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The Village at Mercy Creek’s Reopening Information

June 4, 2020

Dear Residents and Families of the Village at Mercy Creek,

At the end of last week, updated information was released from Franciscan Ministries regarding re-opening visitation guidelines for senior housing campuses within our ministry. In connection with re-opening, we have developed a community specific window visitation plan to facilitate increased visitation with your loved one(s) at a designated location and scheduled times.

Please note, as a licensed Assisted Living service provider, the Village at Mercy Creek is required to maintain compliance with State and local regulatory requirements and safety guidelines. Consequently, per current IDPH requirements, internal visitor access to our community will remain closed. We appreciate your understanding that future changes in requirements or restrictions will require ongoing re-evaluation of our community’s visitation plan.

Referenced below are the guidelines of our community’s window visitation plan. In accordance with this plan, families scheduling window visits at our community will be required to adhere to Visitor Guidelines (attached) to ensure the highest level of safety to the residents of our community.

Window Visitation Plan

Designated location

• Families – outside community on patio at Main Entrance (left side)
• Resident – inside community located by window in 1st floor Recreation Room (pool table room)

Visitation Times

Each day, visitation appointments are available:

• 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
• 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
• 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
• 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• 4:15 p.m.– 5:15 p.m.

Scheduling Visits

• Residents or families may pre-schedule visit with concierge staff member. Concierge staff are available daily 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (309) 268-1501

Visitor Guidelines

The residents living at our campus are amongst those in the broader community that are most vulnerable to becoming ill from COVID-19. Because of this high level of risk, the campus is compelled to establish restrictions during visits and enforce strict guidelines to protect the health and safety of its residents.

• On arrival, visitors will check in with a member of staff (concierge) at a front entrance.
• Visitors will not be allowed to enter the community.
• Visitors shall follow the CDC social distancing guidelines.
• Face coverings over the nose and mouth are required to be worn at all times during visits. Family members or other visitors must provide their own face coverings that are in accordance with CDC guidelines for “How to Wear a Cloth Face Covering ”.
• If a visitor does not bring a cloth face covering, then is that person is NOT visiting.
• Visitors are required to bring their own portable seating. The visitor and seating must remain in designated outside location during the window visit.
• At the conclusion of the visit, visitors should remove portable seating and ensure area is clean.
• Up to three visitors are allowed per scheduled window visit.
• No children under the age of 18 allowed at this time, per State Healthcare recommendations.
• Family members are permitted to bring in items for residents. These items can be provided to the staff member (concierge) at the time of check-in.

CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cloth Face Covers.

On behalf of all the residents and associates, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for your patience during this unprecedented time in healthcare. Throughout this crisis, our residents and associates have remained safe – we appreciate you sharing in this common priority. It is my sincere hope that re-opening this visitation at our community is one step towards recovering a sense of normalcy for you and your loved one(s).

Thank you for your ongoing support, cooperation and prayers – we cannot wait to welcome family members back to our community!

Sincerely,

Chris Beymer
Executive Director

May 29, 2020

To the Residents and Family Members of our Franciscan Communities:

It is hard to believe that it has been almost three months since all of our lives were turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. The myriad of restrictions that were enacted throughout this time were necessary to provide the highest level of safety for the residents of our communities. However necessary those steps were, we all also recognize the psychological, mental and physical toll it has taken in every conceivable way on residents, family members and associates alike. We are all joyous to begin thinking about what it looks like to re-open our campuses both internally for resident dining & activities as well as externally for family member visits.

Our senior housing campuses fall under numerous Federal, State and local regulatory bodies who all have a say in the timing and extent to which we may allow visitors to our campuses. We have a team of staff who are dedicated to understanding all the regulatory requirements to ensure our compliance relative to the re-opening of our communities. Please know that we will phase our re-opening as quickly as possible within the safety guidelines under which we operate. I will continue to be a vocal supporter of getting families and their loved ones connected as soon as practically possible.

What we know today is that the skilled nursing section of the campus will be the last to re-open. It is no surprise that on Monday of this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued new guidance detailing steps that nursing homes should take before relaxing restrictions in skilled nursing. Much of the guidance will be dependent on how the State Health Departments interpret CMS guidance, and none have weighed in yet on what the timeline is for re-opening the skilled nursing.

Assisted living is also regulated by the various state departments of health, but we anticipate that we will receive some guidance on re-opening the assisted living portion of our campuses sometime in the next couple of weeks.

We will continue to do everything possible to arrange for FaceTime, Skype, window visits, etc. for the assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing residents. Please contact any member of the team if you need help with connecting with your loved one while we await some guidance about how we can comply with re-opening the campus. I promise to mobilize our teams as quickly as possible once we are given the “green light” to move forward.

Due to the unique circumstances at individual communities, each Executive Director will be sending out a memo in the upcoming next couple of weeks that goes over the particular plan for each campus. Our overall plan to open the campus has four key areas:

1. Visitation Guide and Guidelines: each Franciscan Community will have a guide for visitation that you will receive from the Executive Director of the campus. Since each campus has a slightly different configuration, some campuses may start with outdoor visits and other campuses will start with a dedicated space inside the community for family visits. Visits may also vary based on level of care, i.e. assisted living versus skilled nursing .
2. The Franciscan Ministries’ Infection Prevention & Control (“IPC”) program: the Franciscan Ministries’ (ICP) program will be extended to designated outdoor or indoor visitation areas and will identify protocols for social distancing, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and disinfectant requirements for associates, residents and visitors in accordance with the guidelines provided by state, local, CDC and CMS authorities. All visitors will be required to wear masks, maintain social distancing and remain in designated areas only during their visit. Please be assured that we will sanitize the area between family visits. Scheduling of the visits and specific guidelines will be shared with you by the Executive Director of the campus.
3. Internal Reopen Planning and Procedures: each community’s Executive Director is also finalizing a roadmap that will outline timing and guidelines for the beginning of communal dining, chapel services and life enrichment activities in accordance with CMS and state health departments.

We recognize how difficult these past few months have been and how much our residents need to see their loved ones. It is our intention to make this process as quick, safe and smooth as possible. You all have been incredibly patient with us during this time, and we ask for your grace as we embark on this next step towards reclaiming our normal lives. Please know that every decision we make will be based on the safety of the residents of our communities.

Please continue to watch your email for more information regarding the reopening of our communities to help you reconnect with your loved one (s). Once again, thank you for your continued support, words of encouragement and prayers throughout this crisis. We can’t wait to welcome family members back to the campuses!

Sincerely,

Judy Amiano
President & CEO