hours of 8am – 8:30pm, excluding meal times.  Additionally, those residents who are fully vaccinated will be able to come and go without the need to quarantine upon return and may receive a visitor in their private room.  We must all continue to practice our core principles of Infection Control, mask use, social distancing, sanitizing before and after.

If a resident is fully vaccinated, they can now choose to have close contact (including touch) with their visitor while wearing a well-fitting face mask and performing proper hand-hygiene before and after. Visitors are still required to physically distance from other residents and staff throughout our care center and not socialize in hallways or common areas.

Please note that screening is still required of all visitors and employees at the entrance to our building which will require some education on infection control practices, a temperature check and answering 2-3 questions.

There are a few distinct exceptions to visiting: 

• No indoor visits are allowed for unvaccinated residents if our county positivity rate is >10% or in the “red zone.”
• No indoor visits are allowed for residents with a confirmed COVID-19 infection, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met the criteria to discontinue transmission-based precautions.
• No indoor visits are allowed for residents in quarantine, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met criteria for release from quarantine.

To read our Visitation practice in more detail, we urge you to check our website.  Out of state travel, known exposures, symptoms of Covid 19 and/or refusal to follow infection control protocol will restrict your visitation.

We deeply appreciate the sacrifices you made to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our community and your patience as we continue to navigate the ever-changing guidelines imposed by the state and federal agencies. Our entire team looks forward to seeing you again! Family, friends and volunteers are core to what makes our community so special.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

March 12^th, 2021

In addition to Trinity Care Center employee testing, Trinity Care center tested all employees for COVID-19 this week.

Results from this week’s testing are as follows: 

Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 0 positive employees

Terrace and Suites – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees

On Wednesday the CDC released new recommendations for long term care visitation.  One of the major changes is in regards to resuming indoor visitation.  Effective Monday, Trinity may now resume indoor visitation after one week of negative Covid testing for areas that were not directly impacted by the Covid positive exposure.  This means, effective next Monday Trinity will resume indoor visitation for the CHATEAU residents only.  This includes residents that are in rooms 413-441.  These visits will continue to occur in a designated area of the building.  The rest of the building remains in quarantine for an additional week pending all negative covid 19 testing.   

While the CDC released additional recommendations we have yet to receive guidance by the Minnesota Department of Health on how this will roll out in MN nursing facilities.  We expect this guidance to be coming out very soon.  Until then there are no further changes to our indoor visitation policy. 

To schedule your visits please contact the activities line at 651.460.1166. 

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

3/4/21

Farmington Health Services tested all staff and residents for COVID-19 this week. Employee test results are still pending. 

Trinity Care Center has been notified that we have had one additional employee test positive for COVID 19 this week.  A total of 2 employees. 

We continue to encourage all residents, staff, family and community members to get themselves vaccinated against COVID 19.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

March 5^th, 2021

In addition to Trinity Care Center resident testing, Trinity Campus tested all staff for COVID-19 this week. A few employee test results are still pending. 

Results from this week’s testing are as follows: 

Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 2 positive employees

Terrace and Suites – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employee

This Saturday, March 6^th, marks one year since Minnesota confirmed its first case of COVID-19. The state has since recorded 485,230 total confirmed or probable cases. Now, more than 52% of Minnesotans 65 and older have received at least one dose of either COVID vaccine. This week, Governor Tim Walz stated Minnesota will expand vaccination eligibility when 70% of that population gets their first dose. Vaccine eligibility would expand to people with high-risk health conditions and targeted essential workers. Younger groups and the general public would follow in the late spring and summer.

Johnson & Johnson has now received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine, the Janssen Ad-Vac. The J&J vaccine is different than its Moderna and Pfizer 2-dose vaccine counterparts in two ways. First, the J&J vaccine is a one-shot vaccine, not a two-dose vaccine. Second, the J&J vaccine uses a more common vaccine technology and does not utilize the mRNA vaccine delivery method. The vaccine is published as 85% effective 28 days post vaccination. Side effects listed for this vaccine are similar to those listed for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

3/2/21

Farmington Health Services tested all staff for COVID-19 this week. Employee test results are still pending.

Unfortunately, Trinity Care Center had one employee test positive for COVID 19 today. All residents have been tested for Covid 19 and will resume weekly testing until we have gone two weeks free from COVID 19.

We will continue following our infection prevention and control practices along with the latest guidance from MDH and CDC regarding safe visiting for our residents. Per MDH regulation, effective Wednesday 3/3/21 all indoor visits will be cancelled. I encourage you to reschedule your indoor visit with an outdoor or virtual visit. Please contact the activities line to reschedule at 651.460.1166. Once we remain Covid free for two weeks we can resume indoor visitations.

We continue to encourage all residents, staff, family and community members to get themselves vaccinated against COVID 19.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator
Elizabeth Letich
651.460.1138
eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

February 26th, 2021

Trinity Care Center tested all staff for COVID-19 this week. A few employee test results are still pending. 

Results from this week’s testing are as follows: 

• Trinity Care Center, Terrace and Suites – 0 positive residents/tenants, 0 positive employees

Trinity Care Center is scheduling indoor visits.  Please call 651.460.1166 to start scheduling your visits.  All visits will occur in a designated area of the building.  Visits will allow for two visitors at one time, all visitors must be able to maintain PPE appropriately and follow direction. 

We continue to receive questions on how and when family and friends will receive their vaccine. Health officials have created a Vaccine Connector tool found at https://vaccineconnector.mn.gov/. This tool helps Minnesotans find out when, where, and how to get a COVID-19 vaccine. After you fill out a simple form, the Vaccine Connector will alert you when you are eligible to receive a vaccine, connect you to resources to schedule a vaccine appointment, and notify you if there are vaccine opportunities in your area.

We look forward to the day we can throw our doors wide open to the community. Until then, there are multiple ways residents in our setting can interact with one another and with their loved ones. We have resumed socially distanced communal dining and small group activities.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

February 19th, 2021

Trinity Care Center tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. A few employee test results are still pending. 

Results from this week’s testing are as follows: 

• Trinity Care Center, Terrace and Suites – 0 positive residents/tenants, 0 positive employee

Trinity Care Center has now had two weeks free from COVID 19.  Indoor visits will open up next week.  Please call 651.460.1166 to start scheduling your visits.  All visits will occur in a designated area of the building.  Visits will allow for two visitors at one time, all visitors must be able to maintain PPE appropriately and follow direction. 

Currently, vaccines are being distributed to adults 65 and older, educators, school staff, child care workers, health care workers, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. If you qualify in one of the above categories, please check the state’s online vaccine locations map (https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp) or contact your health care provider about appointment availability.  Trinity Care Centers next vaccine clinic is on March 9^th, Trinity Terrace and Trinity Suites next clinic is Thursday March 18^th. 

Minnesota continues to see new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as MN lessons the restrictions in public areas.  The numbers of cases and attributable deaths are declining as vaccinations roll out. State and local health officials continue to stress social distancing, mask use, and frequent hand washing or sanitizing.

With vaccinations becoming more prevalent, and knowledge that vaccinations are providing a positive impact in reduction of active outbreaks; it is frustrating that use of PPE and visitation constraints must continue within our care centers.  Until the CDC and MDH have supporting science to assure the spread of COVID-19 is reduced with vaccinations, we are required to maintain the same infection control protocol.  

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

February 12th, 2021

Trinity Care Center tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. A few employee test results are still pending. 

Results from this week’s testing are as follows: 

• Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 0 positive employee
• Trinity Terrace – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees
• Trinity Suites – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees

Since the start of the pandemic, 3,977 residents of Minnesota’s long term care facilities have died from COVID-19, accounting for 63% of the deaths from the virus statewide. However, last week, Minnesota recorded an average of just 64 new coronavirus cases per day in long-term care settings; the lowest the state has experienced since September! On Tuesday, MDH released more data showing that overall trends are improving, and not just in senior services communities. The state’s positivity rate of testing has fallen to 4%, the lowest rate since June! The rate had peaked at 15.5% in November amid an upsurge in cases.

The drop in new cases is a hopeful sign that the vaccines are starting to provide the protection we need and the infection control protocols put in place are working. Our staff continue to find creative ways to ensure social distancing does not stop social interaction.

Please remember with any holiday, we see an increase in visits. Please schedule your virtual or window visit by today with our activities department at 651.460.1166.

Our care centers next vaccine clinic is on March 9^th, Trinity Terrace and Trinity Suites next clinic is next Thursday February 18^th. 

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

February 5th, 2021

Trinity Care Center tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. A few employee test results are still pending. 

Results from this week’s testing are as follows: 

• Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 0 positive employee
• Trinity Terrace – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees
• Trinity Suites – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees

The CDC released a report that indicates a national average vaccination rate for care center residents of 77.8% and of care center staff, 37.5%. Minnesota is in a category with higher rates for both, with more than 80% of residents and more than 40% of staff. As of Wednesday of this week, 70,049 residents and staff of Minnesota’s long term care centers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. We are conducting our second Moderna vaccine clinic next Tuesday for residents and staff! We will be hosting our 3rd clinic on March 9^th, 2021.

We want to remind our friends and family that may be participating in Super Bowl activities to please social distance, wear a mask, and wash or sanitize your hands often.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org