The Next Steps In Our Journey

Updated Thursday, June 4, 2020 

All JAA communities remain COVID-free including AHAVA Memory Care Center, Charles Morris Nursing and Rehab Center, Weinberg Village, and Weinberg Terrace, as well as our partners at Riverview Apartments.

For Long-Term-Care facilities in every county in Pennsylvania, the Department of Health now publicly posts the viruses’ impact (with location names, number of cases and deaths).  Only one JAA community appears on the list, Charles Morris as one employee tested positive  more than  a month ago. As a result, all contact tracing and subsequent testing have come back negative. 

We continue to remain vigilant in the fight to keep COVID-19 out of JAA. Adding new protocols and precautions to keep everyone safe remains a priority.

 

Outdoor Visitation

It seems like forever since families and residents could visit in person without a phone or window separating them. Now JAA is making outdoor visits available for families to re-connect with their loved ones. We ask that scheduling be requested in advance by email. The visits will take place in designated areas allowing the resident and the family member to be outside and appropriately distanced. Family will be asked to remain in their cars until the visit is ready. Each passenger in the car will be screened with a temperature check and several screening questions. Upon leaving your car we ask that a mask is worn and remains on during the entire visit.  

There are strict precautions  in place to protect both residents and visitors during outdoor visits.  Visits that do not follow the outlined rules may be subject to further visitation restrictions.

  • Prior to scheduling the visit, screening questions with the intended visitor are asked. If responses to questions do not adhere to JAA regulations, the visit is not permitted.
  • Only one (1) family is permitted at a time
  • No more than two (2) family members are permitted during the visitation.
  • Children who can maintain the rules of visitation are permitted only when accompanied by an adult.
  • Social distancing is required with facemasks during the entire visitation. 
  • No hugging, kissing or touching is permitted during the visit.
  • All visits are under supervision of an appropriate JAA staff person who assures that social distancing and facemask rules are adhered to at all times. 
  • All visits are weather permitting. In the event of inclement weather, the visit may be moved to a window visit or cancelled at the discretion of JAA staff.
  • All visitors must have a temperature screening by a JAA employee prior to the visit.
  • Visits are scheduled for 20 minutes and are only permitted as frequently as time permits to allow visitation for all residents throughout the community.
  • No packages can be given directly to the resident.  Packages must be given to the staff person monitoring the visit in order to assure appropriate cleaning/disinfection prior to the package entering the building.
  • There is no eating during the visits.
  • No visitors are permitted in the building at any time during the visit.
  • All chairs and tables occupied during the visit are cleaned after the visit by an assigned staff member with an approved cleaning solution.

Contact information, visitation hours, and locations vary depending on the community.  Please contact the following staff in advance of your visit.

AHAVA Memory Care Center

Hours:           Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:30 pm until 3:00pm

Location:       AHAVA Courtyard

Contact:        Suzanne Kline skline@jaapgh.org  or Liz Powell epowell@jaapgh.org

Charles Morris Nursing and Rehab Center

Hours:            Monday – Friday from 10:00am until 12:30pm

Location:       Front Outdoor Patio

Contact:         Sharyn Rubin srubin@jaapgh.org

Weinberg Terrace

Hours:           Monday – Friday from 2:00pm until 4:00pm

Location:       Front Terrace

Contact:        Rena Becker rbecker@jaapgh.org

Weinberg Village

Hours:            Monday – Friday from 3:30pm until 5:30pm

Location:       Courtyard outside the Anathan Club  OR  Front Patio (depending upon resident activity schedules)

 Contact:        Sandra Dojcak sdojcak@jaapgh.org

 

Random Sample Testing 

All JAA residential communities remain COVID-free.

In its newest guidance for Long-Term-Care facilities, the PA Department of Health also suggests that   random sample  testing occur regularly.

JAA  is now in the testing phase  of our precautionary safety protocol. As with other COVID screening  processes at JAA, testing  occurs NOT because of an actual outbreak of the virus but to assure we remain virus-free.

Random sample   testing is   not mandatory and resources to regularly test everyone in long-term care are not yet available. JAA is working tirelessly to access those resources and, in the immediate, is taking steps to begin a pilot testing program.

The purpose of COVID testing at JAA  for  people without symptoms is becoming more common. Half of virus carriers show no symptoms (a.k.a. they are asymptomatic).  JAA staff   could be asymptomatic, carrying the virus, and unknowingly infect residents, fellow workers, or  family members. Having a baseline  and   knowledge   of anyone  who  is asymptomatic at JAA will help determine additional safety protocol now and in the future.

In accordance with DOH prioritization, we  began   testing employees of Charles Morris first, as they have the highest potential to become carriers of the virus and could impact our most vulnerable residents. Of the 28  staff members who were tested last week, as of noon  on June 4, 25  have come back negative. We await the results of the other three with confidence they too will be negative. 

This Friday,  June 5,   as part of our pilot  and along with direct care staff, we will begin to test certain residents, starting with those in our residential memory care programs, as they are unable to adhere to social distancing and other infection control guidelines.

JAA is collaborating with Squirrel Hill Health Center on this pilot to test a limited number of care staff and memory care residents using easily administered, oral cheek swabs.

This limited testing continues onsite at JAA on Friday, June 5  (9 AM-Noon). 

JAA supports the Department of Health’s testing recommendations as we concur testing is necessary to stay ahead of the virus and keep it out of our communities.

 

Another  Layer  of Protection Added

As random sample COVID-19 testing becomes more common and JAA progresses with efforts for testing, our protocols to protect each other and our environment must increase. Therefore, we have  rolled out the use of face shields in direct patient care as an added layer of precaution.

Education and training for the use of face shields took  place last week and  roll out has  occured systematically across all communities.

JAA Stays RED For As Long As It Takes