Dear Residents and Family Members,
I am pleased to report we continue to remain COVID free among our residents. Additionally, there have also been no new positive cases among our staff members for several weeks now.
As you are likely aware, due to the declining infection rates, the Governor has allowed most of the Executive Orders related to COVID-19 affecting nursing homes to expire, however regulatory guidance from the NYS Department of Health regarding mask usage, PPE requirements, social distancing rules, etc. must still be clarified before we can further loosen restrictions. Rest assured as soon as we are allowed to loosen restrictions, we will do so. Until that time, we will continue with visits by appointment only.
While the pandemic seems to finally be in its waning months, and life slowly returns to “normal”, I think it is important to try to put things in perspective and recognize the successes of our staff in combating this virus. As you may recall, San Simeon had one single resident outbreak in January 2021, ten full months after the pandemic began. We were able to remain COVID free through the worst of the pandemic and only had the virus infiltrate our building after we began our resident vaccination efforts in January. Our outbreak was statistically very small, affecting only eleven total residents (less than 1% of our total population). By comparison, on average, facilities nationwide had three or more outbreaks of COVID virus, where San Simeon had just the one. As well, facilities were plagued with outbreaks that lasted on average over five weeks in duration, whereas San Simeon’s sole outbreak lasted only about two weeks. The incredible achievements of our staff cannot be understated.
Our infection control and mitigation procedures, coupled with strict testing, visitation and access control policies – with all residents, families and staff cooperating with these rules – enabled us to achieve the success we have had. We thank you for your cooperation throughout.
We will continue to keep you informed as conditions change. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.
Steven Smyth
Administrator
