State mandate Local response

GRANT COUNTY — Senior medical and living facilities across Grant County, which serve some of the populations most vulnerable to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, are preparing for the potential spread of disease related to the virus.

While many indicated that they had already taken steps, most are modifying their practices in line with a Tuesday amendment by Gov. Jay Inslee to an earlier State of Emergency declaration, requiring strict measures to take effect immediately.

The Life Care Center of Kirkland, a nursing home in King County, has become an epicenter for the disease in Washington state, with 63 of the state’s 366 confirmed coronavirus cases stemming from the facility as of Wednesday.

The facility has borne an even greater portion of the state’s COVID-19 deaths — 22 of the 31 Washingtonians who have died came from that facility, according to state health officials. Other facilities, including Redmond Care and Rehab, have also seen deaths of elderly residents.

“There is an increased risk of rapid spread of COVID-19 among persons who are living in congregate settings, such as long-term care facilities, and most residents of long-term care facilities are at increased risk for severe COVID-19,” Inslee said in Tuesday’s declaration.

For all state-licensed nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, the state has restricted visitors to one person per resident per day and requires those visits to take place in the resident’s room. This provision does not apply in end-of-life situations, according to the declaration Tuesday.

All visitors must be screened prior to entry for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, including a fever of 100.4 or higher, cough or difficulty breathing, or who have had contact in the last 14 days with a person diagnosed or awaiting testing for COVID-19. Volunteers and staff must be similarly screened for symptoms of the virus before the start of every shift.

The order authorized facilities to implement the use of social distancing — keeping people far enough away from each other to mitigate disease spread — personal protective equipment, or restricting visitations to specific locations.

Visitors cannot enter a facility without showing identification, signing into a visitor’s log, and providing their name and contact information. Facilities must keep records of those logs for at least 30 days.

Finally, if so ordered by state or local health departments, residents are required to be isolated in their rooms. However, residents can choose to discharge from a facility at any time, according to the proclamation.

Among the facilities that responded to questions from the Herald, many indicated they had already been taking additional steps to mitigate the risk of infection before the governor’s declaration Tuesday.

At Garden Oasis, an assisted-living facility, and North Wing, a nursing home, both of which are located at Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata, spokesperson Susan Scheib said visitors had already been limited to two per resident per day. Visitors have since been limited further in accordance with the governor’s declaration Tuesday.

In addition to mandated screening, visitors to the facilities have to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer in front of staff before being admitted. Volunteers will not be admitted into either of the facilities at this time, Scheib added.

At Summer Wood Alzheimer’s Special Care Center, an assisted-living facility in Moses Lake, an administrator said Wednesday that the facility had also already been implementing many preventative steps before they were mandated by the state, including limiting and screening visitors.

Like the Columbia Basin Hospital facilities, Summer Wood has also gone above and beyond in some instances, said administrator Laurie Ahmann. For instance, staff are being screened for symptoms and their temperatures taken when they leave for the day, in addition to when they start their shifts.

Staffers aren’t just being screened for temperatures above 100.4, either, Schieb noted, and even low-grade temperatures are being flagged.

At The Cambridge, an assisted-living center in Quincy, many additional infection control protocols were implemented weeks ago, said Executive Director Linzi Michel. The facility still allows visitors as per state guidelines, but it is discouraging that at this time out of an abundance of caution. The facility is also cutting back on outings. Residents who have to leave the facility, for medical reasons, for instance, are asked to stay in their apartments when they return.

Some staff members are also having their schedules relieved so they can provide backup if other staff members become sick or otherwise unavailable, Michel added.

But, alongside safety protocols, Michel noted the facility is also focusing on another important aspect: the emotional and mental well-being of residents during this period of isolation.

“We’re doing what we can for residents who are dealing with depression and loneliness during this potentially difficult time,” Michel said. “We’ve got many residents who are used to going out a lot, for instance, and now they can’t.”

The facility is coordinating with families to video chat with residents, working with mental health providers for guidance and is asking staff to visit lonely patients, Michel said.

The Cambridge has also worked to support its staff, Michel said. The facility has designated an empty apartment where staff can decompress in a quiet space and a cottage where they can wash their clothes before going home, mitigating concerns about bringing illnesses back to their families.