March 17, 2022
Dear McLean Patients, Residents, and Families,
There is a new term to refer to a person’s vaccination status…..up-to-date. A person is considered up-to-date if they have received their two doses and the booster for Pfizer and Moderna, and one dose and the booster for Johnson & Johnson. You are also considered
up-to-date if you have received your vaccination(s), but are not eligible for the booster yet (five months after Pfizer and Moderna and two months after Johnson & Johnson). A person is NOT considered up-to-date if they are unvaccinated, have received only partial vaccinations, or have gone beyond the eligibility date for the booster.
As you may have heard, starting on March 16, nursing homes within Connecticut will no longer test visitors who are not up-to-date. Each individual entering our building will continue to use the Well Screen machine and will be asked if they are up-to-date with their vaccinations.
- If they are up-to-date, they will continue to wear the required mask while inside our building. If the resident they are visiting is up-to-date as well, social distancing will not be required, as long as they socially distance from others in the building.
- If they are not up-to-date, they will continue to wear the required mask while inside our building, and will socially distance from the person they are visiting, as well as others.
The transmission rates in our county have dropped to moderate for the past two weeks. With this good news, we are opening the living room and library for residents and families to enjoy! We do have a few strategies we need to maintain.
- Masks need to be worn at all times while inside our building.
- If everyone in the group is up-to-date, they do not need to socially distance from each other, but they do need to socially distance from others in those areas.
- No food or drink in these areas please. However, if all parties are up-to-date, food and drink may be enjoyed in a resident’s private room or in one of the meeting rooms (not the day rooms).
We do need to continue some of our mitigating strategies in order to keep our residents and employees safe. You will find these listed below.
Spring is almost here! Later in April, we will have our furniture set-up outside.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call our main number at 860-658-3700.
David Bordonaro Lisa Clark
President Vice President, Administrator of the Health Center
Mitigating Strategies
Our staff remains vigilant in appropriate screening, PPE usage and hand hygiene. Our mitigating strategies continue to be in effect. You will find these listed below.
- A health screening process is in place at our entrance for all essential personnel entering the building and for those who are visiting residents.
- Visitors must wear tight-fitting masks into our building and be screened at the front entrance of our health center. Please bring your driver’s license or photo ID. Also, please do not visit if you are not feeling well and be sure to abide by all travel guidelines, found here: https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus/travel.
- Everyone will wear a KN95 mask at all times while inside our building (in all inside visitation locations including the resident’s room). They are located at the Well Screen machine when you walk in.
- This also means that food and drink will not be allowed during visits, except in a resident’s private room or in a private meeting area (not the living room, day rooms, or the library).
- If someone visiting, or the resident, is not up-to-date with their vaccinations, social distancing must be maintained during the visit and from all other residents, staff, and visitors.
- If you, or anyone that visits McLean, should discover you are COVID-19 positive within 14 days of visiting us, please call the nursing supervisor right away so we can take the appropriate actions immediately to assess the potential exposure and implement the necessary isolation protocols to stop potential spread.
- Visitors must follow the core principles of infection prevention during any visit.
- visitors who have a positive viral test for COVID-19, symptoms of COVID-19, or currently meet the criteria for quarantine, should not enter the facility
- hand hygiene (use of alcohol-based hand rub is preferred)
- a KN95 mask, covering your mouth and nose, will be worn inside our building at all times
- social distancing, at least six feet between people, in accordance with CDC guidance
- The Abernethy and Pfirman Dining Rooms are open; however, these may need to be closed on certain days or times due to staffing levels. We are doing our best to keep this to a minimum.
- The Beauty Salon / Barber Shop is open, by appointment, for residents/patients not under isolation protocols.
- Not up-to-date residents who have had a direct COVID-19 exposure or a resident who tests positive for COVID-19, will have compassionate care visits for 14 days.
- The appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is available and worn by all staff while on campus.
- Enhanced cleaning process with approved products used and an increased focus on touched surfaces remains top priority.
- Masks are provided to all residents to wear when out of their room, when they have visitors in their room, and if engaged with their care team (with the exception of face care, taking medications or eating). If the resident is up-to-date and the visitors are all up-to-date, they may eat/drink together in the designated areas.
- Internal audits for infection control practices have been implemented to reinforce consistent and effective preventative measures.
- Medical appointments via telemedicine will be arranged for residents/patients on isolation precautions when possible.
- COVID-19 testing of staff follows the current Department of Public Health requirements. We will follow isolating protocols should any resident receive a positive test result and will implement additional testing and cohorting strategies.