Phoebe Ministries Coronavirus Preparedness Plan

Published on March 12, 2020

*UPDATED ON 9.24.2021 at 2:30 p.m.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Precautions at Phoebe Ministries Communities

The following precautions apply to all Phoebe Ministries’ Independent Living, Personal Care, and Health Care Center communities.

The well-being and comfort of our residents and staff is Phoebe’s top priority, and we maintain strict policies and procedures to help prevent the spread of illness throughout our communities. Our employees are trained in best practices to help prevent the spread of communicable illnesses, including COVID-19. We are following our infection-control policies, and will monitor this evolving situation. In response to the recent spread of COVID-19, Phoebe is taking proactive precautions to mitigate exposure among our communities.

Phoebe Ministries Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Staff
Phoebe Ministries announced on August 16, 2021 that it will require employees across the organization to receive COVID-19 vaccination by October 15, 2021 as a condition of employment. With communities in Berks, Bucks, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Union counties, this requirement applies to all of Phoebe Ministries’ employees. The policy will recognize authorized medical and religious exemptions. Please see the following links for additional information:

News Release: Phoebe Ministries COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Staff
Letter for Residents and Families Regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Staff

Phoebe’s COVID-19 Update phone line is 610-794-6049

Sept. 17, 2020- Click here for a message from Phoebe’s President & CEO on COVID-19
April 20, 2020– Click here for a message from Phoebe’s President & CEO on COVID-19.

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Campus Letter Updates

Weekly Update for Phoebe Allentown as of 9.21
Weekly Update for Phoebe Berks as of 9.21
Weekly Update for Phoebe Richland as of 9.24
Weekly Update for Phoebe Wyncote as of 9.21

The Campus update letters are posted at least weekly, and more often if cases are reported.

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Vaccination Information for Residents and Staff

Initially, we worked with both CVS and Rite Aid to administer the COVID vaccine to our Health Care Center, Personal Care, and Independent Living residents and frontline staff. These vaccine clinics were completed on March 8, 2021.

Our own Phoebe Pharmacy now obtains and administers the vaccine. This allows us to vaccinate new admissions, new hires, and those who did not get the vaccine during the earlier clinics. We will also be vaccinating our Retirement Housing residents.

We will be reaching out to you in order to get consent for vaccination of your loved one, if they are not able to give consent themselves. Vaccination is strongly encouraged in order to protect all of the residents we care for. Please note that even if your loved one has already had COVID-19, a vaccination is still recommended.

For more information about the benefits of receiving this vaccine, please follow this link to the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html

Please view this helpful information from the CDC:
Long-Term Care Residents and Loved Ones: Answering Common Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines

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Visitor Policy and Details

The health and well-being of our residents and staff is Phoebe’s top priority, and we maintain strict policies and procedures to help prevent the spread of illness throughout our communities. Phoebe campuses are open for in-person visitation, following all processes put in place by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the PA Department of Health, and the PA Department of Human Services.

Please note that visitation depends on multiple factors at each campus: If county positivity rates for new COVID cases are over 10% AND less than 70% of the current residents are vaccinated, visitation may be restricted for unvaccinated residents. if there are active cases within the Phoebe community, testing of residents and employees will be completed to determine which, if any, areas may be open to visitors.

Visitation status, visitation hours, and duration of visits vary per neighborhood, so please visit the page of the community you would like to visit to check the status.

For the safety of our residents and staff members, visitors are required to follow the below COVID-19 infection control protocols:

Screening of all visitors who enter the facility for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The screening will include a temperature check and questions about potential exposure and observations of symptoms.
Visitors who have been exposed to COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms cannot visit, regardless of vaccination status. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever equal to or greater than 100.0 F, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, chills, myalgia, or new onset of loss of taste or smell.
Practicing safe hand hygiene, including washing hands or use of alcohol-based hand rub.
Wearing a surgical, N95, or KN95 face mask at all times while on-site at Phoebe.
Maintaining a safe social distance from other residents and staff.

Phoebe does not require that visitors be tested or vaccinated to visit with loved ones. We encourage visitors to become vaccinated when they have the opportunity.

Visitations will take place inside residents’ rooms or in common areas, as directed by the individual facility. If weather permits, visitors can take walks or go outside on the grounds with their loved ones.

Family members can also transport their loved ones to and from medical appointments, regardless of vaccination status, while adhering to infection prevention principles. It is preferable that unvaccinated residents use transportation arranged by the facility.

Outings for non-medical reasons will be allowed for residents that have been fully vaccinated. To prevent the possible spread of COVID in our communities unvaccinated residents wanting outings must have approval by administration.

If you would like to visit an independent living community, please reach out to the community manager or Executive Director for that campus to learn what processes for visitation are in place.

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Visitation Information

Please visit the page of the neighborhood your loved one resides in for visitation hours and to view the schedule.

Visits will be limited to two visitors at a time.
Visitors will be required to sign in at the time of their visit.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their own face mask and face shield (if face shields apply).

Phoebe Allentown Health Care Center
Miller Personal Care at 19^th and Chew
Phoebe Berks Health Care Center (closed for visitation)
Phoebe Berks Village Commons
Phoebe Berks Village Gardens
Phoebe Richland Health Care Center
Phoebe Richland Meadow Glen (PC & Memory Support)
Phoebe Wyncote Health Care Center
Phoebe Wyncote Personal Care

Scheduled visits will be prioritized for residents with cognitive or medical decline or those expressing/exhibiting signs of loneliness. Visits will be scheduled and spread out fairly to ensure that each resident is able to receive visitors and that the schedule is not monopolized by any party.

Because COVID-19 is highly contagious and is spread mainly from person-to-person contact, Phoebe has put in place preventive measures to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19. However, Phoebe cannot guarantee that its staff, residents, volunteers, visitors, and others will not become infected with COVID-19.

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Compassionate Care Visits

If an area of a building is closed to visitation due to COVID cases, we continue to allow “Compassionate Care Visits.” Residents who qualify for compassionate care visits may include:

A resident at an end-of-life situation
A resident who was living with their family before recently being admitted to our community who is struggling with the change in environment and lack of physical family support
A resident who is grieving after a friend or family member recently passed away
A resident who needs cueing and encouragement with eating or drinking, previously provided by family and/or caregiver(s), is experiencing weight loss or dehydration
A resident, who used to talk and interact with others, is experiencing emotional distress, seldom speaking, or crying more frequently (when the resident had rarely cried in the past).

If you feel your loved one meets the criteria for a compassionate care visit, please call the administrator or nurse manager at your loved one’s community. Through a person-centered approach, we will work with residents and their families/caregivers to identify the need for compassionate care visits.

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Reopening Plan

Phoebe Allentown Health Care Center
Miller Personal Care at 19th and Chew
Phoebe Berks Health Care Center
Phoebe Richland Health Care Center
Phoebe Wyncote Health Care Center

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Connecting Hearts Virtual Visits using Zoom

We encourage families to utilize Connecting Hearts virtual visits using Zoom.

Independent Living Communities

Residents who live at Phoebe independently have been provided with facts related to coronavirus, along with preventive resources and information on protecting themselves and others from respiratory illness. We have communicated visitation guidelines to these residents. If you would like to visit an independent living community, please reach out the community manager or Executive Director for that campus to see what stipulations for visitation are in place.

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Senior Affordable Housing Communities

Residents who reside in any of Phoebe’s senior affordable housing communities are required to wear masks and socially distance from others anytime they are in common areas of the building. Additionally, any senior affordable housing communities with active COVID-19 cases recommend residents halt incoming visitors unless caregiving is provided. If we are informed of a positive case in a community, residents will be notified with a letter, and the Department of Health will also notify anyone who was in direct contact with the affected individual to instruct them to quarantine for 14 days. Questions can be directed to the building manager or to the Phoebe COVID phone line.

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Testing Protocols

Phoebe will test the following residents:

Residents who are symptomatic
Residents on a neighborhood where another resident tests positive, at physician direction
Residents who regularly leave the facility (dialysis, chemo, radiation, etc.);
All other Skilled Nursing and Personal Care residents regularly as required by the PA Dept. of Health (can be monthly, weekly, or more often if resident meets any of the bullets above)

Phoebe will test the following staff:

Symptomatic staff, if not tested in community under physician direction
Staff with known exposure without PPE (at work or in the community)
Any other staff, as indicated by Occupational Health
All other Skilled Nursing and Personal Care staff as regularly required by the PA Dept. of Health (can be monthly, weekly, or more often if employee meets any of the bullets above)

We continue to complete universal testing for our employees and residents in our Health Care Centers and Personal Care Communities, in line with the PA Department of Health and PA Department of Human Services mandates.

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Admissions and Tours

At this time, we are conducting virtual and in-person tours of our communities. All individuals touring in-person must meet specific screening protocols before being allowed in the building.

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Resident Property Drop-off from Family and Representatives

At Phoebe Allentown, we allow families, friends, and representatives to drop off or have items delivered for residents. There will no longer be a drop-off table at the entrance to Phoebe Allentown. Items may be left at the front desk for delivery to a resident, or may be delivered by the visitor to the resident.

Please reach out to Phoebe Berks, Phoebe Richland, or Phoebe Wyncote directly for their drop-off procedure, or call the COVID line at 610-794-6049.

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Laundry

Effective July 1, 2020, laundry can be washed by families. For those who continue to use Phoebe’s laundry services, applicable laundry fees will apply.

For More Information

If you have any questions or concerns, please call our COVID-19 contact line at 610-794-6049.

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