1/8/2021

Trinity Terrace and Trinity Suites remain COVID-free.  We’ve had no positive employees or tenants.

With that great news, we will resume visits next week!  Our visits will be similar to how we operated this past summer except will be indoors.  Please ensure you wear your mask and don’t visit if you are feeling ill.

Contact Dorothy 651.460.3013 at the Terrace to set up visits. 

Contact Kelly 651.252.2079 to set up visits at the Suites. 

We are bringing in the New Year with new hope and excitement. We have been scheduled for our first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Our first vaccine clinic will be on 1/21/2021. Followed by our 2^nd clinic on 2/18/21.

We have prepared a Frequently Asked Questions to help you understand why the vaccine is so important in defeating COVID-19. You can find this along with the Moderna Fact Sheet, on our website at sfhs.org/resources/covid-19/. If you have any other concerns or questions, please contact Jackie Brula, Director of Housing & Homecare.

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.  We will continue regular communication with our residents, friends and family on our COVID response, visitation guidelines and testing results.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

1/8/2021

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

Results from this week’s testing are below. 

• Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 2 positive employees, 1 positive healthcare contractor

We will administer our first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in our care center next Tuesday January 12^th.  Our next vaccine clinic will be on February 9th.

We have prepared a Frequently Asked Questions to help you understand why the vaccine is so important in defeating COVID-19. You can find this along with the Moderna Fact Sheet, on our website at sfhs.org/resources/covid-19/. If you have any other concerns or questions, please contact us.

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. As of today, our care center remains under quarantine.  Once we remain covid free for two weeks we can resume visitations. 

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

December 30, 2020

Farmington Health Services tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. Employee test results are still pending.  We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Results from this week’s testing are below. 

• Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 2 positive employees
• Trinity Terrace – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees
• Trinity Suites – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees

We are excited to announce Trinity care center is scheduled to receive the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and will host 3 clinics for vaccinating our residents and staff! Our first clinic is January 12^th, February 9^th and March 9^th.  The second dose of the vaccine will be administered 4 weeks after the first round. Protection from vaccine is not immediate; vaccine is a 2-dose series and will take 1 to 2 weeks following the second dose to be considered fully vaccinated. Vaccine efficacy is 94-95%. This data was assessed with two doses being administered. It is very important to get both doses to ensure good protection. Trinity Terrace and Trinity Suites vaccination dates will be sent out soon.

When someone receives the vaccine they may experience side effects up to three days after vaccination. These side effects include injection site pain, tenderness and swelling of the lymph nodes in the same arm as the injection, swelling (hardness), and redness. General side effects include fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, nausea, and low grade fever.

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is one of the best ways to protect yourself and everyone around you, particularly those who are at increased risk for severe illness. Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough.  Getting the vaccination will not only protect you from being infected; it will help us reduce visitation restrictions in the future.    

While the vaccine is a significant factor in our fight against the virus, it is just the beginning to reopening our care centers. We continue to use the county positivity rate to measure the spread of the virus in our local communities and follow the recommendations from MDH and CDC on reopening. Currently our county positivity rate will not allow us to open for indoor visits.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

December 11, 2020

Farmington Health Services tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. Employee test results are still pending.  We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Results from this week’s testing are below. 

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

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines pending approval by the FDA. We anticipate this will occur before the end of December.  We appreciate and support the decision made by the federal government to prioritize long-term care residents and staff in the distributions of the COVID-19 vaccine. Our vaccination process for staff and residents will be based on guidance from MDH as well as official CDC recommendations that have yet to be released and we will share this with you very soon! 

The beginning of December brought a surge of cases throughout Minnesota.  Please help us protect our staff and residents by wearing a mask and social distancing.  We again ask that you refrain from taking your loved one home over the Christmas holiday and schedule video visits with Joy at 651.460.1166.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

December 04, 2020

Farmington Health Services tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. Staff were tested twice, Monday and Thursday. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).Results from this week’s testing are below. Results are still pending.

• Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 0 positive employees, 1 positive medical contractor.

• Trinity Terrace – 1 positive tenant, 0 positive employees

• Trinity Suites – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held an emergency meeting this week to review allocation recommendations for vaccines in phase 1 distribution. The advisory committee voted to include residents of long-term care communities in Phase 1A of vaccination. We anticipate a vaccine being available in the coming weeks and will keep you informed. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

November 25, 2020

Farmington Health Services tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. Staff were tested twice, Monday and Wednesday. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

• Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 1 positive employees
• Trinity Terrace – 2 positive tenants, 0 positive employees
• Trinity Suites – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees

Please consider how your Thanksgiving plans impact others. We encourage you to stay home and gather with people within your household. Most importantly, visit with your friends and loved ones in our care center virtually as much as possible. Share family recipes over the phone or Zoom. Send letters and photos instead of an in-person visit during our current visiting limitations. For more ways you can connect with your loved one or to schedule a virtual visit, please contact Joy at 651.460.1166.

This Thanksgiving season we want to thank our residents, family and friends for their support and prayers throughout the COVID Pandemic. We thank you for your continued patience and the sacrifices you have made.  With you we will work through this pandemic. Remember to wear a mask, social distance when possible and practice proper hand hygiene. On behalf of our entire team, please stay safe and healthy.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

Dear Family and Friends,

We recently learned that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the federal Medicare agency (CMS) are advising against residents leaving their care center for holiday visits. As we continue to fight against COVID-19, we ask that you not take your loved ones out this Thanksgiving.

By not taking your loved one out for a holiday visit, you will help us in protecting the health of everyone who lives and works here. One of the best things that you can do for your family this holiday season is to not gather in groups and keep everyone safe by wearing a facemask when you do.

We know just how special the holiday season can be and spending time with family is what adds meaning to our celebrations.  However, we need your help to protect our residents, our staff, and yourself during this pandemic’s risky time by limiting our contact with the broader community.  As Governor Walz told us the other night, the COVID-19 surge is at a dangerous level in Minnesota.

This past year has been a challenge like no other and we deeply appreciate the sacrifices that you and your family have already made during these past months. The hope of a COVID-19 vaccine is promising, but until that time we all need to use extra caution to slow the spread of this highly contagious disease.

If a resident does choose to go to a holiday gathering outside of our care center, the resident will need to quarantine in his or her room for 14-days after returning as a necessary precaution. Even when being very careful and following all of the guidelines, the risk of being infected when being out in the general public is high.

Our staff is committed to keeping you connected during the holiday seasons. We have a variety of activities planned that will engage our residents and are doing all we can to facilitate alternative means of communication between you and your loved one. If you have any gifts or cards you would like to give to your loved one or wish to schedule a virtual visit, please contact Activities Dept.

We know that this news may cause concern or that you may have questions about what we are doing to keep everyone safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. 

Sincerely,

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

November 20, 2020

Farmington Health Services tested all residents and staff for COVID-19 this week. Staff were tested twice, Monday and Thursday.  All tests results from Monday have been returned; however, Thursday tests results are still pending. You will be notified if there are any additional positive cases.  We continue to follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

• Trinity Care Center – 0 positive residents, 0 positive employees
• Trinity Terrace – 5 positive tenants, 0 positive employees
• Trinity Suites – 0 positive tenants, 0 positive employees

Our county positivity rate has risen above 10% putting our care center in the “red zone.” According to CMS calculations, all Minnesota counties, but four, are now in the “red zone.” Being in the “red zone” requires our care center to routinely test our staff twice weekly. We are also required to suspend all indoor visits at this time. We encourage you to use alternate ways to connect with your loved ones such as Zoom, Facebook Portal, Phone, and Facetiming. To schedule your visit or for more information on our visitation policy, please contact Joy at 651.460.1166.

With hospital beds nearing capacity and healthcare staffing shortages, Governor Walz issued even more COVID restrictions this week. Restaurants, breweries, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and bars will be take-out only. Gyms will close and organized indoor sports will be suspended. We need your help to control the spread of the virus in our community. We encourage you to use masks, social distance and abide by the Governor’s Orders.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

Dear Family and Friends,

We regret to inform you that we have had three employees at Trinity Care Center test positive for COVID-19. These employees are currently self-quarantining at home. They will not be allowed to return to work until they recover from the virus; 10 days following positive test and 72 hours from last fever without using medication.

We will be testing again on Tuesday, November 17^th. We continue to work with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and are following COVID-19 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org

11/12/2020

This week all residents and staff were tested for COVID 19. As of today, we have had four staff members test positive with more employees removed from the schedule due to COVID 19 like symptoms or exposures.  All resident results have been returned and are negative. 

This week our county positivity rate has risen above 10%. With this upsurge, we are now testing all staff twice weekly. We will be testing all staff again this Friday, 11/13/2020 from 12p – 2p. We continue to work with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and are following COVID-19 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

As a reminder any staff who may test positive will be quarantined at home and will not be allowed to return to work until they recover from the virus, are symptom free and pass the employee screening protocols. Our staff are equipped with specific training and personal protective equipment (PPE) to continue to provide safe, quality care, services and support to the residents of our community.

Any resident testing positive will be transferred to our COVID unit at TCC to receive care, providing there is a room available. The segregated COVID unit has a separate entrance for staff that work in that wing to ensure they have no contact with other residents and staff.  The unit is staffed with nurses and nursing assistants who will take on all other roles needed to provide care for our residents with COVID-19.

We encourage everyone in their efforts to control the spread of the virus including wearing masks, social distancing and the recent turning back of the dial by the State. 

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Trinity Campus Administrator

Elizabeth Letich

651.460.1138

eletich@trinity.sfhs.org