Dear Friends and Family Members of Milwaukee Catholic Home Residents,

Let me first assure you; your loved one is our top priority and we will continue to update you via email as the situation evolves.  This past weekend the Federal Government, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), have issued strong guidelines for reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  ALL NURSING HOMES nationwide are to restrict visitation of ALL visitors and non-essential health care personnel, except for certain compassionate care situations, such as end-of-life. This guideline and many more are intended to protect the health of senior and the most vulnerable seniors in our communities.

We continue to adhere to the guidelines we outlined last week and have taken the following actions outlined by CMS and the CDC:

• Restricting all visitors that to come into our community, except in certain circumstances, such as end-of-life medical situations or hospice care. Those visits that occur are restricted to the resident’s room or an area designated for private interactions away from any common areas where residents may be. Those visitors with symptoms of a respiratory infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat) will not be permitted to enter the building at any time (even in end-of-life situations).  Those visitors that are permitted must wear a face mask while in the building.
• Cancellation of group activities, communal dining and programming campus wide. This does include Mass.
• Restricting access to all non-essential health care personnel and volunteers.
• Restricting campus access to two entry points that are monitored and controlled 24 hours a day.
• Screening of all essential personnel at entry points for the following (any affirmative response will result in 14-day quarantine from contact with personnel and residents at MCH):

• Elevated Temperature through the use of non-contact forehead thermometers.
• Signs or symptoms of respiratory infection including fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat
• Contact with someone with a CONFIRMED diagnosis of Coronavirus (COVID-19) or under investigation for COVID-19 in the past 14 days
• Commercial travel, domestically or internationally, or on a cruise ship in the past 14 days

We ask you and all of the people we have entrusted to care for our cherished elders to do the following:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean hard surfaces frequently and with proper antibacterial wipes or sprays.

Social Distancing

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• When in groups, put distance between yourself and other people (6 feet).
• Do not place yourself in a situation of large crowds where close contact is unavoidable.
• Do not visit or take your elder family member to public places with crowds, especially those with compromised health. Residents in skilled nursing, and the CBRF are restricted to remaining in the building.
• If you are sick, do not go out in public, stay home.

Please know that our leadership team is communicating daily and is proactively monitoring for changes in local and federal guidelines. We do not have a time frame for when restrictions will be lifted or rolled back.  We would expect all the guidelines to be in place for a minimum of 14 days.

Please know that I will continue to update each of you via email as we become aware of changes.  Go to our website at www.milwaukeecatholichome.org or call to speak with a manager for any additional information.

With Peace,

Dave Fulcher, CEO