Centralia, WA, Senior Living Center

Welcome to Sharon Care Center! Our skilled nursing and assisted living options offer personalized assistance, supportive services, and compassionate care in a professionally managed and carefully designed retirement community setting.

We provide three levels of care:

1. Assisted Living—The perfect alternative for seniors who can no longer live on their own at home, yet don’t need 24-hour, skilled nursing supervision
2. Skilled Nursing—For those who need 24-hour skilled medical care
3. Memory Care Unit—For those with assisted living dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Our Assisted Living approach provides the ideal solution for seniors who need some help with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and medication reminders. We focus on comprehensive wellness and allowing our residents to be as independent as possible through a tailored and individualized plan of assistance. Our residents enjoy beautifully appointed living spaces, delicious meals, and engaging social activities. It is the assistance seniors need with all of the independence they want, and is the perfect senior housing facility for families living in Centralia, Chehalis, Tenino, Winlock, Napavine, or Olympia.

Our Skilled Nursing Center and medical staff are caring, trained, and licensed. They provide 24-hour coverage. The Medical Director, Pharmacy Consulting, Administrator, Director of Nursing, Social Services, Dietary and Activity Director are committed to providing the highest level of care.

Sharon Care Center is located in beautiful Centralia, close to Portland, just a short drive to Olympia or the scenic Washington coast.

This letter is to update you on the status of COVID 19 in the facility. After completing the entire facility testing on 8/6/2020, we have identified three additional persons that have not been showing signs or symptoms of it at this time. We have notified those individuals directly and will continue to provide updates regarding the results of testing. We will be conducting another round of testing in the upcoming week and to continue to identify further spreading of the Virus. Early detection and prevention remain our continued goals so we can work to promote the health and safety of everyone. If a resident tests positive staff will call and notify family of the results directly. In our continued efforts to maintain the safety and wellbeing of residents and staff the following measures have been implemented to prevent the transmission of COVID 19:

• All staff members are screened twice per shift for symptoms of COVID 19. Any staff member found to be symptomatic are sent home.
• All staff are to wear masks and face shields while in resident/resident care areas. We have started utilizing respirator masks and will continue to do so until it is deemed safe to revert back to standard surgical facemasks.
• Staff will be caring for residents in full PPE. Please do not be alarmed, this does not mean that the person they are working with has COVID 19. We are taking extra precautions with all residents at this time.
• Visiting Continues to be restricted at this time. This means that individuals are not allowed to come into the facility, except for certain situations, such as end-of-life or when a visitor is classified as essential for the resident. We understand that this can be distressing and the facility will continue to assist with alternative ways to communicate between visitors and residents.
• All essential visitors will continue to be screened for signs and symptoms. If there is a yes to any of the questions or the visitor presents with a fever it will be mandatory for them to postpone their visit until they no longer meet the restriction criteria.
• If visitors are allowed into the facility, they are required to go directly to the resident’s room or dedicated space. The area will be cleaned after the visit occurs.
• Any visitor that does not adhere to guidance on infection control measures will be asked to leave. This includes hand hygiene before and after visit.
• As some staff members have been identified to work in multiple locations, those locations have been notified so that increased monitoring of their staff and residents can occur as well.
• Frequent Hand hygiene is required while in the facility. Infection control rounds are conducted to ensure that staff are adhering to this and proper PPE utilization.
• Social distancing is required at all times unless services being provided do not allow for it. This means that a distance of least 6 feet between individuals should be adhered to unless circumstances prevent that distance. If a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained then as much distance that can be should be provided.
• EPA registered disinfectants continue to be used on high touch surfaces throughout the facility. Efforts to clean high touch areas are being conducted.
• We will also be working with the Public Health Authority and other state agencies in determining other mitigating interventions such as all staff and resident testing. Testing was conducted and results will be provided as soon as they can be.
• Anytime medical transport comes to the facility, they will be notified of the potential exposure so they may wear the correct PPE.
• We will continue to encourage all residents to wear a face covering when they leave their room or when care is provided.
• Staff will assist residents with medical appointments and will help determine if telehealth visits are more appropriate at this time, if their provider can conduct this service. If they cannot then the staff will follow direction regarding upcoming appointments from provider.

In addition to the above measures we have partnered with the Public Health Authority for continued education to our staff on viral spread, and personal protective equipment use.

Steps have also been taken to ensure staff are not going to areas of the facility they are not assigned to work. This measures has not affected the work flow of the facility

We understand that this is a stressful time. Again, our highest priority is providing a safe environment for everyone. We appreciate your understanding with these measures. We will continue to keep the residents, family, and staff updated with any additional information or strategies for transmission prevention that may develop weekly. Please help keep yourself healthy and be aware of those around you, as always be diligent with hand washing, and please wear a face covering when in public or small confined spaces with 1 or more individuals.

If you have any questions related to Coronavirus or infection control measure please see administrative staff. Information of COVID 19 may be found at www.cdc.gov or www.sapphirehealthservices.com.

Best regards

Sapphire Senior Leadership Team