As mentioned in a prior post, we have seen a significant drop of residents on COVID-19 monitoring protocols. It is too early to draw any conclusions as to whether this will remain a long range trend because it is not a virus where we can look back at historical trends-- so we are cautiously optimistic but remain highly vigilant.
We understand that this has been a trying period with the ongoing visitor restrictions and our Community Life Department and staff have been working hard to increase and expand opportunities for families and their loved ones/residents to communicate via AOHConnect and window visits-- which has received very positive feedback. We thank our staff members greatly for coordinating and managing these programs.
General updates/information regarding lifting of visitation restrictions:
No changes to visitation restrictions can be made by AOH without express permission and approval by the NY State Department of Health and CMS (federal)
We are actively monitoring all guidance/regulations/updates regarding visitation restriction changes
CMS has released guidance on paths for lifting visitor restrictions and we are reviewing this in-depth. However, we are awaiting state guidance that aligns or provides additional information-- so we can ensure we are following a clear and compliant pathway
We will be posting information about resident testing, soon-- and this testing, in part- is one of the components required with regard to lifting visitation restrictions (in the federal guidance)
We are committed to adhering to a safe and compliant pathway to lifting of visitation restrictions and we will keep you updated as more information becomes available to us.