COVID-19 Update 6-19-2020

As PCSC settles into the “new” normal of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are changing the focus of these weekly updates.  While we will continue to share particularly new and noteworthy developments for the organization, our primary focus will be on sharing incidences of COVID-19 infection among residents and staff at each community.  For residents, this information will be presented to indicate active cases, as well as cumulative cases over time.  These figures are inclusive of all known cases of COVID-19 among PCSC residents, regardless of where they tested positive or where the resident may have acquired an infection.  For staff, this information will indicate new cases since the last update.

Our communities are communicating regularly with residents and family members about updates to current practices on their campuses.  If you have questions about a particular location, please be in touch with that community.

• At the Clinton Community, one staff member has tested positive, but there are no reported cases among the residents. 
• At the Columbia Community,

o One staff member has tested positive. 

o One assisted living resident at the Columbia Community continues to be cared for in the healthcare center, in isolation from other residents.

• At the Florence Community, one staff member has tested positive.  There are no reported cases among residents.

COVID-19 Update 6-5-2020

The State of South Carolina continues to move through Phase 2 of Governor Henry McMaster’s plan to reopen the state.  However, senior living organizations remain under many restrictions designed to protect the population of older adults they serve.  Moves to loosen these restrictions are occurring much more slowly, and with greater caution, than in the population at large.

Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina is eager to relax restrictions on residents and their loved ones, but only as allowed by regulators, and only as prudence dictates.  Plans are underway to re-open our community beauty salons for the use of independent living residents in the near future.  As part of this process, the beauticians have completed the COVID training certification required by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).  Many residents are surely looking forward to their first haircut or professional styling in many weeks!

Policies and procedures are also being put in place to accommodate controlled, limited visits between independent living residents and immediate family members.  These visits will require distancing and personal protective equipment such as facemask ands gowns, and the family member will be screened prior to the visit.  It is hoped these visits can begin shortly.  If you have family living with us, please be in touch with their particular community to learn how that community will be arranging these visits and how these visits will be structured.

Please understand that the opening of beauty salons and scheduling of family visits for independent living residents at each particular community depends on that community remaining COVID-free.  Should COVID appear in that community, these small, initial steps to “open up” will have to be suspended.

We have been deeply saddened to learn that an assisted living resident from the Columbia Community who tested positive last week has since died while receiving treatment in the hospital.  Our sympathies and condolences are extended to the family, and we pray God’s comfort and peace for them.

Also since last week, another assisted living resident at the Columbia Community has tested positive for COVID, and is currently being cared for in the healthcare center, in isolation from other healthcare residents.

No residents at any of the other five communities tested positive this week.  No staff at any community tested positive this week.  For this we give thanks.

PCSC continues to put the safety of our residents and staff first and to operate in compliance with regulatory guidelines.  We are grateful for the expertise and diligence of our staff.  They are working tirelessly to support and protect the residents.  Please keep our residents and our staff in your prayers.

Update 5-29-20

The state of South Carolina remains in a State of Emergency, per the Governor’s extended mandate this week.  PCSC serves a defined, vulnerable population and has heightened our efforts of mitigating related risks of residents served and our employee partners in service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, at this time, restrictions to visitation and social distancing practices remain in place.  However, these practices are reviewed routinely and we remain mindful of the desire by some to lift portions of the restrictions as soon as possible for connectivity.  We will make our constituents aware of any changes that are able to occur in timely fashion.

On May 21st, Foothills Retirement Community participated in Phase Two of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s (DHEC’s) recommendation to test all residents and employees who work in Nursing Home areas.  After receiving the results from both residents and staff, it was noted that one long term skilled resident tested positive for COVID-19.  We are able to provide on-site care for that resident in a specially designated area with strict isolation protocols.  This area allows us to care for our own residents during their recovery, while limiting the risk of exposure to others.

All other PCSC Communities participated in Phase One for testing of employees and residents in health care centers and results were documented in our 5/22/20 update. 

Sadly, we learned of one additional assisted living resident at Columbia Presbyterian Community testing positive this week.  That resident was sent to the hospital and is receiving care in that setting. 

Other than at Foothills, we have no other residents with known positive cases residing in any of our communities.

PCSC has been very fortunate that our implemented strategies and infection control methods for mitigating risk of exposure have resulted in very few cases.  Efforts appear to be containing spread in the limited instances where it has appeared.

As a new safety protocol, we will be implementing COVID-19 rapid testing for all new residents moving into the communities. 

These remain challenging days for all; and we are grateful for your continued support through honoring and complying with our safety protocols.  Your prayers and support are appreciated for our residents and staff. 

05.01.2020

Since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, we have worked diligently to care for your loved ones.  Extraordinary precautions have been in place by keeping our residents socially distanced in their accommodations and by implementing enhanced infection control and monitoring systems.

It is therefore, with great regret, that we must report this week that two residents who resided in the Foothills short-term rehabilitation center and one employee at Laurel Crest tested positive.  At Foothills one resident was transferred to the hospital; the other resident remains in short-term rehabilitation. All residents in short-term rehab are in quarantine for 14 days, pending no new cases.  The Laurel Crest employee is resting at home. 

To date, PCSC has had five residents and four employees (including an employee from an outside agency) test positive for COVID-19.  We are currently serving one resident with the virus.  With thousands of cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes nationwide, we remain grateful we have experienced very few cases. 

Even though some parts of the state may be loosening up some restrictions, we remain diligent in giving staff daily updates to staff and dedicated to following strict safety protocols to protect our vulnerable population.  Our employees are amazing and committed to taking care of those they serve and each other.   We continue to take comfort in knowing the stringent restrictions are temporary, and this helps us cope.

As a reminder, any new development of COVID-19 is communicated directly to residents and staff in the affected community along with the resident’s legal representative.

We continue to pray for the safety and well-being of our residents, family, and staff.  Thanks be to God for blessing our ministry. 

Now, almost into the seventh week of maintaining strict safety precautions for the protection of residents and employees, we have learned that one of our residents in the short term rehabilitation center at the Foothills Community has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). This patient is now in the hospital, so PCSC is not serving anyone with the virus at this time. 

Since the pandemic began, PCSC has had three residents test positive for COVID-19.  Only one of these residents was in our community when he/she tested positive.  In addition, three employees (including an employee from an outside agency) have tested positive.

At PCSC we are doing our best to care for our residents and employees in these unprecedented times. Any new development of COVID-19 is communicated directly to residents and staff in the community where it was identified along with the resident’s legal representative.

Knowing seniors with underlying health conditions are extremely vulnerable, we continue to monitor all residents for signs or symptoms of COVID-19. 

We also continue to:

• Remind our staff to avoid contact with those who are sick and consult with a physician if they have any symptoms or do not feel well
• Practice universal precautions with staff also wearing masks community-wide
• Screen all staff and vendors upon entry/visit to the community
• Focus on infection control best practices with our staff and residents

From the beginning of this pandemic event, our nursing staff has been trained on the symptoms of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and CDC recommended infection prevention techniques.   PCSC has strict protocols, and continues to monitor information and guidance from the Health Department, DHEC, and the CDC.  We also are working with state and local public health and emergency preparedness officials to prevent the spread of Covid 19.

These are difficult times for residents, their families and employees as we have a fear of an unknown virus and a longing to be with those we love.  Even though we know the stringent restrictions we are now under are temporary, coping with the uncertainly of it all is challenging.

We do take comfort in knowing our diligent efforts are paying off.  Our employees are amazing and they are committed to taking care of those they serve and each other.   With thousands of cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes nationwide, we are indeed grateful that we are not in this position.

We give gratitude to God for being with us, and for blessing our ministry since the beginning of PCSC. 

04.17.2020

The national demographics show that a little over 78% of the deaths thus far have been 65 years or older.  Those of us in senior care carry a huge responsibility in mitigating the risk of COVID-19 affecting the residents and staff in all of our communities. 

Here is what we continue to do at our communities:

• Encourage staff to avoid contact with those who are sick and consult with a physician if they have any symptoms or do not feel well.
• Practice universal precautions - staff are wearing masks community-wide and practicing infection control best practices
• Screen all staff and vendors.
• Monitor all residents for signs or symptoms of COVID-19.  Any resident found to have a clinical concern (i. fever, cough, runny nose) ill receive increased monitoring and the responsible party will be notified.
• Providing ongoing staff training on symptoms of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), CDC recommended infection prevention techniques, and protocols for staff. 
• Continuously monitoring information and implementing guidance from the Health Department, DHEC and the CDC while working with state and local public health and emergency preparedness officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• Communicating any new development of COVID-19 to residents and staff in the community where it was identified.

In spite of our tremendous efforts, we just learned that an agency staff working in the health center of our Foothills Community tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).  Sadly, a patient in our short term rehabilitation center at Foothills also tested positive, but is in the hospital and doing well.  In addition, several other residents and employees from our other communities have been tested, but thus far all of them have tested negative.

This is the fifth week that PCSC has been under strict guidelines.  That being said we know what we are doing is working.  There are thousands of cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes nationwide, and we are indeed grateful that we are not in this position.

Thank you for all the positive comments and expressions of gratitude you have sent to us for taking care of your family members during this pandemic.

We continue to be diligent, and pray for safety, good health and patience for all of us!

04.07.2020 Update

On Saturday afternoon, April 4, 2020, PCSC was notified by the family member of a resident who left the Columbia Community on April 2that her father passed away at the hospital, where he tested positive for COVID-19.
A PCSC employee, who last worked at the Foothills Community on March 31, 2020, subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.  Thankfully, she is recovering and resting at home.
These are events that we prayed would not happen at PCSC and that we have been working and will continue to work diligently to prevent.  The infection control protocols and precautionary measures are stringent and are being followed by all PCSC employees. 
There continue to be innovative opportunities to connect residents with staff during these days when visitors are not allowed in our communities (except for end of life situations).  Having time outside on these beautiful days, watching April Fool’s Day parades of staff in costume, and FaceTiming families regularly help make the days more interesting.
The Easter weekend will be different for everyone, whether we are in our homes are at PCSC.  For many of us, it will be the first time in our lives that we will not be going to church during Holy Week and on Easter Sunday.  We are planning on making Easter special for every resident in all six communities. Also, our own Franklin Fant will be preaching the Vespers services for most of our communities on Easter.  Residents with a “community” channel will be able to watch by tuning to the that channel at 4 pm.  Others can view the service on the Presbyterian Communities of SC by clicking YouTube channel.