Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Resident Lois Jacobson and staff member Kathy Ryan, mother and daughter, would like the opportunity to spend time with each other again. Due to COVID-19 visitation restrictions, they can't visit each other right now, even though Kathy is employed at the home.
Source: North Dakota Department of Health
Source: North Dakota Department of Human Services
The Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd has issued a plea to the community: please help get the coronavirus case numbers down in Eddy County so the residents can again have visitors.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued new rules for long term care facilities. As a result, all facilities that have positive cases among residents or staff or have a 10% or higher positivity rate in their home county cannot open their facilities to visitors.
Currently, Eddy County's positivity rate is 18.44%, well above the 10% threshold. That means that for every 100 residents tested for COVID-19, at least 18 of them test positive. Therefore, LHGS is closed to visitors until further notice.
To make matters worse, Thursday, Oct. 22 test results at LHGS showed that three staff members tested positive for COVID-19. All are self-isolating, according to CEO Kim Jensrud. There are no residents or tenants known to have COVID-19, however. Twice-weekly testing continues at LHGS, with testing to occur again today and results expected in the next few days.
Staff positive cases are reflective of community spread, said Vicky Richter, infection control specialist. As of Monday, Oct. 26, Eddy County continued to be in the top five N.D. counties for active cases per capita. Last Friday, Eddy County had the most active cases per capita in the state, with a record 17 new positives recorded that day alone. Daily active cases numbers in Eddy County have risen over the past two months, as shown in the chart at left. As of today, 30 Eddy County residents are actively fighting COVID-19, according to statistics provided by the N.D. Department of Health.
It has been a long 7 months for the residents of LHGS, and for residents of long-term care facilities throughout the country. The twice weekly testing is a big part of North Dakota's overall strategy to combat COVID-19 and protect the state's most vulnerable citizens. In addition, the state has three color coded levels for long-term care, which are updated each Monday. As the chart below shows, Eddy County is in the red, or greatest risk, level. That means residents cannot have visitors, there is no communal dining, and no group activities can take place. Residents are screened three times per day, and all staff and non-essential personnel must follow strict guidelines.
In comparison, if Eddy County can reduce its positivity rate below 10% and LHGS has no active cases among staff or residents, the facility can again relax its guidelines and allow 1-2 visitors at a time per resident, allow communal dining with social distancing restrictions, and resume some group activities.
What can residents do to slow the spread of COVID-19? Practice the basic safety guidelines: stay at least 6 ft. away from other people who are not part of your immediate household, practice good hand hygiene, avoid crowded areas, and wear a mask in public, particularly in indoor areas or whenever social distancing cannot be maintained.
