COVID-19 Response

At this time, there is no confirmed COVID-19 case in any of our communities.  Our care teams, led by our nursing staffs, have initiated our stringent infectious disease plan to prevent an outbreak.  However, if a case is confirmed, we will notify residents in that community, family members who are named as the responsible party, our employees and the appropriate health officials. We promise to be forthright in our communication, while protecting the privacy of our resident and their family.

We have implemented several protocols recommended by our departments of health: staff wearing face masks as an extra measure of precaution against transmitting a respiratory disease, including COVID-19; restricting visitors; active screening of essential visitors and staff; social distancing - including no congregate meals or activities; increased disinfectant cleaning; and other heightened infection control practices. These protocols are updated regularly by our organizational director of health care, a registered nurse, and communicated to each of our Vista Prairie communities.

We’re amazed at how well everyone is adapting.  While residents are free to leave their apartments, including to get some outdoor exercise and sunshine, we have stopped congregate meal service in our dining room and are instead delivering meals to each assisted living apartment.  We have carefully managed meal service plans in our memory care units, with individual attention to each resident’s needs.   We also have curtailed group activities.

Our doors are now closed to all but essential visitors, which include urgent resident health needs and necessary vendors. We are actively screening our staff and any other essential individuals each time they enter the building.  They have their temperature taken and answer a series of wellness questions.

While we’re confident in our safety procedures, we’re always aware that we serve a vulnerable group of people and that makes us even more committed to get through this together.

This is a stressful time of course.  However, as the photo above shows, our staff feels, “We Got This.”  While our executive directors and professional clinicians (registered nurses and licensed practical nurses) at each community are the front line of prevention, our entire staff in each location includes resident assistants and key colleagues in culinary, activities, housekeeping, maintenance and administration. They are all doing everything they can to assist with this process as well as managing their own family stress.

We hope you’ll have a look at the Facebook pages for each community. Links are located on each community landing page, under "Our Blog." Most of our residents remember the Great Depression and World War II. They are experienced with great challenge. Our staff is dedicated to the protocols we have set in place for their protection. They are helping residents stay connected with friends and family in old and new ways – assisting with calls, writing cards or doing video chats.  Family members are also being hopeful and vigilant, offering encouragement and prayers for our residents and staff.

We’re confident in our current processes and protocols from our state health departments in Minnesota and Iowa and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for COVID-19 response. These protocols and the extra measures we have enacted can be successful in controlling COVID-19 spread from person to person. We’re also working closely with our professional association, LeadingAge and other agencies as the world’s response evolves.

We are accepting new residents in accordance with CDC, state health department and LeadingAge guidelines. Our protocol is to health-screen residents moving in and their helpers, to strictly control community movements during the move-in process and to limit helpers to two family members or professional movers. If the results of the health screening raise any cause for concern, we will further assess and determine next steps before a move-in takes place.