COVID-19 Status Update

1/4/21

Updates and Vaccine Clinic Scheduled!

Happy New Year! 2021 is already off to a great start at Cappella of Pueblo West. As of tomorrow, all residents and associates will be considered resolved. We will also be able to once again welcome older adults in need of care and services and we can begin to offer monitored indoor visits. To schedule an indoor visit please call the main number at 719.547.2538.

We have even more good news, our first COVID-19 vaccine clinic has been scheduled for Thursday, January 14th at 1pm for all residents and team members! Walgreens will provide the clinic where they will administer the Pfizer vaccine.

If you haven’t yet turned in a consent form for either yourself or your loved one, please do as soon as possible, please email me Carolyn Spear at cspear@cappellapueblowest.com . We have posted on our website education information as well as the consent forms for you to easily download and fill-out clinic on the COVID-19 tab and the latest vaccine information tab.

We continue with all virus mitigation efforts and best practices including having all team members wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to following standards and protocols to identify, isolate and eradicate the virus in our community.

Our family hotline remains available at, 719.224.9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

We encourage everyone to step-up and receive the vaccine when it is offered, the vaccine is the end of this dark COVID-19 tunnel.

Thank you for your continued support and your participation in our vaccine program.

12/28/20

We’ve received results back from tests conducted on December 22^nd indicating one resident is positive for the COVID-19 virus. The resident is being supported at the community with isolation protocols. Since December 23^rd, we’ve had five residents move to the recovered category!

We will conduct more testing tomorrow for one resident and 14 team members.  We continue to monitor everyone closely for signs and symptoms of the virus including daily temperature checks.

All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to following standards and protocols to identify, isolate and eradicate the virus in our community.

We continue to ask families and friends to connect with residents via closed window visits and video calls.

We have not yet received any information about our anticipated COVID-19 vaccine clinic, we expect to hear from our Walgreens pharmacy partner very soon. I highly recommend that all of our residents, families and team members review material on the website. We have a wealth of information there about the vaccine and links to several trusted resources.

Our family hotline remains available at, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

This year has been especially trying, yet we are grateful to have each other to lean on. Our organization commissioned a special tribute video as a means of recognizing the hard work and sacrifice of families, residents and team members, to view it please click here.

12/23/20

As we enter this week’s holiday celebrations, we give thanks that as of tomorrow, we will have another four residents considered recovered from the COVID-19 virus. Additionally, all team members will be back from COVID isolation protocols as of tomorrow as well.

Sadly, we will also hold in our thoughts two residents who recently passed away. Both were being treated for ailments other than COVID, they both had a positive test result. We cannot say for certain if the virus led to their death however, in our commitment to transparency we want to let our Cappella of Pueblo West family know and to send our heartfelt condolences to these families and friends.

All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. We continue to following standards and protocols to identify, isolate, and eradicate the virus in our community.

Residents are greatly enjoying the generous donation of gifts from a family to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. We will wrap-up on Christmas Day. Families and friends still have time to drop off treats and gifts for residents.

We have not yet received any information about our anticipated COVID-19 vaccine clinic, we expect to hear from our Walgreens pharmacy partner very soon. I highly recommend that all of our residents, families, and team members visit the website at www.cappellapueblowest.com and click on the COVID-19 update. We have a wealth of information there about the vaccine and links to several trusted resources.

Our family hotline remains available at, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

This week, more than ever, we are grateful for a dedicated family of team members and families working together to support the older adults we are privileged to serve.

12/21/20

COVID-19 Status Update

We continue to identify virus activity early in our community and have learned of two residents who have tested positive for COVID-19. Both residents continues to be supported in our community with isolation protocols in their apartment homes. Impacted families have received a personal phone call.

We are thrilled to share the wonderful news that nine residents are considered recovered as of today!

All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. We continue to following standards and protocols to identify, isolate and eradicate the virus in our community.

We have not yet received any information about our anticipated COVID-19 vaccine clinic, we expect to hear from our Walgreens pharmacy partner very soon. I highly recommend that all of our residents, families and team members visit the website at www.cappellapueblowest.com and click on the COVID-19 update. We have a wealth of information there about the vaccine and links to several trusted resources.

Families are encourage to have a video visit with their loved ones for the holidays by calling Bette and Amy to schedule support. Window caroling, posting holiday cards and dropping off favorite treats are a wonderful way to connect during this time of restrictions.

Our family hotline remains available at, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

We will send vaccine clinic information as soon as we have a date. Please continue to stay positive and flexible in how you celebrate the holiday this

12/18/20

COVID-19 Status Update

We are committed to combating the COVID-19 virus in our community and to keeping our Cappella of Pueblo West family informed. We received a positive PCR test result yesterday for a resident who continues to be supported in our community with isolation protocols.

Impacted families have received a personal phone call.

All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. We continue to following standards and protocols to identify, isolate and eradicate the virus in our community.

We have not yet received any information about our anticipated COVID-19 vaccine clinic, however, some of our sister communities in the state have received their first clinic date. We expect to be notified soon. I highly recommend that all of our residents, families and team members read more about the vaccine by clicking around this COVID-19 page. We have a wealth of information there about the vaccine and links to several trusted resources. We have also posted a video of a discussion earlier this week separating the Fact from the Faction when it comes to the vaccine. I encourage everyone to read and get ready for our upcoming clinics.

Families are encourage to have a video visit with their loved ones for the holidays by calling Bette and Amy to schedule support. Window caroling, posting holiday cards and dropping off favorite treats are a wonderful way to connect during this time of restrictions.

Our family hotline remains available at, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

12/15/20

COVID-19 Status Update

We’ve learned from testing conducted December 11th that we have three positive team members and four positive residents. All residents are being supported with isolation protocols at the community and are experiencing mild symptoms. Team members are isolated at home.

Impacted families have received a personal phone call. All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. We continue to following standards and protocols to identify, isolate and eradicate the virus in our community.

We are pleased to share that six residents and three team members have recovered from the virus!

We also want to remind you of a Facebook event tomorrow 12/16 at 10am to discuss the Facts and Fiction of the COVID-19 Vaccine. Cappella Living Solutions our management partner leaders and clinicians will answer questions live. You will simply need to tune in to the Cappella Living Solutions Facebook page at 10am tomorrow to hear the discussion.

If you haven’t yet scheduled a video visit with your loved one be sure to call Bette and Amy to schedule support.

We have also established a family hotline number, just for families to receive updated information, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

12/12/20

COVID-19 Status Update

We continue our commitment to timely and transparent communication as our community seeks to mitigate COVID-19.  We’ve received positive PCR test results for seven residents, they are currently being supported in their apartments with clinical isolation protocols in place.  We also received nine positive PCR test results for associates. One team member last worked on December 10^th, seven on December 11^th and one today.  Most of the team members are asymptomatic and are working with positive residents only.  Team members with symptoms are recuperating at home.

Impacted families have received a personal phone call. All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Another round of mass testing is scheduled for this week.

Communal dining and life enrichment programming continue to be paused. At this time only essential care visitors are permitted. While you can’t visit with your loved one in person, we encourage you to drop off cards and care packages or to schedule an assisted video visit by contacting Bette or Amy.

All federal, state, county, and community standards and protocols are in place for the identification, isolation and eradication of COVID-19 virus in our community. Resident and team member safety is our top priority.  We will contact you if your loved one is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.

A family hotline number, just for families to receive updated information, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

We are a committed and dedicated team and are doing everything we can to combat COVID-19. We appreciate your continued well-wishes, support and prayers.

12/11/20

COVID-19 Status Update

We are thrilled to share with you that two beloved residents have now officially moved to recovered from COVID-19 status! We did learn yesterday of two other residents who tested positive for the virus. They were tested at the hospital while being treated for other ailments.  Impacted families have received a personal phone call.

We have not yet received results back on our team member mass testing conducted on December 8th, results are returning more slowly from labs due to our current virus surge in the county.

All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

We have paused communal dining and life enrichment programming. At this time only essential care visitors are permitted. While you can’t visit with your loved one in person, we encourage you to drop off cards and care packages or to schedule an assisted video visit by contacting Bette or Amy.

All federal, state, county, and community standards and protocols are in place for the identification, isolation and eradication of COVID-19 virus in our community. Resident and team member safety is our top priority.  We will contact you if your loved one is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.

The family hotline number, is still available, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

Additionally, please join our clinical and operational leaders next Wednesday, December 16^th at 10 am for a Facebook Live discussion about the Facts and Fiction of the COVID-19 vaccine. We will have our Medical Director, Dr. Erick Gomer, our Vice President of Clinical and Compliance, Pat Mc Bride, RN, and CLC-Cappella’s President and CEO Jill Vitale-Aussem sharing the latest information and taking your questions live. You will simply need to follow the Cappella Living Solutions corporate Facebook page and then tune in to the page next Wednesday.

Thank you for doing your part to combat COVID-19 in our community, we appreciate your efforts.

12/8/20

COVID-19 Status Update

We’ve received results from mass testing conducted on December 4^th and we’ve now identified 16 residents and three team members as positive for COVID-19. The majority of people with a positive test result are asymptomatic with a few experiencing mild symptoms such as a cough or mild temperature. None of the residents are experiencing low oxygen levels. Team members are isolating at home and we continue to support residents with clinical isolation protocols with associates wearing appropriate PPE for the protection of everyone at our community.

Impacted families have received a personal phone call. All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Another round of mass testing is scheduled again this week.

We have paused communal dining and life enrichment programming. At this time only essential care visitors are permitted. While you can’t visit with your loved one in person, we encourage you to drop off cards and care packages or to schedule an assisted video visit by contacting Bette or Amy.

All federal, state, county, and community standards and protocols are in place for the identification, isolation and eradication of COVID-19 virus in our community. Resident and team member safety is our top priority.  We will contact you if your loved one is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.

A family hotline number, just for families to receive updated information, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

We are a committed and dedicated team and are doing everything we can to combat COVID-19. We appreciate your continued support and prayers.

12/4/20

COVID-19 Status Update

We continue to work quickly to identify and isolate potential COVID-19 virus in our community.  This week’s routine testing identified six residents and one associate who are positive.  All residents are displaying minor or no symptoms and being supported in the community.  The team member’s last day in the community was Sunday, November 29^th.

Impacted families have received a personal phone call. All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

We have paused communal dining and life enrichment programming. At this time only essential care visitors are permitted. While you can’t visit with your loved one in person, here are things you can do to show your love and encouragement to them and the community team.

• Drop off cards or letters of encouragement and pre-packaged snacks for your loved one and associates
• Make signs or art and place on your loved one’s window or outside in the grass
• Chalk the sidewalks with encouraging messages
• Schedule a staff-assisted video visit by contacting Bette or Amy.
• Follow the community Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CappellaPuebloWest to see the latest individualized resident programming and dining at the community
• Raise up residents and associates in your thoughts and prayers

All federal, state, county, and community standards and protocols are in place for the identification, isolation and eradication of COVID-19 virus in our community. Resident and team member safety is our top priority.  We will contact you if your loved one is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.

You can find regular community status updates on the Cappella Pueblo West website, www.cappellapueblowest.com. We have also established a family hotline number, just for families to receive updated information, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

Thank you for your continued support, it means the world to us.

12/3/20

All 23 CLC-Cappella Communities Prepared to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

Priority distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to seniors and healthcare workers who are at the most risk of contracting the virus is welcome news. CLC-Cappella is ready to receive the vaccine to protect residents and associates in all 23 of our communities as soon as it is available. We remain in constant communication with state health departments, the CDC, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as details of the distribution process continue to develop.

Learn more about the COVID-19 Vaccine Plan here.

11/30/2020

Status Update

We continue to work quickly to identify potential COVID-19 virus in our community. We now know of three residents who have tested positive for the virus. One resident was at the hospital being treated for another ailment and was tested, that result came back positive. Additionally, we tested residents who had a potential exposure to the team member who tested positive last week. We’ve learned of two resident who are positive, both are asymptomatic. All three residents are being cared for with full clinical isolation protocols in the community.

Impacted families have received a personal phone call. All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Currently, no one else is displaying symptoms.

We will continue this week with twice a week testing of all team members and will include residents as warranted.

All federal, state, county, and community standards and protocols are in place for the identification, isolation and eradication of COVID-19 virus in our community. Resident and team member safety is our top priority.

We are operating with limited communal dining, limited life enrichment gatherings, and only essential care visitors. Movement throughout the community is limited.

We will contact you if your loved one is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.

We have also established a family hotline number, just for families to receive updated information, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

11/27/2020

Status Update

In our continued commitment to timely and transparent updates, we want to inform you that two team members tested positive for COVID-19 from the mass testing we conducted on November 23^rd. Both team members are recuperating at home. We will test all residents today and working with the county to determine if more team member testing will be conducted.

Personal phone calls have been made to all resident families and team members. All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Currently, no one else is displaying symptoms.

All federal, state, county, and community standards and protocols are in place for the identification, isolation and eradication of COVID-19 virus in our community. Resident and team member safety is our top priority.

We are operating with limited communal dining, limited life enrichment gatherings, and only essential care visitors. Movement throughout the community is limited.

We will contact you if your loved one is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.

We have also established a family hotline number, just for families to receive updated information, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

Additionally, we encourage family members to continue to connect with your loved ones via a phone call, video chat or a window visit.

We know this isn’t the news our Cappella Pueblo West family wanted to receive today. Please know we are working very hard to ensure the well-being of everyone who lives and works at our community.

11/20/2020

Governor’s Level Red Order

Governor Polis’s Level Red order goes into effect this evening at 5:00 pm. The designation impacts everyone in our county and is aimed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Just this week, the Governor released a new statistic that 1 out of every 100 people in the Denver metro area is infected with the virus. We also know that some state hospitals are already at capacity.

The order very specifically states that anyone considered in a high-risk population should stay home. People ages 65 and up are considered a high-risk population in the order definition; therefore, according to the state order, residents in our community should stay home unless they need to leave for a medically necessary reason.

The order also closes restaurants but still allows for take-out and delivery, and it limits the sizes of gatherings indoors. Again, this applies to everyone who lives in our county, not just senior living. The Centers for Disease Control has also issued a strong advisory asking people not to travel this Thanksgiving.

All of this information is hard to hear. We’ve been working to understand how this order impacts our senior living community. We have been seeking guidance from the state health department and local agencies for any changes in protocols and operations. These conversations are ongoing. Therefore the information listed below may change; this is what we know as of now, and what we must do to be in compliance with the new State order:

1. All dining rooms in our community are closed. We will provide in apartment/suite dining and to-go options for all residents. Those needing assistance with dining will continue to be supported in the dining room. To request in apartment/suite dining please contact the dining department.
2. All life enrichment gatherings are limited to five people and should be with people each resident is frequently around, their “COVID Bubble Buddy”. This is a term a group of residents came up with to describe what the health order refers to as pods of people, a “household”. Now is the time for all residents in our community to identify their “Bubble Buddies,” up to five people in your specific neighborhood, that you can socialize with while maintaining a safe bubble, creating your household. Residents must continue to wear a mask, keep six feet of social distance with each other, and wash their hands frequently if they are together with their “bubble buddies.”
3. By regulation, anyone who lives in assisted living and leaves our community for a non-clinical appointment must then quarantine for 14 days when they return to the community. Per recent testing mandates, they will be tested twice a week along with team members.
4. All hair salons that were previously open will remain open with salon staff following all Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) regulations.

Now is the time to pull together as a community and “protect our house.” We want to be safe and responsible for each other. We also want to be creative and find ways to retain and build a connection with each other for our mental and emotional well-being. Please start talking with your neighbors about building your “bubble buddy” system. Work together to place calls to each other, schedule video chats, and small groups of five gatherings with social distance. Now is the time to establish your tribe of people within our community.

For our cherished families, we know these restrictions are worrisome. Please stay in communication with your loved one, schedule video visits, closed window visits, send care packages, drop off cards and favorite meals, plan a “parade of lights” through our parking lot and let us know if you have concerns so we can try to help.

We are in this together. With new vaccines on the horizon, we have to now more than ever, support and love each other, and we will get through this together.

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plans

Vaccine Clinic is scheduled!

We have really good news, our first COVID-19 vaccine clinic has been scheduled for Thursday, January 14^th at 1pm for all residents and team members! Walgreens will provide the clinic where they will administer the Pfizer vaccine.

If you haven’t yet turned in a consent form for either yourself or your loved one, please do as soon as possible, please email me Carolyn Spear at cspear@cappellapueblowest.com . Below you will find website education information as well as the consent forms for you to easily download and fill-out.

We want you to get ready now. All residents and team members need to have their most current insurance cards. If you misplaced your insurance card please make sure you get a replacement card for yourself or your loved one as soon as possible, so the process moves forward as smoothly as possible. Please take a look at the below links for further information.

• A Frequently Asked Question document provided by the American Medical Director Association (AMDA)
• The Pfizer Vaccine and Moderna Vaccine information sheets ( we are not sure which we will receive at this time)
• A flyer about the myths and facts of the vaccine
• The Walgreens consent form that must be filled out for every resident and team member. When we communicate our clinic dates, we will provide directions on how to submit your form.

COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Plans

Find our latest information on the vaccine here.

Frequently Asked Questions | 12.3.20

This Frequently Asked Questions document is intended to give information to residents, families, team members, and the general community regarding the status of rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine in our communities. Information is changing daily. There are times the federal directive and state directives are different. Christian Living Communities (CLC) – Cappella Living Solutions is committed to providing accurate information as timely as possible. This document will be updated and available as changes warrant. For vaccine-specific information, we request the CDC documents be shared.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has prioritized older adults and people working in Long-Term Care to be part of the first-tier to receive the vaccine. Will my loved one’s Community be included?

All CLC-Cappella communities are registered with the Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care Initiative to be part of the vaccine’s first-tier distribution. At the moment, we believe this will include team members and residents of skilled nursing and assisted living communities. We are waiting to hear if residential (independent) living residents/team members will also be included in the first-tier distribution.

Where does the vaccine approval currently stand

We anticipate the emergency use approval for the Pfizer vaccine could be as early as December 10th. The discussion for the Moderna vaccine will be on December 17th. Once approval is given, the federal government will then distribute the vaccine to the states for inoculations. Each state will then set a state-specific timeline and process for vaccine distribution and administration. We anticipate all of the states we support will follow the CDC tier guidelines for prioritizing who will receive the vaccine first, but that has not been firmly confirmed.

Once the states get the vaccine, how will it be distributed to Long-Term Care?

These are some of the details still being worked out. At this point, because all of our communities are registered in the federal pharmacy partnership, we will receive the vaccine through either CVS or Walgreens pharmacy or both. We anticipate the pharmacy teams coming to our communities to administer the vaccines to residents, working closely with our clinical teams. We are awaiting more details regarding team member vaccination.

How will the vaccine be rolled out in our Community?

We will begin by educating residents, families, and team members. The CDC has provided some information sheets that will be distributed and posted on websites to answer questions specifically around vaccine development, safety, and why getting the vaccine is beneficial. We will work with our assigned pharmacy, who will store, distribute, administered the vaccine. We anticipate the pharmacy will set up clinic dates and times for resident vaccinations. The pharmacies will also document and report our vaccine administration progress.

Once residents and team members are vaccinated, will restrictions be lifted?

Not immediately, but that is the goal. It will take time for the two-step vaccine process to be fully implemented therefore, we will still need to wear masks, socially distance, and follow clinical protocols until the Community and the surrounding cities and towns reach a majority of people being vaccinated. It takes up to two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine for each person to benefit from its protection.

What if my loved one or a team member refuses to be vaccinated?

The CLC-Cappella team is working to determine what options if any, will be offered to those refusing the vaccination. We will share more information when it’s available.

For vaccine-specific questions, please refer to the CDC handouts.

• • 8 Things to Know About Vaccine Planning
  • Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
• LEARN MORE about how the CLC-Cappella Communities are prepared to receive COVID-19 Vaccine.

Cappella of Pueblo West Begins Posting Critical Data Weekly as a Next Step towards Indoor Visitations

We are adding some very important information to our website for residents, families and team members. We will post two pieces of data that are critical to our COVID-19 testing process, and is one determining factor in our ability to offer indoor visits.

View the Current Week’s Data Here

County Case Rate Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) set six criteria that must be met before an indoor visit can be offered in assisted living and skilled nursing communities. The first is the degree of community spread which CDPHE mandates be measured as the county’s case rate. This is the rate of how many positive cases per 100,000 people over a two week time period. This is the first piece of data that we will now post on our website every week.

• A low or green case rate means we can offer visits without requiring visitors to have evidence of a negative COVID-19 test.
• A yellow or medium rate means we can offer visits, but must require visitors to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to the visit.
• A red or high rate means we cannot offer indoor visits.

County Positivity Rate The second piece of data is the county positivity rate. This determines how often we must conduct Routine (Mass) Testing of employees and contractors in skilled nursing neighborhoods as mandated by the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS). A rate below 5% requires testing only once a month, higher than that is once a week and above 10% will require twice a week.

This rate is important to keep an eye on for all levels of living including residential and assisted living, not just skilled nursing, as it is a key indicator of the risk in our county of spreading COVID-19.

Routine Testing Requirements for Skilled Nursing

Every week we will post both important pieces of data on our COVID-19 Updates page under the Weekly County Data Updates tab by the end of the day Monday.

Indoor Visits for Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Requirements

In addition to the community spread rate each community must also meet five other criteria, conduct baseline testing of certain residents and staff, surveillance and outbreak testing, be outbreak-free, PPE supply must be adequate and critical staffing must be in place. To read more detail, please visit the CDPHE website.

Our community is currently working to conduct the required baseline testing in our regulated neighborhoods ( assisted living and skilled nursing, if applicable) Once we have successfully finished the testing and met the other five criteria then visitors must also meet the following criteria:

• Tested negative for COVID-19 within 48 hours of the visit and have documentation (from the time the test was collected) if the county is in the medium or high case rate level. The test must be a PCR (nasal swab) test, not a rapid POC (point of care) or an antibody test.
• Fever free, go through screening and have no known COVID-19 exposure
• Be 18 years old or older
• Schedule appointments in advance
• Wear masks and follow infection control guidelines such as washing hands prior to visiting and frequently throughout
• Limit visitation to residents only in designated areas

We know the connection with family is vital and we will implement visits as soon as we are able to. In the meantime, please continue to utilize outdoor patio visits and plexiglass visits as offered by your community as well as technology-supported connections. Care essential visits are still being accommodated at this time.

We invite you to watch the CLC-Cappella Town Hall webinar recording for Colorado communities where organizational leaders discussed these directives in detail.

11/13/2020

Mandatory Covid Testing Order

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issued a new mandatory COVID testing order that will go into effect for our community on Friday, November 20^th.

This order requires us to test ALL team members and professionals providing care (vendors, doctors, etc.) associated with our assisted living neighborhood weekly. This mandate also requires testing of any resident of those neighborhoods who leave our community within the last 14 days.  Again this goes into effect on Friday, November 20^th, therefore any resident leaving this weekend or after, will be part of the testing “look back” period. If our county’s positivity rate increases above 10%, we then will need to test team members and residents twice a week until the rate goes back below 10% for two consecutive weeks.

We are working to set up a standing testing time and date so team members can make accommodations to take part in this mandatory testing. We will also schedule residents who qualify for this surveillance testing on the same days as the team member testing.

To help ensure we are able to conduct this weekly testing, the state has partnered with Curative, a national COVID testing firm to provide supplies and equipment to communities. The test will be an oral saliva test and team members will be able to administer it themselves. Curative has worked with other states and provided test results within 48 hours of receiving the test sample, an improvement over the several day wait we are now experiencing. We will provide all team members, residents, and families more information about where, how and when the testing will take place as soon as we work out a few more details and receive our test supplies.

The timing of this order is something to take into consideration for the holidays. If a resident leaves for Thanksgiving, they will be required to be tested and to socially isolate for 14 days upon return to the community. Both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and CDPHE state that this mandated testing will not shorten the required 14 day social isolation period for residents in our assisted living, memory support, and assisted living neighborhoods.

We highly recommend that everyone who lives and works at Cappella of Pueblo West exercise caution and take extra safety steps during this holiday season. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued some Thanksgiving guidelines for all of us to consider if we choose to take part in a gathering.

• Take into consideration the local county positivity rate before planning a gathering.
• Those preparing food should wear a mask at all times.
• If two or more households are gathering, everyone should wear a mask.
• For residents hosting a small in apartment gathering, you do not have to count each in community apartment as a separate household. Our Community is considered one household according to CDPHE, however, you must still adhere to no more than six to 10 people, and you must practice social distancing.
• Keep the gathering small and short in duration to limit exposure risk.
• If possible, have a window open or better yet, host the meal outside. Governor Polis has asked for no more than two households to gather together.
• Attempt to maintain social distancing of six feet or more at all times.

We will serve a special meal for residents and team members on Thanksgiving. We will also do our best to help families connect for the holiday through technology visits, outside visits (if we are able), and closed window visits.

With the surge in cases in our community and nationally, we all must do our part to stop the spread of the virus and protect those most vulnerable to the harsher effects of this very contagious virus.

Thank you for your support and understanding during this challenging phase of our community’s life.

Update 9/3/20

Cappella Pueblo West Team Member Tests Positive

We want to inform you that we have received confirmation that a team member has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The team member last worked on August 27th and had no symptoms at that time. The team member became symptomatic on August 31st and was tested that day, we received the positive test result this afternoon.

Personal phone calls have been made to all resident families and team members. All team members are wearing surgical masks and gloves when providing resident care. We continue to take the temperatures of residents and team members and are closely monitoring everyone for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Currently, no one else is displaying symptoms.

All federal, state, county, and community standards and protocols are in place for the identification, isolation and eradication of COVID-19 virus in our community. Resident and team member safety is our top priority.

The entire community continues to operate under the CDC restricted status of limited communal dining, limited group life enrichment and only essential care visitors. Movement throughout the community is discouraged.

We will contact you if your loved one is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.

We have established a family hotline number, just for families to receive updated information, 719-224-9703. Please limit your calls to family members only seeking information. For specific resident questions, please know someone may need to call you back after a message is relayed to care teams.

Additionally, we encourage family members to connect with your loved ones via a phone call or a video chat.

Please know we are working very hard to ensure the well-being of everyone who lives and works at our community. Together, we will get through this.

Update 9/3/20

Next Steps for Colorado Governor’s Guidance on Indoor Visits

We are as excited as our families and residents to hear the good news that Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has given final guidance on allowing indoor visits within residential care communities.

There are six criteria that each community must meet before offering indoor visits ranging from the degree of virus spread in the greater community to baseline testing of team members and PPE availability. We are assessing our community’s eligibility to offer indoor visits based on the six criteria now, to read more detail please visit the CDPHE website.

If we meet these six criteria, then there are additional requirements of the person coming into the community. This includes being able to have documented proof of a negative Antigen COVID-19 test within 48 hours prior to the scheduled visit. Without that proof, and having results back within that time frame, we cannot accommodate an indoor visit.

We appreciate our resident and family member’s patience as we work through this new exciting guidance. In the meantime, we continue to offer outdoor visits, window, and plexiglass divider visits. Please continue to take advantage of these opportunities and technology-supported visits while implementing the Governor’s new directives. We are as anxious as you are and will quickly work to implement these visits as we are able.

We will host a special CLC-Cappella Colorado Communities Town Hall Webinar on Tuesday, September 8^th at 4:30pm MT for residents, families and team members to receive the latest progress towards implementation and what is required.

You can register for that webinar by clicking here.

Update 6/24/20

New Outdoor Visitation Guidelines

Per Governor Polis’s direction, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released directives for outside visits with loved ones for people living in long-term care communities such as assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing. The directives require new operational protocols, which we are in the process of developing. In addition, team member training must take place before outside visits can be scheduled. We will provide an update on Cappella of Pueblo West’s ability to host these visits as soon as we can. We appreciate your patience.

Update 6/22/20

Cappella Pueblo West Clears State-Mandated Monitoring Period

We are pleased to share that Cappella Pueblo West has cleared the state-mandated COVID monitoring period for our team member who tested positive. We are so grateful to residents and families for their ongoing support, patience, and encouragement.

While many states are in various stages of reopening, government restrictions have not changed for senior living communities. We are still under restrictive CDC status. However, CLC-Cappella has formed a Health and Happiness Committee to re-evaluate our current procedures in order to strike a balance between the crucial need to maintain physical health with mental health leading to happiness. As we have changes in our policies we will keep you informed by phone call and updates here at this site. Additionally, we encourage family members to continue to connect with your loved ones via a phone call, video chat or a window visit.

All federal, state, county, and community standards and protocols remain in place for the identification, isolation and eradication of COVID-19 virus in our community. Please know we continue to work very hard to ensure the well-being of everyone who lives and works at our community. Together, we will get through this.

Q: What is being done to protect residents and staff?

A: We continue to implement rigorous virus sanitizing protocols daily.  The county health department continues to direct our actions. Residents’ temperatures are taken twice daily and the team is vigilantly monitoring all signs and symptoms for everyone who lives and works at Cappella of Pueblo West.

Q: Is Cappella of Pueblo West Safe?

A: The COVID-19 Pandemic is a world-wide health crisis. While no place at this time is immune to the virus, we continue extraordinary precautions with the guidance of local health officials and the CDC.

Q: What are the ‘rules’ your respective communities follow to detect, contain and isolate COVID-19?

A: The health and safety of our residents and team members is our top priority and we will continue to practice all federal, and local mandated measures as well as our organizational procedures to limit exposure of COVID-19 in our communities.

Q: Who is allowed to visit your communities?

A: The community is scheduling video calls and courtyard visits (patio visits, lawn visits) with social distancing and plexiglass for family visitors.

For all licensed neighborhoods – assisted living is on ‘restricted status.’ We are adhering to visitation guidelines established by the state health department, CDC and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Visitation to assisted living community is limited to:

• ‘Essential Need Only’ visits. Essential need visits include support care and family visits in resident mental health and end-of-life situations.
• Visits must be brief.

Q: How are visitors being screened?

A:  We screen everyone entering the building everyday immediately, including team members and essential care providers. Screening includes:

• Fever screening, we take temperatures of everyone, including team members
• Cough and/or shortness of breath
• Sore throat
• Any travel outside of country or state
• Identifying if they have visited another senior living community
• Questions on purpose of visit
• Once screening is complete, visitors must wash hands before visiting residents and after leaving the community

Q: What are residents doing to stay positive and connected

A: Maintaining a positive attitude is crucial. Positivity begets positivity. We encourage our team member to stay positive and imbue residents with positivity. We are also encouraging residents to:

• Continue to be social and actively engaged at safe social distances – for example hallway BINGO, hallway exercising and trivia
• Communicate with loved ones through texts, emails and social media. We’re encouraging community members to post photos on Facebook and tag everyone they want to see the photo
• We’re leveraging technology (FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, Facebook, Instagram, emails and text) to connect residents with loved ones outside the community and with each other. Examples include:
  • Virtual visits
  • Bible study
  • Playing and listening to music performances
  • Message board photos
  • Reading books to children via Skype
• For residents who don’t know how to use/unable to use technologies, families can sign up for a team member to assist their loved one to use virtual visit technologies.
• We’re encouraging folks to drop off a favorite pre-packaged food item or card. These will be wiped with EPA-approved disinfectant wipes before being delivered. We’re also encouraging:

• Writing notes to each other, to family and team members
• Enlist internal and external groups/committees – church, book clubs, knitters to do a card shower for residents and team members
• Continuing Pen Pals programs – letters and notes back and forth between students and residents
• Musical performances/poetry outside resident windows

Q: Can you describe your training protocols?

A: CLC/CLS already conducts extensive yearly training for all team members in managing infections and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. These protocols are multi-disciplinary and prescriptive to prevention, containment and how to stop the spread of the disease should it occur.

All communities are following a special set of coronavirus-specific policies and procedures modeled after our very successful flu and norovirus protocols. Training and protocols include:

• Provide training for all employees on infection control standards
• Report and act quickly if any symptoms are reported in the community
• Start isolation procedures immediately if COVID-19 is suspected
• Notify State and/or Local Health Department which coordinates with CDC to transport resident or team member to hospital for testing
• Follow state report guidelines for any confirmed cases

Q: What is done if a team member or resident shows symptoms?

A: If a team member has any symptoms, they are required to stay home and report symptoms to their doctor to determine if they meet COVID-19 test standards. If a resident exhibits symptoms, we are contacting the local health department and their doctor to determine the best plan for testing.

You can view the last organizational Town Hall Webinar pre-recorded on November 19th here.

Leadership reviewed upcoming holiday restrictions.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

State of Colorado: https://covid19.colorado.gov/

Pueblo County, CO: https://county.pueblo.org/public-health/covid-19