Dear Family and Friends of South Cove Manor:
Over the past several weeks, there has been much talk in the news media about the rise in cases of COVID-19, and the need to increase the vaccination rates in the general public. In addition, several health care organizations have made public statements that they will be instituting a mandate that would require all staff members to receive the vaccine in order to continue their employment. I am writing today to help set your mind at ease about vaccination data at South Cove Manor.
As of July 18th, South Cove Manor has fully vaccinated 98.5% of our residents, and 96.7% of our staff. (This data is updated weekly, and is publicly available for every nursing home in the country by visiting
https://data.cms.gov/covid-19/covid-19-nursing-home-data ) Those numbers in aggregate, put South Cove Manor in the top 1% of all Nursing Homes in the entire country in vaccination success. We have achieved these excellent results through early, and continued education of our staff, our residents, and our families. Our staff did not wait to be forced to be vaccinated through a mandate, they want to do the right thing for our community by receiving the vaccine, and I could not be prouder of how they have handled this very personal decision.
As further protection for our community, the remaining 4 staff members that are un-vaccinated are required to be tested on a weekly basis, and that process will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. All staff members are required to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment while they are in resident care areas, and all other COVID disinfecting protocols remain in effect in our building.
With the increase in the number of COVID cases in the general public, I am anticipating some regulatory changes from the Department of Public Health that may impact how we are allowed to handle visitation, as well as other daily interactions between residents and staff. As of today, NO regulatory changes have not been implemented, but rest assured that I will immediately notify all of you if and when they do come.
I ask for your continued cooperation in following the current regulations that are in place to keep all of our residents and staff members safe.
Thank you again for placing your trust in South Cove Manor.
