New Covid-19 notices and updates
UPDATE - MARCH 11, 2022 From Bartels:
Dear residents, staff, families and supporters,
This week there are no positive tests for Bartels residents or staff and there were only 16 positive tests in the entire county! This dramatic decrease is good news for all of us!
The regulations continue to change for long-term care providers. We are advocating for the rights of our residents and feel there is a safe way to move forward. Currently, masks are still required to visit.
Two years ago in March will be remembered for a long time. This is when I had to call the team together and close the doors to visitors. It is hard to believe we will be entering our third year dealing with Covid, and really my entire time here at Bartels.
Next week, we will be testing all symptomatic staff and all staff who are not up to date on their vaccinations or boosters. For Pfizer and Moderna, a booster is recommended after 5 months and for Johnson & Johnson after 2 months. This means a larger group will need to be tested next week. This does not apply to assisted living and independent living staff. Testing will be held Monday and Thursday in the Chapel and from 1:00-4:00 pm.
I will be on vacation next week and will return on March 22. If you have any needs or questions, please reach out to Veronica Shea, Peggy Zumbach or Angie Daniels.
At Bartels, like the rest of the community, we are ready for some nice weather and outside activities, and maybe a touch of good luck on St. Patty’s Day!
Sincerely,
Paula Geise, RN, MSN, CEO
Dear residents, staff, families and supporters,
This week there are no positive tests for Bartels residents or staff and there were only 16 positive tests in the entire county! This dramatic decrease is good news for all of us!
The regulations continue to change for long-term care providers. We are advocating for the rights of our residents and feel there is a safe way to move forward. Currently, masks are still required to visit.
Two years ago in March will be remembered for a long time. This is when I had to call the team together and close the doors to visitors. It is hard to believe we will be entering our third year dealing with Covid, and really my entire time here at Bartels.
Next week, we will be testing all symptomatic staff and all staff who are not up to date on their vaccinations or boosters. For Pfizer and Moderna, a booster is recommended after 5 months and for Johnson & Johnson after 2 months. This means a larger group will need to be tested next week. This does not apply to assisted living and independent living staff. Testing will be held Monday and Thursday in the Chapel and from 1:00-4:00 pm.
I will be on vacation next week and will return on March 22. If you have any needs or questions, please reach out to Veronica Shea, Peggy Zumbach or Angie Daniels.
At Bartels, like the rest of the community, we are ready for some nice weather and outside activities, and maybe a touch of good luck on St. Patty’s Day!
Sincerely,
Paula Geise, RN, MSN, CEO
UPDATE FEB. 4, 2022
Dear residents, staff, families and supporters,
I am happy to report Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community is heading in the right direction in regard to Covid-19. The three residents in Evergreen Arbor who had tested positive have recovered and most of the staff who were out, have now returned. One new admission from the outside is positive and in quarantine. No other residents within Woodland Terrace nursing areas or either of the assisted living communities (Linden Place and Aspen Cottage) have tested positive and remain healthy.
Bartels still has an occasional staff member testing positive, but the numbers are decreasing. In the independent living areas, there are a couple of individuals who have tested positive or have symptoms and are quarantining. We will continue to test twice next week for staff and residents.
As always, please do not visit if you are sick or if you have had Covid in the last 10 days. Please wear your mask while visiting, and please recognize the staff throughout the facility as they provide exceptional care.
The Super Bowl is just around the corner and those two teams worked very hard to achieve their spot in the big game. Our team at Bartels has the same level of effort and dedication and is one of the best teams out there. They continue to work hard every single day, without the fanfare of a Super Bowl event. Our reward are the smiles from the residents, the thanks and praise from the families and the support of the community.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for your support.
Sincerely,
Paula Geise, RN, MSN, CEO
Dear residents, staff, families and supporters,
I am happy to report Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community is heading in the right direction in regard to Covid-19. The three residents in Evergreen Arbor who had tested positive have recovered and most of the staff who were out, have now returned. One new admission from the outside is positive and in quarantine. No other residents within Woodland Terrace nursing areas or either of the assisted living communities (Linden Place and Aspen Cottage) have tested positive and remain healthy.
Bartels still has an occasional staff member testing positive, but the numbers are decreasing. In the independent living areas, there are a couple of individuals who have tested positive or have symptoms and are quarantining. We will continue to test twice next week for staff and residents.
As always, please do not visit if you are sick or if you have had Covid in the last 10 days. Please wear your mask while visiting, and please recognize the staff throughout the facility as they provide exceptional care.
The Super Bowl is just around the corner and those two teams worked very hard to achieve their spot in the big game. Our team at Bartels has the same level of effort and dedication and is one of the best teams out there. They continue to work hard every single day, without the fanfare of a Super Bowl event. Our reward are the smiles from the residents, the thanks and praise from the families and the support of the community.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for your support.
Sincerely,
Paula Geise, RN, MSN, CEO
From Bartels:
UPDATE JAN. 28, 2022
Dear residents, staff, families and supporters,
I need to communicate to you Bartels is currently in outbreak status, which is defined as three long-term care residents with Covid. The only area within Woodland Terrace with positive residents in the past 14 days is Evergreen Arbor.
Assisted living areas of Linden Place and Aspen Cottage have no positive residents. Eichhorn Haus Independent Living has had two residents test positive.
The residents who have tested positive are having mild cold-like symptoms. We have a large number of staff impacted and most are having cold-like symptoms and headache.
Family and friends need to visit at their own risk when visiting Evergreen Arbor. Visiting is allowed everywhere, however I want to remind you the current community positivity rate is high. Everyone should be careful and do not visit if you are sick, even if you only have mild symptoms.
We will continue to test all staff and residents twice a week or as needed. There will be no guest meals at this time. There are currently no large gatherings and activities will be in very small groups or on an individual basis. There will be no LCMS worship or Catholic Mass. No family or volunteers will be allowed at church this week in order to keep the size of the groups small. Any special events need to be discussed with the Administrator and unique situations will be evaluated on an individual basis.
All staff will receive a free meal per shift for the next two weeks.
I am hoping these changes are short lived. I will do a weekly update every Friday until there are no residents showing a positive test.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for your support.
Sincerely,
Paula Geise, RN, MSN, CEO
UPDATE JAN. 14, 2022 From Bartels:
Dear residents, staff, families and supporters,
With the ongoing concerns and surge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, we wanted to give you an update of the status at Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community.
As of today, we continue to test staff twice a week and when any staff request to be tested due to new onset of symptoms. There have been staff, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, test positive in the past week. For the most part, we are catching staff prior to working.
Residents are also being tested regularly. As of today, there are no residents who have tested positive.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court supported mandating the vaccination of health care workers or meet specific criteria for medical and religious exemptions in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Bartels staff members are currently 83% vaccinated. Our human resources department will be communicating to staff requesting exemptions or who have not been vaccinated by January 19 on individual information.
The community transmission rate is high. I need everyone to do their part by wearing masks and not visiting if you have any symptoms. Please see the attached guidelines.
All of us at Bartels appreciate your continued support and understanding as we strive to carry out our mission: Enriching lives through quality services and Christian care.
Sincerely,
Paula Geise, RN, MSN, CEO
UPDATE JAN. 28, 2022
Dear residents, staff, families and supporters,
I need to communicate to you Bartels is currently in outbreak status, which is defined as three long-term care residents with Covid. The only area within Woodland Terrace with positive residents in the past 14 days is Evergreen Arbor.
Assisted living areas of Linden Place and Aspen Cottage have no positive residents. Eichhorn Haus Independent Living has had two residents test positive.
The residents who have tested positive are having mild cold-like symptoms. We have a large number of staff impacted and most are having cold-like symptoms and headache.
Family and friends need to visit at their own risk when visiting Evergreen Arbor. Visiting is allowed everywhere, however I want to remind you the current community positivity rate is high. Everyone should be careful and do not visit if you are sick, even if you only have mild symptoms.
We will continue to test all staff and residents twice a week or as needed. There will be no guest meals at this time. There are currently no large gatherings and activities will be in very small groups or on an individual basis. There will be no LCMS worship or Catholic Mass. No family or volunteers will be allowed at church this week in order to keep the size of the groups small. Any special events need to be discussed with the Administrator and unique situations will be evaluated on an individual basis.
All staff will receive a free meal per shift for the next two weeks.
I am hoping these changes are short lived. I will do a weekly update every Friday until there are no residents showing a positive test.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for your support.
Sincerely,
Paula Geise, RN, MSN, CEO
UPDATE JAN. 14, 2022 From Bartels:
Dear residents, staff, families and supporters,
With the ongoing concerns and surge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, we wanted to give you an update of the status at Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community.
As of today, we continue to test staff twice a week and when any staff request to be tested due to new onset of symptoms. There have been staff, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, test positive in the past week. For the most part, we are catching staff prior to working.
Residents are also being tested regularly. As of today, there are no residents who have tested positive.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court supported mandating the vaccination of health care workers or meet specific criteria for medical and religious exemptions in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Bartels staff members are currently 83% vaccinated. Our human resources department will be communicating to staff requesting exemptions or who have not been vaccinated by January 19 on individual information.
The community transmission rate is high. I need everyone to do their part by wearing masks and not visiting if you have any symptoms. Please see the attached guidelines.
All of us at Bartels appreciate your continued support and understanding as we strive to carry out our mission: Enriching lives through quality services and Christian care.
Sincerely,
Paula Geise, RN, MSN, CEO
**There is a new resource for Bremer County to assist families during this unprecedented time. If you could please help share it in your circles, that would be great. The site will continue to evolve to meet our needs, but has anything from CDC links, to local health care information, restaurant and grocery listings, disaster recovery information, school links, ways to stay social, etc. Think of it as a one-stop shop to help direct you to the content experts in the different areas. http://www.bremercovid19.com/