Dear Residents, Families and Employees:
I have reviewed the new 12-page memo from CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) titled “Interim Final Rule (IFC), CMS-3401-IFC, Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency related to Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Testing Requirements” and have distilled the changes in requirements to the following points:
- Close contact is refers to someone who has been within 6 feet of a COVID-19 positive person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
- Testing requirements will now be based on the rate of community transmission, not positivity rate. The current rate of transmission for Philadelphia is 5.33%. This same report also shows that 58.3% of those eligible to be vaccinated in our county are currently vaccinated. Stapeley Community rate of vaccine is near 99%!
- All Employees and Residents showing signs or symptoms should be prioritized for testing
- Testing will be required for anyone who has close contact with someone confirmed to be positive, regardless of their vaccination status.
I will not be sending a memo next week; I am taking a few days off to celebrate my 37th anniversary with my wife. Until then, stay safe.
For any concerns, you may contact me at kbeiler@wel.org or 215-991-7101. Internally, my extension is 802.
With gratitude,
Ken Beiler
Executive Director, Wesley Enhanced Living at Stapeley