Navigating Mandates: “A lot like, Herding Cats”
Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s a lot like herding cats”? Perhaps you remember the now famous Super Bowl commercial from EDS that showed grizzled cowboys trying to herd thousands of cats in an effort to show challenge of controlling the uncontrollable. I think this is the way many of us feel in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
There seem to be so many voices proclaiming different opinions and declarations about how to move forward in re-opening the economy while at the same time keeping everyone safe.
On the senior living side of this cat herding dilemma, we are trying to decipher, and navigate all the information and orders that seems to change every day regarding how we must deal with issues involved in protecting our residents. What is relevant to Assisted Living Communities and what is specific to Skilled Nursing Facilities. Daily assessment, evaluation and re-evaluation to questions such as:
When can we allow visitors?
How do we accept new residents?
What is the process if a resident goes out to the hospital or rehab and then returns to the community?
These are all questions that we have been critically discussing together. I have been communicating in my weekly updates the protocols we have put in place to address these concerns.
The new issue that has raised questions this week has been the mandate by the Governor Abbott that all nursing homes must test all of their patients and staff for the Coronavirus.
What has been a somewhat unclear in this order is how Assisted Living fits within this new mandate.
In my work with the Texas Assisted Living Association, we have determined that, at this time, the Governor’s push for increased testing does not apply to assisted living communities and it applies to only skilled nursing facilities at this time.
On a call with the Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) this week, Jennifer Morrison further clarified that the Governor’s statements do not apply to assisted living.
However, I was informed that Assisted Living communities may be hearing from local fire departments requesting that they complete an infection control/COVID assessment ordered by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to ensure that all facilities are adhering to appropriate safety procedures.
I want to assure you that SilverPoint is actively listening to and adhering to all the different governmental voices, whether it is the Governor’s Office, HHSC, TDEM, or local authorities to ensure that we are not only adhering to guidelines, but advocating for the safety of our residents and team members through this crisis.
Let me reiterate once again, that at this time of 2:00 PM, May 15th, 2020, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in any of our communities.
The visitation and screening measures we have put in place have been working and we are very proud of our community leadership that are leading this charge on a daily basis. Since all of our residents have been sheltering in place for 2 months now, we do not anticipate the need to test each of our residents that are asymptomatic. However, if the mandate comes, we will certainly comply with the order.
All of this to say that we are actively listening to all the information that comes our way each day to see how it impacts our communities. Although it feels like herding cats at times, we are effectively monitoring and implementing measures as they come our way.
As always, we are working to not only maintain the health and safety of your loved ones, but also give them the best and most engaging life possible until life settles into a new normal.
Shawn Corzine
CEO
SilverPoint Senior Living