Safety Guidance on Gatherings & Outings
As a reminder, the following DOH guidance continues to be in place regarding outings that are not medically necessary. This guidance discourages residents from leaving Garden House for gatherings and aims to keep residents and staff safe and healthy as COVID-19 cases continue to be widespread in Erie County.
Per the DOH, residents who leave the facility are encouraged to:
- Limit close contact with others (maintain a physical distance of six feet or more), avoid large gatherings, keep gatherings small, and use technology to engage with others remotely
- Wear face masks or cloth face coverings
- Perform frequent hand hygiene
- Avoid sharing of communal food or drinks
In addition, the DOH requires that residents who go out or leave the facility:
- Quarantine or minimize contact with others prior to their return to the facility.
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Quarantine upon returning to the facility for 14 days.
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Test negative for COVID-19 within 24 hours prior to their return to the facility.
- Be tested at least three times during the 14-day quarantine period at the facility, including on the first day (upon return) and the last day that a resident must be quarantined.
Before exiting the building, residents and their family member or responsible party must also comply with the DOH requirement to attest in writing that you:
- Are aware of the risks involved with leaving/taking the resident out;
- Will follow masking, social distancing, and hand hygiene practices to comply with CDC and DOH directives;
- Will notify the facility if the resident becomes ill within one week of leaving the facility;
- Will notify the facility if anyone with whom the resident socialized tests positive for COVID-19 or influenza or exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza within 14 days of the resident’s return to the facility;
- Will communicate to the facility a return date for the resident in accordance with the facility’s policy; and
- Will quarantine or minimize contact (or assist the resident to do so) to the extent safely possible prior to return to the facility.
If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Clark, at [email protected], ext. 2448. We take COVID-19 very seriously and appreciate your understanding.
Visitation Update
At this time, we have zero positive cases of COVID-19 at Garden House. Restricted in-person visitation is tentatively scheduled to resume Monday, December 7, pending we have no new cases of COVID-19 for 14 consecutive days, and pending there are no changes in DOH regulations regarding visitation. We appreciate your patience and support throughout this waiting period.
Skype or window visits can be scheduled by contacting Brennan Costello at [email protected], (716) 639-3311 ext. 2447.
We are honored to be entrusted with the care of your loved ones and are happy to answer your questions. If you would like to receive additional updates about your loved one, please contact Garden House Case Manager, Cindy Clark, at [email protected], ext. 2448.
