Carriage Homes at Asbury Ridge • Saint Mary’s at Asbury Ridge Home Admission Charitable Giving Publications History Contact Us Home » Contact Us » COVID-19 Response COVID-19 Response Last updated on 12/3/2021 COVID-19 Response Saint Mary's Home of Erie's top priority is the health and wellness of our residents and employees. We understand the concerns surrounding COVID-19 and its impact, and we are committed to making sure our residents, their families and our community are aware of our active efforts for prevention and containment. Use these links to jump to a specific section on this page: COVID-19 Status Visitation Information Saint Mary's at Asbury Ridge is conducting outbreak testing due to positive cases. Visitation may continue; visitors should be aware of the potential risk of contracting COVID-19. Vaccine Information What We've Been Doing What You Can Do COVID-19 Communications COVID-19 Status As part of our commitment to transparency, we are sharing the status of COVID-19 in our facilities including positive (active) cases, recovered cases, and deaths. The data reported is cumulative from May of 2020 and will be updated throughout each week as needed. Status Report: COVID-19 Status Report Visitation and Reopening Visitation Information Please review the core principles below that visitors must follow. Facemasks required! While June 28, 2021 marked the lifting of Pennsylvania's general masking order, this does not affect the mandates and requirements for health care communities and facilities. Facemasks are still required for all individuals who enter our facility regardless of vaccination status. Saint Mary's Home of Erie is following revised guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released on November 12, 2021 which permits visitation for all residents at all times. It is Saint Mary's goal to provide for the safety of our residents as well as their emotional well-being. As we partner together in following the core principles below to reduce the possible transmission of COVID-19, we believe this can be accomplished. Vaccination is highly encouraged but is not required for visitation. In a continued effort to keep our residents, employees and visitors safe, all individuals in our facility must adhere to the following core principles of infection prevention: Screening upon entry to the facility Wearing of a well-fitting face covering at all times All visitors must wear face coverings regardless of vaccination status Observing physical distancing measures at least six feet between people While there are no longer limits on how many visitors a resident receives, physical distancing must be maintained in the resident room. If physical distancing cannot be observed, visitors may need to stagger their visits. Using proper hand hygiene Limiting travel through the building Visitors should visit in the residents room and should not roam about the building. Use of common areas, cafés, etc. are not permitted at this time. When weather permits, outdoor visitation is preferred Residential Living and the Memory Unit may use the appropriate courtyards in their area of care In Skilled Nursing, Neighborhood D may use the main entrance portico and Neighborhood E may use the activity patio COVID-19 Vaccine & Booster Information COVID-19 Booster COVID-19 booster shots are available. Saint Mary's Home of Erie partnered with Walgreens to administer booster shots at the end of October. Interested residents and employees can still receive their booster if they missed the initial clinics. Booster shots are not required to be considered fully vaccinated, but studies show that protection against the virus from initial vaccination may decrease over time. More information on boosters and the benefit can be found here: CDC: Who Is Eligible for a COVID-19 Vaccine Booster? Vaccine Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers COVID-19 vaccinations continue to be available on an ongoing basis for employees and residents who have not yet had the opportunity to be vaccinated. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is a two-dose series administered three weeks apart. A Fact Sheet for this authorized vaccine can be found below: Comirnaty or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet Please review this document as it will help you understand more about the benefits, risks and potential side effects of vaccination. Why Get Vaccinated? The COVID-19 vaccine is an important tool in our fight against this virus. We understand that some of you may have concerns surrounding the safety of these new vaccines. We want to assure you that these vaccines have undergone the same level of rigorous testing for safety and efficacy as other vaccines. We encourage all of our employees, residents, families and friends to get vaccinated. To learn more, a number of frequently asked questions about the vaccine and more helpful information can be found here: CDC Vaccine FAQ's Walgreens Vaccine FAQ's and Information FDA Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine FAQ's What We've Been Doing In accordance with the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the PA Department of Health concerning higher-risk populations such as the elderly, we have been diligently enacting precautionary measures within both of our communities to help protect our residents and staff. Some of these measures include: As of June 23, 2021 visitors are now permitted to once again bring in packages, clothing, magazines, cards, books, gifts, food and other deliveries for their loved ones. Visitors may take the items directly to the resident's room. Items do not need to be quarantined. On June 14, 2021 the St. Joe's Cafe reopened for take-out meal service only to Carriage Home Residents. This will be take-out only; residents will not be able to eat or sit in the café areas, lobby or dining rooms. Please be aware that this service is currently for Carriage Home residents only and that the café is not open to other guests or visitors at this time. On April 28, 2021 CMS and PA DOH released updated testing guidance that affects fully-vaccinated individuals. It is no longer required for fully-vaccinated residents and employees to be tested routinely. Unvaccinated employees however must continue to be tested with a frequency as determined by the county positivity rate. If the facility experiences an outbreak (one or more new cases) then testing of all employees and residents is required regardless of vaccination status. On March 10, 2021 CMS released revised guidance that lifted a number of visitor restrictions for long-term care facilities who meet the criteria and can ensure that visitors are adhering to the core principles of infection prevention. These changes apply to visitation only; all other measures remain in effect. On December 30, 2020 and January 5, 2021 the first vaccination clinics were held at our campuses in partnership with Walgreens. During these clinics, the COVID-19 vaccine was offered to all residents and employees who wished to be vaccinated. As of September 23, 2020, employees have been provided with face shields and are required to wear them when in resident care areas as an added precaution. Weather dependent, residents may use designated outdoor areas, such as our internal courtyards and patios, to get some fresh air and enjoy the sunshine. Residents will be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing as appropriate. Residents, for whom it is appropriate, are required to wear a face mask or covering whenever they leave their room and whenever someone else enters their room. Fabric face masks are being provided to residents for this purpose. We are also providing fabric face masks to staff for personal use outside of work. Beginning April 6, 2020, staff will be provided with a face mask and will be required to wear the mask at all times when working. Any essential vendors who enter the building will also be required to wear a mask. Effective April 2, 2020, families and friends will not be permitted to visit at resident windows due to security and privacy risks. Effective March 20, 2020, we will not accept in-person deliveries/drop-offs of food, cards, books, magazines, gifts, or laundry at this time. This is done in an effort to limit risk of the virus entering our building. We continue to accept florist deliveries and USPS mail, along with UPS and FedEx. All items will be quarantined before being delivered to residents. Adult Day Services is closed beginning March 16, 2020 until further notice. Restricted Visitations Effective March 14, 2020, visitations have been restricted. We will work with families on other ways they can connect with a loved one during this time. Video chat appointments can be made Monday - Friday. To help our staff coordinate, please schedule in advance. Exceptions will be made for immediate family members of residents receiving hospice/end-of-life care. We will notify family members if there is a change in the condition of their loved one. Resident activities that expose residents to groups of people have been suspended. This includes communal dining and attendance at Mass, which will be televised for residents until further notice. Staff is required to enter through the employee entrance, where they will be screened at the start of each shift. Staff continues to be provided with additional education and resources on Infection Prevention and Control. Medical and cleaning supplies are being monitored and used as efficiently as possible As new information becomes available and as the situation evolves, additional action may be taken. We understand how difficult and uncertain of a time this is for residents and family members, but these actions are necessary to protect the seniors in our care and the employees who care for them. We are grateful for the community's understanding, cooperation and trust. What You Can Do We urge everyone to follow the recommendations from the CDC and the PA Department of Health, which include regular hand washing, covering your cough or sneeze, frequent cleaning and disinfecting, practicing social distancing, wearing a mask in public, and staying home if you are sick. Be Prepared It is important to be prepared not just for the novel coronavirus, but for a number of situations. For information on ways you can plan ahead, visit ready.gov Stay Informed It is important to stay informed as this is a rapidly evolving situation. For the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding COVID-19, we recommend visiting cdc.gov and health.pa.gov. COVID-19 Communications Weekly email updates for families and friends have been ongoing since March 20, 2020. To sign up for these email updates regarding Saint Mary's & COVID-19, please send your contact information to eberkstresser@stmaryshome.org Q&A Visitation Information Q&A Saint Mary's and COVID-19 Letters and Notices 6.10.2021 Saint Mary's Cafe Reopens to Carriage Home Residents for Take-Out 11.24.2020 Update on Asbury Ridge Cases 11.2.2020 Holiday Letter to Asbury Ridge Families 8.13.2020 Letter to Carriage Home Residents on Reopening 8.11.2020 Letter to Asbury Ridge Community on Reopening 4.17.2020 Letter to Carriage Home Residents 4.2.2020 Letter to Residents and Families 4.2.2020 Letter to Employees 3.12.2020 Letter to Residents and Families 3.12.2020 Letter to Employees Email Updates 12.3.2021 Update #75 11.19.2021 Update #74 11.19.2021 Follow Up to #74 for CH 11.12.2021 Update #73 10.15.2021 Update #72 10.1.2021 Update #71 8.20 and 8.24.2021 Update #70 8.19.2021 Update #69 8.3.2021 Update #68 7.23 and 7.26.2021 Update #67 7.20.2021 Update #66 6.25.2021 Update #65 6.10.2021 Update #64 6.4.2021 Update #63 5.27.2021 Update #62 5.24.2021 Update #61 5.14.2021 Update #60 5.7.2021 Update #59 4.30.2021 Update #58 4.23.2021 Update #57 4.16.2021 Update #56 4.9.2021 Update #55 4.1.2021 Update #54 3.26.2021 Update #53 3.19.2021 Update #52 3.11.2021 Update #51 3.5.2021 Update #50 2.26.2021 Update #49 2.19.2021 Update #48 2.12.2021 Update #47 2.8.2021 Update #46 1.29.2021 Update #45 1.22.2021 Update #44 1.15.2021 Update #43 1.8.2021 Update #42 12.18.2020 Update #40 12.11.2020 Update #39 11.25.2020 Update #37 11.20.2020 Update #36 11.13.2020 Update #35 11.5.2020 Update #34 10.30.2020 Update #33 10.23.2020 Update #32 10.16.2020 Update #31 10.9.2020 Update #30 10.2.2020 Update #29 9.25.2020 Update #28 9.18.2020 Update #27 9.11.2020 Update #26 9.4.2020 Update #25 8.28.2020 Update #24 8.28.2020 Update #24 8.20.2020 Update #23 8.14.2020 Update #22 8.7.2020 Update #21 7.31.2020 Update #20 7.23.2020 Update #19 7.17.2020 Update #18 7.10.2020 Update #17 7.06.2020 Update #16 6.26.2020 Update #15 6.18.2020 Update #14 6.11.2020 Update #13 6.03.2020 Update #12 5.29.2020 Update #11 5.22.2020 Update #10 5.15.2020 Update #9 5.07.2020 Update #8 5.01.2020 Update #7 4.24.2020 Update #6 4.17.2020 Update #5 4.10.2020 Update #4 4.02.2020 Update #3 3.26.2020 Update #2 3.20.2020 Update #1 Contact: Emma Berkstresser Director of Marketing and Development (814) 836-4394 eberkstresser@stmaryshome.org Contact Us About Us COVID-19 Response Careers Contact Form ©2002-2021 Saint Mary's Home of Erie, PA. 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