UPDATED 12.7.2021
Dear Friends, Residents, Family Members & Associates,
We appreciate your continued cooperation and support during this time of the COVID-19 virus and the new reality it presents. We continue to practice diligence and caution in order to protect everyone from the risk of infection and community spread.
The Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been carried throughout the country and is more than two times as contagious as the original strain and results in more serious illness. While there have been some cases of fully vaccinated people contracting breakthrough infections, the vaccinated population has much greater protection from hospitalization, severe disease and death.
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have all risen sharply of late and will continue to do so. Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients and unable to serve those suffering from other health conditions— but it’s not too late to protect ourselves and others.
One way to safeguard our communities’ health is to continue to wear masks, as recommended by the CDC. The new CDC guidance recommends that fully vaccinated people return to wearing facial coverings in public indoor settings. As a result, we are reinstating our mask mandate for all associates at all of our communities. We are also reinstating our requirement of all visitors, vendors and family members to wear a mask in all public areas when in our communities.
Of course, we ask that all those who are unvaccinated continue to wear a mask and social distance when in common areas. The CDC also strongly recommends those who are vaccinated should be wearing a face mask in indoor public spaces if they are compromised or in a high-risk group. We encourage you to help us protect our communities by wearing a mask in all indoor public spaces (i.e., shopping, dining out, appointments, etc.), whether or not you are vaccinated, and anytime social distancing cannot be maintained.
We also know the vaccine has been shown to be highly effective against serious illness and death from COVID-19. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. This is an important milestone in the fight against COVID-19, lifting the emergency use authorization (EUA) label. We are pleased that over 95% of our resident population and a high percentage of our associates are vaccinated as we know vaccines help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, especially with new variants emerging. Please encourage your family members and friends to get the vaccine for your own safety and well-being as well as that of others.
As the pandemic continues to evolve, so will protocols regarding mask use, visitation, dining and other facets of our communities — because we have the utmost concern for the health and safety of our residents, families and associates. If you have any questions about vaccinations or community protocols, please reach out to your local community.
Thank you for your continued support!
Michael Mays, President
Greenbrier Senior Living
Dear Friends, Residents, Associates & Family Members,
We are very optimistic we have weathered a crisis the likes of which the senior living industry has never endured, and now there is new promise on the horizon. Extensive progress has been made to reduce the occurrence of COVID-19 through our protective measures as well as the availability of the vaccine. We are not completely out of the woods, but we continue to make significant strides toward a return to normalcy.
We are grateful to report that our communities are highly vaccinated and have safely opened their doors to less restrictive visits as well as opening dining venues and increasing activities. This is materially due to the positive response by residents and associates toward vaccination and this gives us much to celebrate. Thank you to our residents, associates and families for your incredible support, cooperation, perseverance and understanding throughout this unprecedented time!
Our communities remain focused on controlling the spread by continuing to follow guidelines from the CDC and state and local health authorities. Please understand that the restrictions required of our communities may vary by location and respective rules.
Until further notice, we will continue to adhere to the following protocols:
- Mask wearing
- Additional sanitation
- Social distancing
- Routine testing
- Adherence to guidelines from the CDC, local and state health authorities
With these positive steps, we are excited for residents to enjoy even more socialization with their friends, families and neighbors in a safe way.
Thank you all for your continued support as we look forward to the future!
Michael Mays, President
Greenbrier Senior Living
As we continue to navigate the uncharted and ever-changing waters of COVID-19, we appreciate the patience and cooperation shown from our residents, associates and family members. As our country is trying to return to some degree of normalcy, we also know there has been an uptick in positive COVID-19 cases in certain parts of the country.
Our prayers go out those associates, residents and families who have been directly impacted by COVID-19 at our communities or at home. We have ramped up testing across all locations whether they have had COVID-19 exposure or not. Our focus on testing as well as continuing our heightened precautionary measures including social distancing and the restriction of non-essential personnel are necessary and essential measures to continue to keep our residents and associates healthy and safe.
As the rules and restrictions of the localities of each of our communities may vary, residents and families will continue to receive coronavirus related updates from their communities’ Executive Director via their ONE CALL NOW telephonic system, through personal conversations with families and through their community Facebook page.
The past weeks have been challenging and it’s difficult to remain distant from family and friends. The health and well-being of our residents remain our top priorities, and we are grateful for your continued support. If you haven’t visited our Facebook pages, we encourage you to check out some of the ways we’re staying together while apart.
Thank you for your understanding and wish all the very best,
Michael Mays, President
Greenbrier Senior Living
Dear Friends, Residents, Associates & Family Members,
I’m Michael Mays, President of Greenbrier Senior Living, the management company of your loved one’s senior living community. I’d like to take a few moments to update you on our plan to address the COVID-19 virus. While there is still much about the spread of COVID-19 that is unknown, there is a heightened sensitivity and awareness to the risk it presents to older adults as well as those with compromised immune systems. Please know, caring for our residents and associates remains our highest priority and we are taking proactive measures to ensure we mitigate the risk of transmission.
We are managing this ever-changing health crisis with the gravity it deserves. We have the utmost regard for the rights of our residents, associates and family members; however, due to President Trump’s declaration of a National Emergency, we are greatly enhancing precautions with our communities. We have limited communal activities among our residents as much as is practical.
Please check our community Facebook page for regular community updates and resident activities, and we will continue to post critical updates to protocol on this website.
Thank you for your understanding.
Michael Mays
President
COMMUNITY UPDATE
Ensuring the health of our residents and associates is our highest priority. As such, we are following the recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and monitoring the CDC for news and developments related to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
According to the CDC, the risk for our resident population is high so for the health of our residents, their family members and our associates, we have significantly stepped up our flu virus prevention protocols.
Visitation:
- On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a National State of Emergency over the Coronavirus outbreak. In light of this announcement, we have stopped all non-essential visitation. Only essential vendors and healthcare workers can enter the community after they have completed an in-depth questionnaire and passed our screening procedures.
- We are providing families and visitors the ability to communicate with their loved ones via phone, Facetime, Skype or other electronic video communication.
- We are postponing or canceling all external community vendors that provide activities within the community until further notice — this includes family nights and other large events.
Communication:
- We have met with our residents and will continue to conduct regular ongoing education meetings.
- We are updating this community webpage on a regular basis with regards to changes in protocol and other developments that may affect how we operate.
Screening & Appointments:
- We have expanded our regular screenings of residents, staff and essential visitors to include both temperatures and pulse oxygen readings.
- New residents are screened per state guidelines and asked questions to ensure they have not visited affected areas or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html - We are working with our residents and rescheduling non-emergency medical appointments.
Training:
- Our associates have been retrained on infection control measures such as hand washing and infection control best practices.
- Daily and more often than necessary wipe down of the community common areas and high-touch areas has been implemented.
- Each community inventory of supplies is being documented and monitored by the home office with extra supplies procured by each community and back-up supplies maintained at the home office.
- We have been and will continue to participate in local, state and company training calls as they are scheduled. Education and training will be provided as updates occur.
- We have established a new Safety Officer and Safety Assistant to provide oversight that protocols are followed on each shift and documented.
- Greenbrier Senior Living’s Corporate Director of Clinical Services is acting as the company compliance officer and monitoring daily changes in recommendations from the CDC and local community agencies.
- All of Greenbrier’s home office support staff, inclusive of regional sales and operations directors, are providing support to the communities for any day-to-day issues that may arise.
We thank you for your assistance and participation in taking precautionary measures for our residents and associates, as well as yourself. Infection control takes a partnership to help keep everyone safe and well! If you have any additional questions or concerns, please call our Resident & Family Care Line at 833-379-7475.
