Friendship Village Senior Services’ Update and Response to COVID-19 as of Saturday May 23, 2020
Dear Friends, Residents and Families of Friendship Village:
It’s the start of a nice holiday weekend at Friendship Villages on this Saturday, May 23rd, 2020.
We continue to be very blessed to report that no Residents in independent living or assisted living on either campus have tested positive for COVID-19.
The skilled nursing facility on our Chesterfield campus participated in the Missouri State Governor’s testing program for skilled nursing facilities on Friday. Virtually all skilled nursing facility residents who had not already recovered from COVID-19 underwent voluntary testing as well as virtually all employees who work in and around the skilled nursing facility. This will give us a good snapshot of where we stand when all of those results are returned in the coming days. In the meantime, only two Residents remain in recovery in the Chesterfield COVID Care Center with none pending, other than when the results of the mass testing come back.
Although the Sunset Hills skilled nursing facility was not included in the Governor’s Friday test program, we have independently tested all Residents on the unit where a handful of others had tested positive. Results of these tests are just beginning to trickle in. So far, of five results returned, four were negative and one was positive. This now brings the total number of Residents being cared-for in the Sunset Hills COVID Care Center to six. All seem to be doing well at this point in their recovery. We pray that the rest of the group tests negative.
Some Residents in our skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities will be excited to see some family members through the window or over the balcony railing this weekend or next (coordinated visits maintaining all of the precautions we insist on following). Arrangements must be made in advance with the appropriate facility.
We place strong emphasis on reminding our independent living residents that the No Visitor policy remains in effect and that we continue to highly discourage non-essential trips off campus and none to visit family and friends where there is even the slightest risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. Please pray that adherence is maintained and that all of our Residents remain COVID-19-free.
There has been no change in any of these policies for Independent Living Residents and all of the policies of the past several weeks remain in place.
As always, please pray with us for God’s intervention in preventing Residents and other staff from contracting the virus.
No Visitor Policy Still in Full Effect
As many would expect, all of the security and no-visitor policies remain in full effect at all locations as we continue to combat the coronavirus. We appreciate the cooperation and understanding of all involved, Residents and families alike.
Although the State of Missouri and St. Louis County has lifted stay at home orders, Friendship Village must still adhere to our protocols and the guidance provided by the CDC and the Departments of Health as prescribed for senior living communities. We will maintain our measures and vigilance, as we are currently, until a time when we feel there will be an opportunity to safely begin relaxing some of our measures, but that time is not now. Our No-Visitor Policy remains in effect until further notice. We appreciate your continued understanding and cooperation.
Gift-Giving in Appreciation of our Staff is Open on our FriendshipVillageSTL.com website:
Many family members and Residents have inquired as to how to donate a gift of appreciation for the staff for their service during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our website at FriendshipVillageSTL.com now has an easy-to-use tab to use in making contributions for the staff and we thank all of you for considering a gift. As funds are collected, we will identify the best use of those funds in order to do the most that can be done for our employees. Every gift is appreciated, large and small.
As always, all of us thank you all for your continued prayers as we continually ask our Lord Jesus Christ to enable us to do our best to fend-off the COVID-19 coronavirus and to maintain the safety and protection of our Residents and staff.