(PHOTO FROM WTH)
WAMW has been tracking information and social media posts all weekend concerning supposed plans by Chosen Healthcare to convert Washington Nursing Center into a COVID-19 care facility. We’ve talked with local and state elected officials about the information we have received.
Chosen Healthcare sent a letter to the Washington Times Herald newspaper and this is the letter as it was published. More information is coming as becomes available.
Dear Family Member or Responsible Party,
First, it is our sincere hope that you are well and staying safe at home. These are unsettling times and we know that high among your concerns is the well-being of loved ones who call Washington Nursing Center home.
In recent weeks, working in close collaboration with state and local government and health officials, we implemented aggressive on-site safety protocols at Washington Nursing Center. We have increased the frequency and intensity of cleaning in common areas, individual rooms and restrooms using EPA- approved cleaners for increased disinfection. We have shifted to in-room dining, conduct daily health screenings for staff entering the facilities and, as you already know, curtailed all visits from family members for the foreseeable future.
No resident or staff at Washington Nursing Center has tested positive for COVID-19. However, as COVID-19 continues to spread, we have been planning for the reality that this will increasingly impact our local community and our residents. With this in mind, we are taking aggressive measures to safeguard residents at Washington Nursing Center.
On April 6, we will relocate residents from Washington Nursing Center to other Chosen facilities in our network as we designate Washington Nursing Center as a COVID-care facility. This move, while inconvenient, is being made with the safety of residents as a top priority, enabling us to drastically and meaningfully reduce risk of exposure to all, by caring for anyone who may test positive in a single isolated location.
To the extent possible, we will send Washington staff members to our other facilities so that our residents will have familiar faces joining them. We will do everything in our power to ease this transition for residents and are committed to moving each resident back as soon as it is deemed safe to do so. We will continue to make Skype and other family sessions available so you maintain important connections with loved ones even during this challenging time.
Please reach out to me (e.ahlbrand@chosenhc.com or 765-401-0131) with any questions. We will update you throughout the process and confirm as your loved one settles into a new environment.
Sincerely yours,
Eric Ahlbrand
Regional Director of Operations