Friendship Village Senior Services’ Update and Response to COVID-19 as of Tuesday, May 5th, 2020
Dear Friends, Residents and Families of Friendship Village:
It’s a bit of a blustery day at Friendship Villages on this Tuesday, May 5th, 2020.
We know from the past few days that our Chesterfield campus has been challenged by the COVID-19 coronavirus in both the skilled nursing facility and, recently, in the independent living sections of the campus. Our Residents as well as our staff are taking this bull by the horns and fighting this thing with everything they have. Residents are voluntarily self-quarantining in their apartments and severely limiting their potential exposure and doing so with patience and grit. The staff is taking this opportunity to scrub and disinfect every possible surface in public spaces, everywhere, while Residents are, now, rarely present. In addition, staff is taking special care in delivering all meals, doing laundry, dropping off mail, making daily morale phone calls, conducting online and call-in bible studies, grocery deliveries, video entertainment, video information “town hall” meetings, written communications, trash and recycling pick-up, and countless other services to ensure that our Residents receive the best care and service possible, in a safe, protected environment.
We remain, however, steadfast in our measures to identify and then, if present, to prevent spread of the virus on the campus if it did happen to spread before we became aware. Our voluntary self-quarantine remains in effect for several more days in Chesterfield until we know if it has spread. We are praying that, in several days, we can celebrate that it has not spread and that the quarantine was all for nothing. Please pray for this outcome with us.
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 has begun lifting some stay at home orders, St. Louis County has not, and neither is Friendship Village. We plan to 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.