We continue to find ourselves dealing with the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent resurgence of the Delta variant is taxing on everyone. For all concerned, we have been closely monitoring the situation with the COVID-19 variants. Our locations are diligently monitoring CDC guidelines, ensuring compliance with those standards, as well as implementing the Washington State vaccination mandate for our team members. While the vast majority of team members and residents are vaccinated, we continue to test all employees one to two times each week to do our best to maintain a COVID-19 free environment.

Visitation by family and friends is very important to us because it’s important to our residents. As we work diligently to offer visitations, the most important action you can take if you plan on visiting a family member or friend, is to be vaccinated, wear a mask and maintain social distancing. This is critically important not only during visitations, but also when out in public.

Indoor visitations are allowed UNLESS there is a positive COVID-19 employee or resident within the facility. General indoor visitation is suspended (except for compassionate care) if there are positive cases. Normal visitation practices resume once the facility has gone through a testing cycle with no positive test results. Outdoor visits are always allowed.

As you consider visitation, please observe the following guidelines for the safety of our residents and staff:

• We ask all visitors to wear a mask and socially distance at all times while in the facility, even if you are vaccinated.
• Be mindful and use discretion when you’ve traveled recently or been in social gatherings within the 14-day period prior to your visitation.

The teams at Stafford have been relentless in their commitment to care for others through continual acts of selflessness. We consider ourselves partners with family members and residents, working in collaboration together, to keep our locations free from any harmful impacts of COVID-19. We are staying ever vigilant and together we will be successful at navigating through this tough season.

The Stafford team continues to do a great job keeping our residents safe and well cared for. Our staff has demonstrated great courage and perseverance as they have cared for our residents while dealing with their own personal challenges caused by COVID-19. We are deeply grateful for their continued dedication.

We are so excited to have the ability to restart our resident visitation programs. While we are still under strict restrictions, we have been allowed to offer some flexibility with visitors. We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 guidance that is coming out of the CDC. While this guidance is critical, it does not directly affect what happens inside of care facilities. Our practices are governed by the WA State Department of Social and Health Services along with the Department of Health. This governance supersedes CDC guidance. As a licensed care facility operator, we are required to follow Washington State rules.

At each location we have developed visitation policies that adhere to strict guidelines and keep residents safe. At this time, the use of PPE is strictly enforced in our buildings. Please contact your care team and ask about the current protocols for visiting the one you love.

We will continue to be on the cutting edge of opening up our buildings to get back to the hugs, kisses and smiles that we all have been longing for. Thank you for being a valued partner in the care of our very precious residents.

The team at Stafford has been hard at work over the past several months ensuring the health and safety of our residents and staff.  Since the onset of COVID 19, we have been focused on preventing and limiting the spread of this illness in our communities. We are in awe of our staff, residents, and family members cohesive efforts to respond to COVID 19.

We understand the burden that the restrictions have placed on families, residents, and staff. Thank you for understanding and continuing to entrust us with the care of your loved ones. Please know that we are making extraordinary efforts to make the holiday an enjoyable experience. We welcome any ideas or innovations, within our current restrictions, to help make this a great holiday for our residents.

Stafford is excited to announce that a vaccine has been approved and is rapidly being distributed.  We have partnered with Walgreens and Consonus Pharmacy to provide and administer this vaccine over the next several weeks.  Residents and Staff will be prioritized to receive the vaccination free of charge at each of our locations.  Residents’ families and staff members can expect communication requesting consent to administer the vaccine.  This vaccine offers us the best hope to bring our families back together.

Thank you again for being our partner through this. We appreciate your continued prayers and support and look forward to the time we can welcome you into the buildings again!

Dear Residents and Families:

The team at Stafford continues to be mindful and vigilant regarding the safety of our residents. Ongoing care and concern for the well-being of each individual is top of mind for us, especially as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have been very successful at keeping our locations free from COVID-19 infections, but we know we cannot let our guard down. We continue to enforce and reinforce the following practices:

• Habitual hand washing
• People in the building are wearing face masks, including both staff and residents
• Routine monitoring of all residents
• Allowing only essential personnel in the buildings
• Single point of entry to each location
• Staff are continually screened for potential exposure outside our buildings
• New residents are being quarantined for 14 days
• Immediate testing is being done when there’s the slightest suspicion of infection

A key part of keeping residents safe is allowing only essential personnel inside our locations. That keeps residents safe, but it also creates real hardship for those that would like to visit. The fact that we can’t allow visitors is a deep concern for us. While we are under strict regulation about what we can and can’t do. We are currently evaluating how we can accommodate some safe, outdoor visitation. We are working to gain approvals and finalize details, but we hope to have some solutions soon. Please know that this is very important to us. We can clearly see the impact that this is having on our residents.

Thank you for being our partner in keeping your loved ones safe as we navigate together through these incredibly difficult times.

Washington Department of Health issued a new directive that long-term care facility residents and staff must be tested for COVID-19. Currently, this applies to our skilled nursing facilities only. We continue to be proactively vigilant about keeping our residents and staff safe. Because of this, our facilities are currently COVID-19 free.

To further ensure the safety of our residents, we are now requiring all new residents and re-admissions to be placed in quarantine for 14 days. This allows time for us to closely monitor and ensure COVID-19 is not present.

We have been putting a lot of energy into the mental and social well-being of our residents. Not being able to have visitors in the building has been very difficult for our residents and families. We are engaging residents and being creative in our activities and events.

It is encouraging to see some counties in Washington State beginning to enter Phase 2 of reopening which will allow some businesses to resume operations. Care facilities are under industry-specific guidelines, including visitor restrictions, as directed by our governor. That means that it will still be some time before we can allow visitors back into the buildings. We know this is hard. We are doing everything possible to meet the social needs of those you love.

Rest assured, we have been successful in protecting and caring for our residents. Our buildings are a place where your loved one is highly important and well cared for. Our staff continue to model their passionate commitment to the needs of those we serve. We are dedicated to continuing that effort.

You see many stories in the headlines these days about the horrible events taking place in nursing homes across the country. Please know that the media is reporting the worst-case scenarios. These stories do not reflect what is happening in our locations. Our residents are safe and well cared for. There are certainly disruptions in daily life, but first-rate care is happening every day in each of our locations.

We remain free of any COVID-19 infections in all locations. It’s a testament to the professionalism and dedication of our leadership teams.

Visiting restrictions are still in place. As hard as this is, we will maintain this policy until we get clear guidance from State and Federal authorities that indicates it’s safe to remove them. Unfortunately, it may be a while. We understand the difficulty this presents for both our residents and their families. We are grateful for your understanding, patience and cooperation.

We have begun to see our personal protective equipment supplies begin to stabilize. We’re starting to reach desired stock levels and are now creating reserves that equip us in the event of a resident infection.

We want to acknowledge our staff. They get very little appreciation for the difficult choices they make every day. It is no exaggeration to call them heroes. Their selfless sacrifices have allowed our residents to stay healthy and protected. We all owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Our company has been caring for those in need since 1945. We always have—and always will—put resident care first.

As we near the completion of our sixth week of virus-related restrictions, we are pleased to let you know that no current residents or working staff have tested positive for COVID-19. We continue to be vigilant and aggressive with our safety precautions to protect those who live and work at our locations.

Last week, we did have one resident at our Seatac facility who displayed symptoms of COVID-19.  The resident was quickly isolated and tested positive for the virus, and was transferred to the hospital.  We informed our residents and their families of the situation and engaged the University of Washington to test all staff and patients in the building.  With the exception of two staffers (who are now self-quarantining at home), all tests came back negative. 

We will continue to be forthcoming with any new developments that occur at any of our locations, and we are grateful for our caring and conscientious team, who work so hard to follow every precaution to stop the spread of COVID-19.

While so many things have changed, one remains constant – our commitment to keeping our staff and your loved ones safe and healthy through this crisis.

Thank you again for being our partner through this. We appreciate your continued prayers and support and look forward to the time we can welcome you into the buildings again! 

As the concerns over the coronavirus continue, we are extremely proud of our staff. They have continued with courage and selflessness in caring for our residents. As of today, we do not have a resident or staff member who has tested positive for the virus. We feel truly blessed to have such a skilled and caring team.

We are steadfast in our efforts to keep our buildings infection-free. Every day there is specific emphasis on hand washing and disinfection practices. Our vigilance won’t stop.

We continue to monitor and follow state and federal guidance regarding visitors. We have a clear understanding of our residents’ need for social interaction. We are doing our best to keep things positive and upbeat in the building. Please continue to reach out to your loved ones via phone/video calls. We are available to assist with video technology if you need it. Video and pictures of grandchildren, pets, and jokes are always helpful to lift spirits. In addition, stories about how you are staying happy and healthy may help to alleviate their concerns about you.

We can’t do this alone, but we can together. Thank you for partnering with us as we navigate through this difficult time together.  We will keep you posted as we learn of new developments.

We remain vigilant to protect our residents from COVID-19.  As of this writing, we still do not have a resident or staff member who has tested positive for the virus. Our staff is doing an outstanding job of keeping everyone safe. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated team.

We know the visitation restrictions are incredibly difficult for many of you. We are keenly aware that it’s a challenge for our residents to be isolated. We are being creative by keeping the atmosphere light and reminding staff how important their interactions with residents are. Thank you for keeping in touch with us and letting us know how we can take special care of your loved ones.

We continue to be attentive to any new guidance provided from state and federal health agencies. We’ll be sure to let you know if there are any new developments.

Thank you for your support and understanding as we protect our residents and staff. Your encouragement is a great blessing to all of us.

We remain vigilant to protect our residents from COVID-19.  As of this writing, we still do not have a resident or staff member who has tested positive for the virus.

The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid, in coordination with the CDC, issued updated guidance for Skilled Nursing facilities and Assisted Living facilities.

Per their most recent guidelines:

• All visitation is suspended except for end of life situations.
• Only essential healthcare personnel will be allowed to enter the facility, and they will be screened upon entry including taking their temperature.
• Group activities and communal dining have been altered in accordance with CDC guidelines.
• We are actively screening residents, employees, and health care professionals for fever and symptoms of COVID-19.
• We are temporarily suspending outside trips for residents to prevent exposure to them and other seniors in the facility when they return.

We understand that these new rules can be challenging for all of us, but nothing is more important to us than the safety of those in our care.

We are strictly following best practices for preventing the spread of COVID-19. The health, care, and safety of our residents, staff and families remains our top priority.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we protect our residents and staff.