Visiting the Manistee County Medical Care Facility
June 23, 2022
We currently have two residents on our Covid Unit. Community spread in Manistee County and surrounding areas is the highest in the State. We also have a couple of staff members out with influenza A. Please be diligent in your infection control practices at the facility and consider getting a flu shot and any Covid-19 vaccinations that you may be eligible for.
June 3, 2022
We have had no new resident positives since May 27th. The last staff positive was on May 29th. Community spread continues to be high. Please take all necessary precautions to protect yourselves, our residents and our staff. Have a great weekend!
According to the Manistee News-Advocate, Manistee County had 2,908 cases and 76 deaths as of the end of May 2022. There have been 220 cases reported since February 28, 2022. A record 43 cases were recorded on May 18, 2022, the day before our first resident tested positive on May 19, 2022. Our outbreak started on April 12, 2022 with an employee. The only other time our residents had Covid, 24 cases (a record at that time) were reported on January 11, 2022. Our outbreak mode began with an employee on the same day. Our first resident tested positive on January 22, 2022. It seems impossible to keep it out when the community spread is so high. Nevertheless, we will continue to work with out staff, residents and visitors on mask compliance, hand hygiene, social distancing, testing, etc. to ensure that we keep the residents as safe as we can.
May 12, 2022
Community spread is high again. Our staff are wearing KN 95 masks and face shields or goggles again. Every week a staff member tests positive for Covid. We have to go two weeks without a new positive for our outbreak to end. Please be careful and do not visit if you are having any symptoms that could be Covid.
February 11, 2022
Our outbreak mode continues. Community spread is still very high. Another employee tested positive for Covid this week. If you visit, it is important that you follow the visiting guidelines. We have a new kiosk in the main lobby to check in. It will ask you for your full name, a telephone number, if you have any signs or symptoms that could be Covid and who you are visiting. Once checked in, you should go directly to the room of the person you are visiting. Do not stop to talk to staff or other residents. When your visit is over, please check out and exit the building. We are trying to minimize your risk of exposure to Covid as well as our residents and staff. Thank you for understanding.
December 2021
Manistee County was at the highest level of Community Transmission since the Covid-19 Pandemic began when CMS and MDHHS decided to loosen visiting restrictions on long-term care facilities. The staff at the Medical Care have worked their butts off for over a year and a half to prevent our residents from getting Covid-19. The hard work has paid off. As of December 31, 2021, not a single one of our residents has gotten Covid-19 since the pandemic began. We are proud of this record, but mostly we are happy for our residents and their families that we have been able to keep everyone safe so far.
Loosening the rules on visits adds some significant risk and makes us very nervous, especially coming at a time when community spread is so high. It is very important that good infection control practices be observed during visits and that the rules are followed to keep our residents, staff and other visitors safe. Please be patient with us and follow the rules.
We encourage you to call the resident or their responsible party prior to visiting to make sure it is OK with them. Some have concerns about unvaccinated people visiting. Others want their visitors limited to just a few close family members to help keep them safe.
When visitors or the resident are not fully vaccinated, we prefer that the visit takes place outdoors if possible. We know that is not possible in the winter.
We will not limit the number of visitors who can visit at one time, but we have to avoid large gatherings and ensure that social distancing can still be maintained. This usually means two or three visitors at a time in resident rooms.
Visits will be allowed for all residents at all times. Appointments are no longer necessary. There is no age limit for visitors. Residents have the right to receive visitors of their choosing, and in a manner that does not impose on the rights of another resident, such as a clinical or safety restriction. The residents have the right to make choices about aspects of their lives in the facility that are significant to them. They may deny or withdraw consent for a visit at any time. If a resident or their representative is aware of the risks associated with visiting, and the visit occurs in a manner that does not put other residents at risk (in the resident’s room for example) we will allow the visit.
To make visiting safer, we offer a rapid test for Covid-19. Any positive tests will be reported to the local health department and the CDC for follow up and contact tracing. We will not allow a visit to take place if the potential visitor has a fever or any symptoms of Covid-19, or if a visitor has a known Covid-19 exposure or has been instructed to self-quarantine. The regulations allow a fully vaccinated person to visit, but with the number of breakthrough cases we are seeing, we highly discourage it.
If a visitor has tested positive for Covid-19 in the ninety (90) days prior to the visit, they should provide us with documentation of their positive status. We do not need to test someone within ninety days of a documented positive test.
Visitors will receive very basic education on infection control and agree to follow the Medical Care's infection control policies for indoor visits.
Due to the increased risk of spreading Covid-19, eating or drinking during the visits is strongly discouraged.
Visitors will be required to sign in with their name, date, time, a phone number and who they are visiting. They will obtain and record their temperature and answer some Covid-19 screening questions.
Masks will be worn at all times within the facility and during the visit. (Cloth and other non-surgical masks are not acceptable. Surgical masks are provided by the facility.)
Visitors will be required to visit in the designated visiting area and are not to leave this area at any time during the visit.
Visitors will notify the facility if they develop any Covid-19 symptoms within fourteen days following the visit. Our guidance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, District Health Department #10 and other government agencies changes frequently. We will do our best to keep up with the changes and keep you informed.
We currently have two residents on our Covid Unit. Community spread in Manistee County and surrounding areas is the highest in the State. We also have a couple of staff members out with influenza A. Please be diligent in your infection control practices at the facility and consider getting a flu shot and any Covid-19 vaccinations that you may be eligible for.
June 3, 2022
We have had no new resident positives since May 27th. The last staff positive was on May 29th. Community spread continues to be high. Please take all necessary precautions to protect yourselves, our residents and our staff. Have a great weekend!
According to the Manistee News-Advocate, Manistee County had 2,908 cases and 76 deaths as of the end of May 2022. There have been 220 cases reported since February 28, 2022. A record 43 cases were recorded on May 18, 2022, the day before our first resident tested positive on May 19, 2022. Our outbreak started on April 12, 2022 with an employee. The only other time our residents had Covid, 24 cases (a record at that time) were reported on January 11, 2022. Our outbreak mode began with an employee on the same day. Our first resident tested positive on January 22, 2022. It seems impossible to keep it out when the community spread is so high. Nevertheless, we will continue to work with out staff, residents and visitors on mask compliance, hand hygiene, social distancing, testing, etc. to ensure that we keep the residents as safe as we can.
May 12, 2022
Community spread is high again. Our staff are wearing KN 95 masks and face shields or goggles again. Every week a staff member tests positive for Covid. We have to go two weeks without a new positive for our outbreak to end. Please be careful and do not visit if you are having any symptoms that could be Covid.
February 11, 2022
Our outbreak mode continues. Community spread is still very high. Another employee tested positive for Covid this week. If you visit, it is important that you follow the visiting guidelines. We have a new kiosk in the main lobby to check in. It will ask you for your full name, a telephone number, if you have any signs or symptoms that could be Covid and who you are visiting. Once checked in, you should go directly to the room of the person you are visiting. Do not stop to talk to staff or other residents. When your visit is over, please check out and exit the building. We are trying to minimize your risk of exposure to Covid as well as our residents and staff. Thank you for understanding.
December 2021
Manistee County was at the highest level of Community Transmission since the Covid-19 Pandemic began when CMS and MDHHS decided to loosen visiting restrictions on long-term care facilities. The staff at the Medical Care have worked their butts off for over a year and a half to prevent our residents from getting Covid-19. The hard work has paid off. As of December 31, 2021, not a single one of our residents has gotten Covid-19 since the pandemic began. We are proud of this record, but mostly we are happy for our residents and their families that we have been able to keep everyone safe so far.
Loosening the rules on visits adds some significant risk and makes us very nervous, especially coming at a time when community spread is so high. It is very important that good infection control practices be observed during visits and that the rules are followed to keep our residents, staff and other visitors safe. Please be patient with us and follow the rules.
We encourage you to call the resident or their responsible party prior to visiting to make sure it is OK with them. Some have concerns about unvaccinated people visiting. Others want their visitors limited to just a few close family members to help keep them safe.
When visitors or the resident are not fully vaccinated, we prefer that the visit takes place outdoors if possible. We know that is not possible in the winter.
We will not limit the number of visitors who can visit at one time, but we have to avoid large gatherings and ensure that social distancing can still be maintained. This usually means two or three visitors at a time in resident rooms.
Visits will be allowed for all residents at all times. Appointments are no longer necessary. There is no age limit for visitors. Residents have the right to receive visitors of their choosing, and in a manner that does not impose on the rights of another resident, such as a clinical or safety restriction. The residents have the right to make choices about aspects of their lives in the facility that are significant to them. They may deny or withdraw consent for a visit at any time. If a resident or their representative is aware of the risks associated with visiting, and the visit occurs in a manner that does not put other residents at risk (in the resident’s room for example) we will allow the visit.
To make visiting safer, we offer a rapid test for Covid-19. Any positive tests will be reported to the local health department and the CDC for follow up and contact tracing. We will not allow a visit to take place if the potential visitor has a fever or any symptoms of Covid-19, or if a visitor has a known Covid-19 exposure or has been instructed to self-quarantine. The regulations allow a fully vaccinated person to visit, but with the number of breakthrough cases we are seeing, we highly discourage it.
If a visitor has tested positive for Covid-19 in the ninety (90) days prior to the visit, they should provide us with documentation of their positive status. We do not need to test someone within ninety days of a documented positive test.
Visitors will receive very basic education on infection control and agree to follow the Medical Care's infection control policies for indoor visits.
Due to the increased risk of spreading Covid-19, eating or drinking during the visits is strongly discouraged.
Visitors will be required to sign in with their name, date, time, a phone number and who they are visiting. They will obtain and record their temperature and answer some Covid-19 screening questions.
Masks will be worn at all times within the facility and during the visit. (Cloth and other non-surgical masks are not acceptable. Surgical masks are provided by the facility.)
Visitors will be required to visit in the designated visiting area and are not to leave this area at any time during the visit.
Visitors will notify the facility if they develop any Covid-19 symptoms within fourteen days following the visit. Our guidance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, District Health Department #10 and other government agencies changes frequently. We will do our best to keep up with the changes and keep you informed.
More information on Covid-19:
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Michigan
https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98178_103214---,00.html
