Dear Bloom Residents, Families & Friends:
Please find our biweekly update below. Despite rising cases throughout the Country and increasing positivity rates in Counties where Bloom Senior Living operates, we continue to report low infection rates. We're happy to see significant vaccine breakthroughs, with unexpectedly high efficacy rates, in battling COVID-19. Bloom has a series of substantive updates this week.
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Bloom currently has four resident and seven associate COVID-19 cases throughout its nine communities in Florida, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina and Louisiana. Seven of our nine communities, Bloom at Belfair (SC) , Bloom at Bluffton (SC), Bloom at Hilton Head (SC), Bloom at Lakewood (OH), Bloom at St. Petersburg (FL), Bloom at Bossier (LA) and Bloom at German Church (IN), have no resident cases. Two of our nine communities, Bloom at Eagle Creek (IN) and Bloom at Kokomo (IN), have limited resident cases. The associate cases are predominately at the Indiana communities, with the exception of one associate in South Carolina. There are no associate cases at Bloom at Lakewood (OH), Bloom at St. Petersburg (FL) and Bloom at Bossier (LA). While we've had a few cases since our last update, we've administered hundreds of tests over the last two weeks and our infection rates remain low as we reopen communities, welcome families and friends back for visitation and implement communal dining, group activities, outside entertainment and more programming in a safe and socially distant manner consistent with our infection control protocols. Life is still generally returning to a more normalized environment at Bloom, but, at times, we're in what we refer to as a "pause and restart" transitionary period of time in light of recent data. The charts below, reflecting "active" and "total/cumulative" resident and associates cases, have been updated.
Understanding the state of our Country in fighting this global pandemic has played an integral role in Bloom's approach and thinking. As new cases of COVID-19 soar throughout the United States heading into the holidays, there's renewed hope on the medical front that our communities will have priority access to a vaccine before year end and there should be broad vaccine access by middle 2021. The next six months are therefore critical.
Given the recent surge in cases, which we expect to continue following the Thanksgiving holiday, Bloom continues to do all the things we've been discussing for the past eight months under our comprehensive Pandemic Rapid Response Plan to keep our residents and associates safe. Those extensive initiatives, coupled with our gradual and phased Back on Track Plan, has allowed us to slowly reopen our communities and ensure, consistent with our internal objectives and goals, we can relax restrictions while continuing to keep everyone safe. It's for that reason we've been able to slowly move into advanced phases (where possible) of our reopening plan. Please know that while we see tremendous benefits to reopening (and heard your survey responses wanting looser restrictions), we wouldn't hesitate to tighten certain restrictions again if we felt it was necessary to keep the residents physically safe. Against that backdrop, we're aware cases are rising throughout the Country, including States where Bloom operates. We therefore want to address why we're continuing to open Bloom communities, or stay open, for programming and visitation (where we can) when cases are surging. While it's true that cases are rising throughout the nation, Bloom communities are not places where outbreaks are occurring. Bloom's reopenings thus far have gone so well that we've continued to loosen, not tighten, restrictions (remember our Cupbearer story). We're confident in our protocols and see that our residents and associates have been able to maintain the foundational tenets of health and safety by consistently wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, using health screenings and temperature checks, testing, isolating, tracking, etc. Equally important, we continue to see the positive impact of relaxed restrictions and being able to restore resident engagement and visitation with families and friends.
That said, in a CNBC interview with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner ("FDA") (who we widely follow and respect), on November 12, 2020, Dr. Gottlieb urged Americans to take precautions in their daily lives to cut down on transmission as we experience a worrisome surge in cases and hospitalizations. He made clear we need to get through the next two to three months, but the "pain is temporary." He added, "[t]his is really one last surge of infection that we have to grapple with. I do believe 2021 is going to be better." Dr. Gottlieb, who has always taken a neutral and measured approach, indicated that we're not going back to the broad-based lockdown mitigations. We’re smarter than that now. We can target the mitigation now, but we are going to have to take prudent steps."
We agree with Dr. Gottlieb's assessment. While Bloom has no plans to go back into broad based lockdowns, we cannot just wholeheartedly open back up, with no parameters, yet. Instead of either extreme, we need to be prudent, measured and continue to strike a balance between keeping our residents physically safe and emotionally thriving and connected to families. That means, at times, we may need to take a temporary pause at certain communities (depending on the circumstances), but will always do this with an objective of restarting as soon as possible. We're asking our fellow Bloomers to play their part by continuing to support our efforts to protect your loved ones, trust our decision making when we need to make a temporary pause to programming or visitation (knowing we have every intention of opening back up as soon as possible) and also being careful over the next few months, especially as you visit Bloom communities or with Bloom residents. As Dr. Gottlieb said: “The bigger risk of Thanksgiving is not going to be any one setting. It’s going to be the mobility, the people moving around, and people coming together in congregate settings where they feel safe, but there might be someone who is asymptomatic,”
With your help, we can continue to keep our residents safe and enjoying their daily lives in a normalized environment until this recent surge subsides and we've crossed the bridge to 2021 -- so we can feel the impact and progress by our scientific community.
In that vein, as discussed below, we're excited to see tremendous medical breakthroughs coming out of Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna over the last two weeks revealing vaccines at 95% effective. "The combination of at least two effective coronavirus vaccines and the number of people who previously had Covid-19 could help end the pandemic next year," Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on November 16, 2020. Dr. Facui reiterated we could effectively end this pandemic in 2021. He stated: "These are obviously very exciting results. It's just as good as it gets -- 94.5% is truly outstanding." He added, “now we have two vaccines that are really quite effective. I think this is a really strong step forward to where we want to be about getting control of this outbreak.”
Until that time, we understand that this continues to be a challenging time and one that is complicated by a number of personal factors for each family. We understand that some families are looking forward to in person visitation, some are hesitant to return during this time, and some are waiting until a vaccine has been approved and distributed. We respect the personal decision of each family and are confident that our robust in person and remote programs are providing excellent and much-needed experiences for our residents and their families. We can continue to work with each family on a case by case basis to find the right solution within your comfort zone.
Thank you for your continued support, cooperation and understanding.
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Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays at Bloom since it's a time of family, togetherness and tradition. While we want to encourage our residents and families to stay connected, especially during such an important holiday, we also know that celebrating Thanksgiving together this year can increase the chances of spreading COVID-19. We're back to striking a tough balance, and encouraging residents to stay at Bloom this year for the holiday. We know this is a big "ask," but we also know this is temporary. We'll be hosting socially distant Thanksgiving meals at each Bloom community. For those residents that nonetheless choose to spend time with family outside the community, the following restrictions apply:
- Residents who leave will have to quarantine for 14 days upon return. These guidelines come from the Centers for Disease Control ("CDC") and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS"), as well as, are mandated by certain State Health Departments. Memory Care residents living in shared apartments will be given a private room upon return.
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Families should inform Bloom Senior Living upon the residents' return, and 14 days thereafter, if anyone at Thanksgiving tests positive or shows symptoms of COVID-19. We'll have a questionnaire upon your return.
We know quarantining upon return isn't ideal -- especially as we try to keep our residents staying emotionally healthy in addition to physically safe -- so it's for that reason we're strongly encouraging residents to stay at Bloom this year.
The quarantine will help mitigate any spread to other residents if your loved one comes into contact with anyone unknowingly positive. Additionally, we've come a long way since March in understanding how to keep residents safe -- in that regard, if someone has been positive, or comes into contact with someone positive, we've learned that reacting quickly and aggressively at the community level by isolating, testing and, importantly, pausing community programming like dining, activities and visitation helps keeps everyone safe. Therefore, for the benefit of other residents and the life of the community, we're implementing quarantine restrictions, not to mention that certain State regulations mandate the closure of various programming in the event of a positive case.
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Testing
For starters, we'd like to specifically acknowledge Bloom's Director of Education & Development, Melissa Campbell, who is leading the team overseeing Bloom's massive testing program. We're testing in the thousands, which has helped keep our community safe. Melissa, as well as, our local teams have been rock stars!
As we indicated in prior updates, the rapid detection antigen test is one important diagnostic tool for senior living operators. The Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits are still being sent by the government to CLIA-certified Assisted Living communities in Red and Yellow counties (421,000 tests were distributed this week), including Bloom. We've learned that the government’s distribution of these rapid-response antigen tests is now expected to last beyond December 2020. That said, Bloom continues to confirm rapid testing and primarily rely upon the more accurate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test through its strong partnership with Assurance Scientific Laboratories.
Bloom at Lakewood again tested all associates. We're happy to report that everyone tested negative during this fourth round. This community has had zero (resident or associate) COVID-19 cases.
Bloom's three South Carolina communities, Bloom at Belfair, Bloom at Bluffton and Bloom at Hilton Head, are back to testing weekly given the increased positivity rate for Beaufort County. All associates tested negative, except one who had contact with all three communities. We therefore completed rapid testing for all residents (they're all negative). Out of an abundance of caution, we'll complete the routine PCR testing for associates on November 24, 2020 and rapid testing for all residents on the same date (except Belfair's Independent Living residents (unless requested)).
Bloom's three Indiana communities, Bloom at German Church, Bloom at Eagle Creek and Bloom at Kokomo, have all had positive cases identified. Out of an abundance of caution, we've implemented an aggressive, strategic testing strategy including a combination of rapid and PCR testing. While we identified a few cases, we've been able to quickly address the needs of each community. This is a fluid process, so the positive cases are likely to change. We've been updating our Indiana families daily with a written report.
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Vaccine & Treatment Updates
Last week, two significant developments were released. First, Pfizer and partner BioNTech announced that its vaccine showed a 90% success rate during a large-scale clinical test. Pfizer will be able to provide an initial 40 million doses of its vaccine in the United States by the end of 2020.
Second, Eli Lilly gained FDA approval for emergency use of its antibody drug, bamlanivimab, which helps patients with mild to moderate disease. Specifically, the drug is authorized for populations at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization and may be particularly helpful treating older adults. Medicare announced that it would cover the cost of bamlanivimab treatment in a range of settings, including skilled nursing facilities.
Moderna then followed these positive developments this week by announcing that its vaccine showed a nearly 95% success rate. While the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines appear to have very similar safety and efficacy profiles, Moderna's vaccine has significant practical advantages over Pfizer's. Unlike Pfizer's vaccine that has to be stored long-term at nearly minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit requiring special freezers usually found in research labs and hospitals, Moderna's vaccine can be stored at the minus 20 degrees Celsius temperature of a common freezer. Another advantage of Moderna's vaccine is that its shots will last for 30 days in the refrigerator. Pfizer's vaccine can last only five days in the refrigerator.
After Moderna's announcement, Pfizer followed this week saying final data analysis showed COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective; the effectiveness was consistent across all ages, races and ethnicities; and they intend to seek FDA approval immediately. The company reported that the elderly saw effectiveness of more than 94%. It also indicated that the vaccine was well-tolerated without serious safety concerns.
Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines have similar results because they use the same technique to activate the body's immune system. The vaccines are based on a novel technology that uses synthetic mRNA to activate the immune system against the virus. Dr. Fauci said: "What we saw in the trials is there was no real safety concern, and the efficacy is quite impressive. We saw nearly identical results [with Pfizer and Moderna] and it almost really validates the mRNA platform."
Additionally, we expect to see clinical trial results by year end or early 2021 from Johnson & Johnson ("J&J") and AstraZeneca/ University of Oxford. J&J's candidate is a single-dose vaccine, whereas the vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca all require two shots separated by couple of weeks. AstraZeneca/ Oxford announced yesterday that its vaccine shows strong/robust and encouraging immune responses in all ages, including older adults. CNBC reports that a study in The Lancet found that the vaccine candidate caused few side effects, and activated immune responses in both parts of the immune system in all age groups and at low and standard dose. The study's authors said these results could be promising if the immune responses are found to be linked to protection against COVID-19 infection, with this to be determined by a phase three trial.
As we've been recently reporting, our industry has successfully ensured that senior care providers (along with its associates and residents) will have priority access, at no cost, to a vaccine when it's approved and ready for safe distribution. Bloom has opted-in to the CDC's vaccination distribution program with Walgreens and CVS. We received an e-mail from the CDC Pharmacy Partnership Teams / Long Term Care COVID-19 Response this week confirming that our Bloom communities are registered and "[o]nce we near availability of an FDA-authorized/licensed vaccine and if you selected CVS or Walgreens, these pharmacies will contact the facilities directly to coordinate bringing vaccine on-site, consenting residents/designees, providing vaccine information, and conducting on-site clinics."
We've also heard a bunch of things over the past week. Last week, we heard that the initial distribution of the vaccine to seniors housing communities could happen as soon as two weeks post emergency use authorization by the FDA. Today, we heard from one industry trade organization that Pfizer started a pilot delivery program of its COVID-19 vaccine in four states (Rhode Island, New Mexico, Texas and Tennessee) after examining such factors as size, diversity of populations, immunization infrastructure, and individuals residing in varied urban and rural settings. The drug maker is focused on distribution hurdles related to the vaccine's ultra-cold storage requirements. We also heard today, through a Senator recently briefed by President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed leadership, that the FDA may approve the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as soon as December 13 - 15, 2020. At that point, within 24 hours, the vaccine will be distributed to the states. While it was reported that the United States would have 40 million doses available, it will only ship 20 million at first. They are ready to go now. They have been apportioned and packaged for each state. Each state will decide how it will distribute its vaccines. The CDC has made principal recommendations on who should receive it and in what order, but the states are not required to follow such recommendations. At this point, we’re not sure what this means relative to the HHS partnership agreement with CVS and Walgreens. Our industry trade organization is seeking more clarification on these issues. It is expected that the first doses will be given around December 20, 2020 with a 30-day follow-up dose.
For those residents and associates that wish to take the vaccine, they will receive a tremendous benefit by living and working at Bloom, or in other settings, that have priority access.
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Back On Track Plan
Given recent data, we've been moving Bloom communities in and out of various phases of our reopening plan. While our objective is to move all communities back into Phase III as soon as practicable, here is where we stand currently:
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Phase I
- Bloom at German Church (Indiana)
- Bloom at Eagle Creek (Indiana)
- Bloom at Kokomo (Indiana)
Phase II
- Bloom at Belfair Memory Care (South Carolina)
- Bloom at Bluffton (South Carolina)
- Bloom at Hilton Head (South Carolina)
Phase III
- Bloom at Belfair Independent Living (South Carolina)
- Bloom at St. Petersburg (Florida)
- Bloom at Bossier (Louisiana)
We know families in Phase I and II want to visit again. We'll move those communities into Phase II Plus (allowing outdoor visitation) or Phase III (allowing outdoor and indoor visitaiton) as soon as possible.
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County Positive Occurrence Rates
We're still monitoring, where Bloom operates, County positivity occurrence rates (and hospitalization rates) -- published each week by CMS. Per CMS, counties are classified as green, yellow and red if their rates are below 5%, between 5-10% and above 10% respectively. Our Bloom County positivity occurrence rates are as follows:
- Beaufort County, SC: 5.7% (increasing)
- Bossier Parrish, LA: 8.7% (decreasing)
- Cuyahoga County, OH: 10.1% (increasing)
- Howard County, IN: 10.1% (increasing)
- Marin County, IN: 12.6% (increasing)
- Pinnellas County, Fl: 6.1% (increasing)
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Hearing From Our Bloomers
We greatly appreciate you completing Bloom's anonymous survey in August 2020 and letting us know how we've been handling COVID-19. We shared those results in a prior update. While we generally received high marks from our Bloom community, we nonetheless made adjustments to our COVID-19 Pandemic Response Plan based upon your feedback and consistent with our Bloom Beliefs to "Be Better Each Day."
We want you to know that we're listening and incorporating your feedback into our internal discussions. As you've heard us say before, we continue to believe that caring for seniors, especially during this difficult period, is a "team" effort and perspectives from management, associates, residents, families and friends is imperative as we strive to strike the right balance and achieve our aspirational mission of helping seniors bloom.
We followed-up with our Bloomers earlier this week in order to survey them once again and hear how we're doing. Thank you for continuing to trust us with your thoughts and collaborate with us to make our seniors lives better each day. We greatly appreciate the overwhelming response and are sharing preliminary findings.
Second Survey Results
- The scale used was 1-5 with 1= Bad, 2=Poor, 3=Fair, 4=Good, 5=Excellent
- Families from all nine Bloom communities responded
- Respondents rated Bloom's handling of COVID-19 as Excellent (60%) followed by Good (33%). Thus, 93% thinks Bloom is doing at least a Good job. 6% said Bloom is doing Fair and 0% said Bloom is doing Poor or Bad.
- Specifically, Bloom rated between 4 and 5 stars out of 5 on communication (4.4), transparency (4.5), infection control protocols (4.5), testing (4.5) and physical safety (4.4).
- The two areas where Bloom continued to score lower (although Bloom's marks we're still high) was in balancing physical safety with emotional wellbeing (3.9) and visitation (4.0).
- In responding to whether there were differences/improvements since Bloom surveyed in August 2020, 53% of respondents indicated Bloom was already doing a good job and no improvement was necessary, 28% said Bloom has improved and 10% said Bloom has not improved.
We also received individual commentary. If you know us at Bloom, then you know we're focused on that 10% who said we haven't improved. We're using your thoughts to continue improving our programming. The overwhelming themes we've heard, despite the risk of the virus, is to: a) continue/expand visitation and b) do a better job of keeping the residents engaged. As you can see from our introductory commentary, we're trying as much as possible to open up, and stay open, where it's safe. We need families to know that we'd like more than anything to just open up and allow unrestricted visitation (that's our goal) -- but we're mandated by state regulations, county positivity rates and the circumstances of each community. That said, every decision we make going forward will be made with your thoughts in mind!
If you missed the opportunity to share feedback, there's still time by clicking below:
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Participate in Bloom Senior Living's Second Survey...
Participate in Bloom Senior Living's Second Survey During COVID-19 Dear Bloomers: We appreciate you completing Bloom's anonymous survey in August 2020 and letting us know how we're handling COVID-19.
Read more
myemail.constantcontact.com
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We're eight months and 31 updates into this global health crisis. While we know our residents, families and friends are tired, we’re closer to the end than the beginning. We’ve accomplished so much together and it’s important we all remain optimistic just a little bit longer. We’re going to get through this and come out of it stronger than ever. Stay BloomStong!
We continue to consolidate all prior updates, videos and news / announcements put out by Bloom since the emergence of COVID-19 below for your convenience. Please continue to look for further communications from us by e-mail and simultaneous posts to our Facebook page and website. We'll talk to you again in two weeks. Have a nice weekend and very Happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Scott and Tony Kantor, and Bradley Dubin
Bloom Owners
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BLOOM COMMUNITY COVID-19 DATA - "ACTIVE" CASES
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 1*
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 1*
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 1*
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 0
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 0
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 0
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 1
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 1
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 1
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 3
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 4
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*We've tabulated the same associate three times at South Carolina communities, Belfair, Bluffton and Hilton Head, since the associate came into contact with each community. |
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BLOOM COMMUNITY COVID-19 DATA - "TOTAL/CUMULATIVE" CASES
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 2
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 4*
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 5
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 3*
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 2
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 5*
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 0
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 2
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 8
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 3
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 4
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 0
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 2
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 8
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 3
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Total Resident COVID-19 Cases: 16
Total Associate COVID-19 Cases: 13
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*We've tabulated the same associate three times at South Carolina communities, Belfair, Bluffton and Hilton Head, since the associate came into contact with each community. |
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QUESTIONS & COMMENTS:
Please feel free to reach out by e-mail or telephone. We love hearing from you.
Bloom Director of Education & Development
Melissa Campbell
education@bloomseniorliving.com
440.668.3951
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July 1, 2020: Message From Bloom Director of Education & Development - Video #6 |
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September 18, 2020: Message From Residents As The Communities Reopen - Video #7 |
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PREVIOUS BLOOM NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS DURING COVID-19: |
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Pfizer to start pilot delivery program for its COVID-19...
(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc has launched a pilot delivery program for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states, as the U.S. drugmaker seeks to address distribution challenges facing its ultra-cold storage requirements.
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www.reuters.com
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AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine shows 'encouraging'...
The experimental COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford produces a robust immune response in older adults, data from mid-stage trials have shown. The Phase 2 results, published on Thursday in medical journal...
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www.marketwatch.com
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Pfizer says final data analysis shows Covid vaccine is...
Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that a final data analysis found their coronavirus vaccine was 95% effective in preventing Covid-19 and, in addition, appeared to fend off severe disease. The vaccine candidate, called BNT162b2, was highly...
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www.cnbc.com
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Moderna's coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective,...
The Moderna vaccine is 94.5% effective against coronavirus, according to early data released Monday by the company, making it the second vaccine in the United States to have a stunningly high success rate.
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www.cnn.com
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Moderna says preliminary trial data show its coronavirus ...
Moderna said preliminary phase three trial data show its coronavirus vaccine is more than 94% effective in preventing Covid-19 - a result CEO Stephane Bancel called a "game-changer." The analysis evaluated 95 confirmed Covid-19 infections among...
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Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Moderna Covid vaccine data: 'We...
Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Monday that the devastating coronavirus pandemic could "effectively" be ended next year, following promising developments around Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine. The Massachusetts-based biotech company on Monday...
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www.cnbc.com
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Participate in Bloom Senior Living's Second Survey...
Participate in Bloom Senior Living's Second Survey During COVID-19 Dear Bloomers: We appreciate you completing Bloom's anonymous survey in August 2020 and letting us know how we're handling COVID-19.
Read more
myemail.constantcontact.com
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Scientist behind Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine makes bold...
A billionaire scientist behind Pfizer and BioNTech's breakthrough COVID-19 vaccine says he expects it to "bash the virus over the head" and ultimately end the pandemic, according to a report. Following an announcement this week that the vaccine...
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nypost.com
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Dr. Scott Gottlieb urges Americans to 'find excuses' to...
Dr. Scott Gottlieb urged Americans on Thursday to take precautions in their daily life to cut down on coronavirus transmission, as the nation experiences a worrisome surge in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. "We have to get through the next...
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www.cnbc.com
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Anthony Fauci's new COVID-19 guidance: 'Do what you're told'
WASHINGTON - Dr. Anthony Fauci has some new coronavirus guidance: "Do what you're told." In an interview Thursday, the coronavirus task force member and infectious disease expert pushed back on the notion that scientists were "authoritarian" for...
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nypost.com
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Coronavirus-related face masks protect the wearer, too:...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday updated its guidance on coronavirus-related face masks to include protection for the wearer, too. The update takes the federal health agency's previous stance further, which held...
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www.foxnews.com
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Fauci calls Pfizer coronavirus vaccine findings...
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said Pfizer's findings of a coronavirus vaccine candidate that is more than 90% effective were "extraordinary," per a report. "The results are really quite good, I mean...
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www.foxnews.com
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Assisted living providers receive 2.4 million rapid...
More than 2.4 million COVID-19 rapid, point-of-care antigen tests will have been delivered to assisted living communities by the end of this week as part of the federal government's coronavirus testing strategy, Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D.,...
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www.mcknightsseniorliving.com
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DeSantis expands visitation at nursing homes, assisted...
click to enlarge Photo via Office of the Governor Gov. Ron DeSantis, like his political ally Trump, has emphasized a need to reopen the state and return a sense of normalcy during the pandemic. As part of that, DeSantis this week announced plans...
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WHO says Covid vaccine trials are 'encouraging' but...
LONDON - The World Health Organization has welcomed updates from developers scrambling to deliver a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, but cautioned it is still "going to take time" before one is widely available. It comes shortly after...
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Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine reportedly...
LONDON - British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca on Monday reportedly said its potential Covid-19 vaccine had produced a similar immune response in both older and younger adults. Adverse responses to the vaccine among the elderly - the age group ...
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FDA opens private Covid vaccine meetings to the public...
The FDA took the unusual step Thursday in opening to the public a routine meeting with an advisory group that's weighing in on approving the coronavirus vaccine as the agency battles public concerns about its safety as well as political pressure...
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Feds outline COVID-19 vaccine availability timeline for...
A COVID-19 vaccine should be available for assisted living community, independent living community and nursing home residents and staff members by December or January, federal officials said Wednesday. "We anticipate that initially, the vaccine...
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www.mcknightsseniorliving.com
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Bloom Senior Living South Carolina Alert: Coronavirus...
Bloom Senior Living South Carolina Alert: Coronavirus Visitation Update 3 Dear Bloom at Hilton Head Residents, Families & Friends: We have an update (with good news). Our Executive Director, Tiffany B
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myemail.constantcontact.com
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Trump Administration Partners With CVS and Walgreens to...
To meet the Trump Administration's Operation Warp Speed (OWS) goals, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS) and Department of Defense ( DOD) today announced agreements with CVS and Walgreens to provide and administer COVID-19...
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www.defense.gov
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Bloom at Bossier Health Alert: Coronavirus Update
Bloom at Bossier Health Alert: Coronavirus Update Dear Bloom at Bossier Residents, Families & Friends: As you know, we sent a detailed report last Friday October 9, 2020 (that can again be accessed he
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Bloom Senior Living South Carolina Alert: Coronavirus...
Bloom Senior Living South Carolina Alert: Coronavirus Visitation Update 2 Dear Bloom at Hilton Head Residents, Families & Friends: We provided an update on October 13, 2020 that Bloom at Hilton Head w
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Bloom Senior Living South Carolina Alert: Coronavirus...
We have an update with some positive news. As you know, we sent a detailed report last Friday October 9, 2020 (that can again be accessed here) .
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COVID Testing Aid Going To Senior Communities
Florida has received its first shipment of 400,000 rapid "antigen" test kits from the federal government, and Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at a news conference Tuesday that 100,000 will be sent to assisted living facilities to test staff members...
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miami.cbslocal.com
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Participate in Bloom Senior Living's Survey During COVID-19
Participate in Bloom Senior Living's Survey During COVID-19 Dear Bloomers: Please take five minutes to complete this brief, anonymous survey to let Bloom Senior Living know how we're doing during COVI
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Take a Virtual Tour of Bloom Senior Living South Carolina!
Take a Virtual Tour of Bloom Senior Living South Carolina! Enjoy Virtually Touring Bloom Senior Living In South Carolina! Hey South Carolina Bloomers! In response to your inquiries asking if our frien
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Moderna COVID-19 vaccine appears safe, shows signs of...
Results from an early safety study of Moderna Inc's coronavirus vaccine candidate in older adults showed that it produced virus-neutralizing antibodies at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, with side effects roughly on par with...
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www.reuters.com
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Early data shows promising results from Regeneron's...
Biotechnology company Regeneron released some early results of tests using its antibody cocktail in coronavirus patients Tuesday, and said it seemed to reduce levels of the virus and improve symptoms in patients.
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www.cnn.com
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Trump, pressured over pandemic, says states will receive ...
President Donald Trump, under fire over his handling of the coronavirus epidemic, announced on Monday the federal government would ship 150 million rapid tests to U.S. states and warned an increase in positive cases is likely in the days ahead.
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www.reuters.com
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HHS Sending Second Wave of Covid-19 Rapid Tests to...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is ramping up its Covid-19 testing support network, and senior living is included. To date, HHS sent out 541,000 Covid-19 rapid antigen tests to 5,500 assisted living facilities across the country ...
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seniorhousingnews.com
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Bloom Senior Living: Falls Prevention Awareness Day
Bloom Senior Living: Falls Prevention Awareness Day Falls Prevention Awareness Day Falls Prevention Awareness Day is on September 22 and is a serious matter that we all need to be paying attention to.
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3 ways the CDC's COVID-19 vaccination plan involves...
A new "playbook" for public health officials shares three ways that federal and other efforts related to the development and distribution of a vaccine against COVID-19 will affect senior living: implementation, prioritization and provision of...
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www.mcknightsseniorliving.com
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Press Release: Bloom Senior Living Annual Influenza...
Press Release: Bloom Senior Living Annual Influenza Prevention & Response Planning Bloom Senior Living Continues Mission By Launching Its Annual Health Initiative To Fight Influenza PRESS RELEASE FOR
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Bloom Senior Living Receives Great Place To Work...
Bloom Senior Living's number one priority is company culture. We believe that if the culture is right, then everything else -- including delivering upon our brand promise, aspirational mission and providing great customer service and care -- will ...
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Assisted-living facilities in Florida no longer have to...
Assisted-living facilities in Florida no longer have to test staff for the coronavirus after two emergency mandates from the Agency for Health Care Administration expired Sunday. The statewide orders were issued in mid-June and required nursing...
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www.tampabay.com
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Workers, residents should be prioritized for COVID-19...
The first available vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 should go to frontline healthcare workers - including those who work in assisted living communities - and first responders, according to draft recommendations from the National Academies of...
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www.mcknightsseniorliving.com
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Feds to ship fast COVID-19 tests to assisted living sites
Federal officials plan to ship rapid coronavirus tests to assisted living facilities, moving to fill a testing gap for older adults who don't need the constant attention of a nursing home WASHINGTON -- A federal official said Tuesday the...
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abcnews.go.com
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Visitations at Florida long-term care facilities to...
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that visitation at nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout Florida will once again resume. The governor made the announcement during a roundtable discussion regarding...
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www.abcactionnews.com
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Outdoor, distanced visits allowed to begin at SC nursing ...
Columbia, SC (FOX Carolina) - On Tuesday, Governor Henry McMaster and DHEC announced new guidelines to allow visitations to resume at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The visits will be outdoors and may not be possible for all...
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www.foxcarolina.com
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Coronavirus in Ohio: Saliva tests at assisted living...
COLUMBUS - Ohio paused new saliva-based coronavirus tests at assisted living centers after finding discrepancies in the test results after just a few days of testing. Testing data "inconsistencies" were found at a small number of assisted living...
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www.cincinnati.com
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102-year-old World War II veteran celebrates birthday in ...
BLUFFTON, SC (WSAV) - A celebration 102 years in the making. Bill Panchak's family wanted to make sure his birthday was celebrated in style, starting with a parade. Cars from Bluffton's Classic Car Club, along with Bluffton Fire engines and...
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www.wsav.com
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How Zappos, Quicken Loans Inspired Bloom Senior Living's ...
The foundation for Bloom Senior Living's rebranding was laid with separate emails the operator received from two different family members of the same resident in one of its South Carolina communities. If one complained that the food was too hot,...
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seniorhousingnews.com
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Bloom Senior Living Completes Multi-Year Branding,...
Bloom Senior Living completed its multi-year, multi-step and multi-million dollar plan focused upon developing industry leading branding, culture, education and customer service. Bloom drew expertise and inspiration not only from its own five...
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Bloom Senior Living Announces New Associate Program!
Bloom Senior Living , a family owned and operated company, continues to focus on its culture, education and, as part of that, its team of associates! We're a company that believes in, and focuses upon, our people.
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Bloom Senior Living in South Carolina is bringing back Christmas in July!
South Carolina families, Bloom needs your help to keep our residents' spirits high during...
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Celebrating a century: Bloom resident celebrates 100th...
Fern Tyner Nash's family had been planning her 100th birthday celebration since early this year, and thanks to a new "Memory Making Station" at Bloom at Kokomo, it didn't have to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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kokomoperspective.com
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Join Bloom's Virtual Family Support Group Hosted by...
Join Bloom Senior Living in South Carolina every Thursday for our virtual Family Support Group, which will be an open discussion about...
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Bloom At St. Petersburg's Plan To Help New Families!
Bloom's Florida community has developed a well thought out and comprehensive plan to not only protect our current residents and associates, but accommodate you (our new families) who have been calling us asking for help while ensuring you're able...
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Bloom Senior Living's Plan To Help New Indiana Families!
Bloom's Indiana communities have developed a well thought out and comprehensive plan...
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Bloom Senior Living's Plan To Help New South Carolina...
Bloom's South Carolina communities have developed a well thought out and comprehensive plan to not only protect our current residents and associates, but accommodate you (our new families throughout Bluffton and Hilton...
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myemail.constantcontact.com
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Bloom At Bossier's Plan To Help New Louisiana Families!
Bloom's Louisiana community has developed a well thought out and comprehensive plan to not only protect our current residents and associates, but accommodate you (our new families) who have been calling us asking for help while ensuring you're...
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myemail.constantcontact.com
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Bloom at Kokomo: Making Memories During COVID-19 -...
Bloom Senior Living's Kokomo community celebrated Ms. Nash's 100th birthday during COVID-19 with...
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Bloom Senior Living: Making Memories In South Carolina...
Bloom Senior Living's South Carolina Communities celebrate Ms. Lucille's 90th birthday during COVID-19 with cake, cards, laughter and a personal parade...
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Covid-19 Opened the Telehealth Floodgates, But Barriers...
Over the past three months, senior living providers have embraced telehealth during shelter-in-place orders. At the same time, the way providers and residents use telehealth, along with the forces propelling it forward, continue to evolve....
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seniorhousingnews.com
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Bloom at Bluffton launches 'memory-making stations' for...
One Lowcountry senior living facility is overcoming COVID-19 barriers and helping residents create memories with their loved ones. "Bloom Senior Living has really been on the forefront of bringing residents and families together and so we started ...
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www.wjcl.com
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Senior Housing Business: Bloom Launches 'Memory Stations'...
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. - Bloom Senior Living, a Birmingham-based owner-operator of nine communities in Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina and Florida, has launched "Memory Making Stations as a safe way to visit family and friends during the COVID-19...
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seniorshousingbusiness.com
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Bloom Senior Living Announces Memory Making Stations...
As our Bloomers know, from new programs like Telehealth to Live Video / Virtual and Window Tours to our Skype Communication Center, Bloom Senior Living has been at the forefront of finding ways to keep our Bloom community virtually safe and...
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F.D.A. Clears Another Coronavirus Testing Kit for Use at ...
Bloom Senior Living's partner, Assurance Scientific Laboratory, approved by FDA for additional in-home test...
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www.nytimes.com
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Bloom Senior Living's Handling Of COVID-19 In The...
Local news WJCL ABC-22 has taken notice of Bloom Senior Living's handling of COVID-19. Bloom's Director of Education and Bloom at Bluffton's Executive Director is featured on the news detailing...
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Senior Living Today and Every Day Video
Watch this video - put together by the American Seniors Housing Association - to see how senior living communities (including Bloom residents in the video) all over the country are adapting and helping residents thrive as they shelter in place...
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vimeo.com
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Senior Living Today And Everyday Video
Watch this video - put together by the American Seniors Housing Association - to see how senior living communities (including Bloom residents in the video) all over the country are adapting and helping residents thrive as they shelter in place...
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vimeo.com
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Senior communities needed more than ever in COVID-19 era
Physical challenges, isolation and the overwhelm of living alone at home are significant reasons why people choose senior living communities. We also know that a sense of belonging often proves to be a powerful remedy to feeling alone...
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www.thenewstribune.com
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Testing residents for coronavirus -- Bluffton Today
Bloom at Bluffton conducts its own testing and is not part of the statewide testing being done at nursing homes, said Melissa Campbell, director of education and development. This is a benefit for Bloom, its residents and associates since...
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www.blufftontoday.com
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As Louisiana reopens, assisted living...
When KTAL NBC-6 asked to feature Bloom at Bossier for remaining COVID-19 free, the Director details how the community was aggressive in restricting access and implementing protocols to keep residents safe and connected to family...
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www.arklatexhomepage.com
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Senior living operators are protecting vulnerable...
An Op-Ed by the CEO of National Health Investors, one of the largest owners of senior living throughout the United States, consistent with our view at Bloom Senior Living...
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www.tennessean.com
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Bloom Senior Living's Plan To Help New Families!
We know that COVID-19 is a marathon and not a sprint. We appreciate all the calls and inquiries, and have developed a plan to protect current residents and associates and accommodate you, our new families, as your needs arise...
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myemail.constantcontact.com
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Bloom Senior Living Tour Program During COVID-19
Bloom Senior Living continues to offer Live Video Tours / Virtual Tours and Window Shopping tours, which have been a big hit! Between these tours and talking with our caring and experienced Community Relations Directors, you'll be able to get a...
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Bloom Senior Living Skype Program Has Been A Huge Hit -- ...
Bloom Senior Living rolled out a Skype Program - for Bloom residents and their loved ones to stay virtually connected at our 9 communities throughoutFlorida ,Indiana ,Louisiana ,Ohio , South Carolina - in early March!
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Bloom Senior Living Launches YouTube Channel!
Bloom Senior Living has launched a new Bloom YouTube Channel for our residents, families and friends to visit and check out our latest videos during COVID-19...
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Educational Webinar Opportunity: Dementia Caregiving...
While you're spending time at home, Bloom Senior Living , who has partnered with a Certified Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care Trainer and Certified Dementia Practitioner, wants to offer families and friends an educational opportunity to...
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myemail.constantcontact.com
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Bloom Senior Living Is Hiring: Senior Living FastMatch
The American Seniors Housing Association and Argentum , the leading trade organizations for the senior living industry, in concert with other technology and human resources companies have launched a new innovative program called Senior Living...
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COVID-19 Testing Featuring Bloom Senior Living
Efforts are underway all across the U.S. to test senior living residents for Covid-19 - but until tests are more widely available and produce results more quickly, providers are hamstrung in their ability to keep residents and staff members safe...
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seniorhousingnews.com
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Bloom at Lakewood: Making Memories During COVID-19 -...
Bloom at Lakewood celebrated Mr. Keeling’s milestone 100th birthday on Easter Sunday the best way we could during COVID-19.... with his own personal parade (following a virtual chat with his daughter)...
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Get Updates On All Things Bloom Senior Living On Facebook
In addition to updates about COVID-19, we'll keep you posted about our latest happenings, company initiatives and provide educational materials to help navigate the caregiving and aging process...
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Bloomers: We Need Your Help -- Please Leave Reviews!
You're a vital part of our company, culture and family. The best way for Bloom Senior Living and others to know how we're doing is to hear directly from you! Since social media is crucial these days, we've been focusing on increasing our digital...
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Bloom Senior Responds To COVID-19 In South Carolina
An extra bit of kindness in the form of flowers was recently placed around the Ridgeland Nursing Center to help residents as they deal with changes in their routines because of the coronavirus pandemic.Mendy Smith, whose grandmother was a...
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www.blufftontoday.com
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Educational Webinar Opportunity: Learn From Home How...
Bloom Senior Living , along with its partnerVeterans Financial , wants to offer families and friends an educational opportunity to learn more about the VA Aid & Attendance Benefit, which can help wartime veterans (or the surviving spouse of a...
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Bloom at Lakewood Lends A Helping Hand With Meal Delivery
Bloom at Lakewood , Lakewood's family-owned and operated Assisted Living community, wants to lend a helping hand to our seniors during this unprecedented time. One of ourBloom Beliefs is to do the right thing and at Bloom we care not only about...
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Bloom at St. Petersburg Offers Live Video Tours
Bloom is offering Live Video Tours / Virtual Tours and " Window Shopping " tours during COVID-19...
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myemail.constantcontact.com
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Bloom In South Carolina Offers Live Video Tours
Bloom is offering Live Video Tours / Virtual Tours and " Window Shopping " tours during COVID-19...
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myemail.constantcontact.com
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Bloom In Louisiana Offers Live Video Tours
Bloom is offering Live Video Tours / Virtual Tours and " Window Shopping " tours during COVID-19...
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myemail.constantcontact.com
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PREVIOUS BLOOM COMMUNICATIONS:
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Join Us On Facebook For News and Events! |
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We encourage all our residents, families, associates, colleagues and friends to follow Bloom on Facebook and get updates on all things Bloom Senior Living! We'll keep you informed about our latest happenings, upcoming events, company initiatives, showcase the fun our residents and associates are having every day and provide educational materials to help you navigate the aging process. |
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Check Out Our New Bloom YouTube Channel! |
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Bloom Senior Living has launched a new YouTube Channel for our residents, families and friends to check out our latest videos! |
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Did someone forward you this email? |
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Bloom Senior Living is a family-owned and operated company.
For nearly 50 years, our goal has been simple yet aspirational: to help our residents flourish. Entering a Bloom community does not mean checking your lifestyle or personality at the door. Residents continue to live life to its fullest potential, enjoying their favorite activities while discovering new ones, and blooming into their best selves through growth and discovery. Our family-owned and operated communities provide a continuum of senior living services, concentrating on independent living, assisted living and memory care. For more information, please see our website:
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Bloom Senior Living | Independent Living, Assisted...
Bloom Senior Living is a family-owned and operated company. For nearly 50 years, our goal has been simple yet aspirational: to help our residents flourish. Entering a Bloom community does not mean checking your lifestyle or personality at the door.
Read more
www.bloomseniorliving.com
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