Young doctor taking off her mask

June 21: Community Update

LifeSpire of Virginia COVID-19 Update 6/21/21

The LifeSpire of Virginia leadership team wants to thank you for your continued patience and diligence as the communities return to a more normal state. The COVID-19 pandemic has created untold hardships across the country, and in the LifeSpire of Virginia communities, but through it all the extended LifeSpire of Virginia community has remained strong. The entire organization would not have been as successful at responding to the pandemic without the most dedicated, caring and compassionate team members in the Commonwealth.

Last month the LifeSpire of Virginia leadership team issued information regarding face mask use as it related to updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. This included independent living (IL) residents, who are fully vaccinated, no longer being required to wear a face mask. Residents in the higher levels of care continue to wear face masks except during designated times such as during visitation, dining and during programs/activities based on the vaccination status of those in attendance. Currently, all team members are required to wear a mask while on duty.

The leadership team is now making a change regarding face mask use for fully vaccinated team members who work in the IL areas. While any team member who works in the higher levels of care must continue to wear a mask based on CDC and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance, team members who work in the IL areas may now stop wearing a mask if fully vaccinated and not working in the kitchen area. As a reminder, fully vaccinated means it has been two weeks since receiving the second dose in a two-dose series or two weeks since a single-dose vaccine.

The summary of mask use above contains one change to current procedures for fully vaccinated team members working in IL:

While working in IL, fully vaccinated team members may work without a face mask, except team members who work in the kitchen areas—because the kitchen areas serve residents in the higher levels of care, team members—even if fully vaccinated—must continue to wear a face mask while in the kitchen area.

Reminders:

  • All team members who enter the higher levels of care, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask—this continues to be the guidance of the CDC and the requirement of CMS.
  • Any team member who is fully vaccinated and wishes to continue to wear a mask is welcome to do so.
  • All team members/residents who received a COVID-19 vaccine at another location—outside of the LifeSpire of Virginia community—should report this immediately if you haven’t already done so. This is important for tracking and operational purposes.
  • IL residents should wear a mask when visiting unvaccinated individuals who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease and when visiting with unvaccinated individuals from multiple households.
  • Team members and residents should report signs/symptoms of COVID-19 immediately.
  • If you haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine, please consider getting the vaccine to protect yourself, residents, team members, family members and others.

LifeSpire of Virginia community teams are working to return to normalcy as much as possible and are striving to be the least restrictive while the following guidance and keeping residents, team members and visitors safe.