September 4, 2020

Good afternoon Gilpin Hall Family,

I hope this finds you doing well and planning to enjoy the holiday weekend.

Resident, employee, and vendor testing for COVID-19 continues with negative results and we remain hopeful that this trend will continue. As you know, we have implemented many new procedures over the past 6 months in our attempt to fight against the virus, and I am excited to report that we have taken another big step to protect our residents and staff. Our Board of Managers has approved, and we have ordered, an air purification system which is currently being installed throughout the building. This system uses a process called Needlepoint Bi-polar Ionization (NPBI) that (1) increases filtration effectiveness; (2) neutralizes odors; (3) kills bacteria, viruses, mold, and allergens by robbing them of hydrogen; and, (4) even saves energy. We are looking forward to completion of installation.

Yesterday, an order of the Department of Health and Social Services was released, describing a multi-level re-opening plan for long term care facilities in Delaware, to be effective September 8, 2020. This plan uses the current COVID-19 status of each facility to outline very specific guidance for resuming indoor visitation, communal dining, and other activities. We are reviewing the guidance and will be developing detailed policies and procedures to be submitted for approval by Delaware Division of Health Care Quality. Please note that no level of re-opening can begin until approval is granted. It is also important to let you know that, should our COVID-19 status change at any time, we will be required to close our doors until we again meet the requirements of re-opening. We will move forward as quickly as possible, and appreciate your patience during this process.

Thank you for your continuing support! Please contact us at info@gilpinhall.org with any questions or comments.

Warmest regards,

Linda B. Schwind, NHA

Executive Director