COVID-19 Updates

Heritage Woods of South Elgin:

Number of Residents as of March 1, 2020:   152

Number of Residents Who Tested Positive:   1

Number of Residents Who Have Recovered:   1

Number of Positive Residents Who Have Passed:   0

Number of Employees as of March 1, 2020:   96

Number of Employees Who Tested Positive:   4

Number of Employees Who Have Recovered:   3

Number of Positive Employees Who Have Passed:   0

White Oaks at Heritage Woods of South Elgin:

Number of Residents as of March 1, 2020:   31

Number of Residents Who Tested Positive:   8

Number of Residents Who Have Recovered:   1

Number of Positive Residents Who Have Passed:   1

Number of Employees as of March 1, 2020:   30

Number of Employees Who Tested Positive:   10

Number of Employees Who Have Recovered:   4

Number of Positive Employees Who Have Passed:   0

Data updated as of 9/16/2020.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I hear so much about PPE shortages how do I know the employees have what they need to keep themselves and my loved one safe?

A: We identified the need for substantial PPE stockpiles early on. With early due diligence and continued support from Gardant, the Local Health Department and the National Stockpile, I want to assure you that we have everything our employees need to keep themselves and your loved one safe.

Q: Am I still allowed to drop off items at the building?

A: Yes. The protocols we put in place to safely receive supplies/gifts/drop-offs are still in effect.

Q: Can my loved one still walk around or go outside?

A: Yes. Our Resident Services Coordinator is rounding with residents to see who would like to sign up for individual time slots to walk outside during good weather. We have set up a system that allows for safe access to the great outdoors so please encourage your loved one to utilize this system if they would like to stretch their legs.

Q: How many confirmed cases are in the community? How do I know what’s going on at the community?

A: I want to assure everyone that we will be in communication with every new confirmed case. You will receive notifications on positive cases for both staff and residents. We believe transparency is paramount to the success of our community. Transparency with our residents, staff, local government, and with you as our families is important. Our website and the Gardant website are also including weekly cumulative updates on the number of confirmed cases.

Q: Are all employees and residents being tested?

A: There is a lot of information in the media, at times contradictory, regarding testing. We are taking the direction of our state and local health departments in regards to all testing. As directed by the CDC, we continue to monitor all residents and screen employees prior to their shift. All employees are following standard precautions, including the wearing of masks and frequent hand washing. Our residents are sheltering in place in their apartments, and all group/communal dining and activities have ceased. We will continue to keep you updated in regards to the specific care of your loved one, including any testing that may be recommended.

Q: Will we be notified when there is a positive case in the community?

A: Yes, every time there is a newly diagnosed resident or employee a mass notification will be distributed. Residents and employees will receive a hand-delivered letter, and have opportunity for 1:1 conversations. The designated emergency contact for each resident will receive an email announcement. For those that have not provided your email address to the community, please contact the receptionist and provide this so that you can receive timely communication. If you do not have an email address, you will receive a phone call followed by a mailed letter.

In addition, you will be notified when these same persons recover. It is important that you all know that residents and employees are recovering and are no longer at risk of exposing others to COVID-19.   

Please know that because of confidentiality, we are very limited in what we will share with you. The content of the letter is the full detail that can be provided. We understand that you are concerned about our employees and residents, and their well-being, and appreciate that you understand everyone’s right to privacy.   

Lastly, I would like to direct you to Gardant Management Solution’s website. The website contains data regarding both resident and employee positive cases at each of their managed communities.

Q: What are the rules for the window visits?

A: Window visits allow our residents and families to see each other without potential exposure. Each community shall communicate Family Window Visits availability and procedures to families and residents. A common area window space will be designated as the “visiting window”.

Residents will remain on the inside of the window and families will remain on the outside of the window. The window shall always remain closed for barrier protection.

Due to the high demand for window visit, a schedule must be maintained by an assigned staff member for the scheduling of window visits, and all visits will closely follow this schedule. Opportunities must be provided for all residents to have window visits. A sample schedule will include 15 minutes to visit and 15 minutes to sanitize the space prior to the next resident’s window visit. Assigned staff are available to assist resident to window at scheduled time and assist with phone use to converse. If the phone used is a Community phone, staff sanitize after use. Sanitation of surfaces at the visiting window will occur after each resident use. 

Residents and loved ones shall contact the community to schedule their window visits.

Q: Will widespread testing of all residents and staff be completed?

A: Our community follows guidance set forth from our local and state health departments regarding testing strategies, including widespread testing, of both residents and staff.  In the event that a directive has been given to conduct widespread testing in our Community, we would ensure that this was communicated to our residents (and their representative), if applicable, as soon as possible. 

Q: When will we begin to lift restrictions?

A: In the three-phase plan outlined by the Trump administration, Senior Housing is not included until phase 3.  And, before those phases begin, states must show evidence of a downward trajectory of COVID-19 and influenza-type illnesses in 14-day increments.  At Gardant-managed communities the health and well-being of our Residents and Employees are our number one priority. We will take a conservative approach to lifting restrictions and reclaiming the quality of life which our residents enjoyed before COVID-19. We will continue to be persistent and diligent in our practices. We appreciate your patience as we slowly begin to lift restrictions safely, and with Residents and Employees in mind. You will receive communication about this plan in advance of implementation, with specific details, directives and dates.   

COVID-19 Articles

September 15th, 2020

Good afternoon White Oaks of South Elgin Families,

Due to the current status of COVID19 at White Oaks of South Elgin, you will be receiving daily updates now through, at least, the period of time in which we get results from our next scheduled mass test. This will provide continuity of communication and will provide to you frequent and thorough summaries of any additional spread of COVID19, as well as recoveries. We have spoken with you individually regarding your loved one, however the results of our mass test did include several asymptomatic individuals now listed below:

1. Employee #1 has recovered and returned to work
2. Employee #2 has recovered and returned to work
3. Employee #3 has recovered and returned to work
4. Employee #4 has recovered and returned to work
5. Employee #5 has recovered and returned to work
6. Employee #6 is recovering at home
7. Resident #1 has recovered within the community
8. Resident #2 moved from the hospital to rehab with intent to return and passed away unexpectedly
9. Resident #3 has passed away
10. Resident #4 has recovered in the community
11. Resident #5 has recovered in the community
12. Resident #6 has recovered in the community

 As you know, we continue to work closely with the Kane County Health Department and are taking aggressive precautions to prevent the spread of COVID19.  These steps include:

1. Screening employees twice per shift
2. Monitoring residents four times daily
3. Frequent sanitizing of high touch surfaces
4. Encouraging and monitoring physical distancing of residents
5. Proper PPE utilization

At this time we will be discontinuing outside visitation until further notice per IDPH guidelines.

We have scheduled a third mass testing at the request of the State and Local Health Department for 9/15/2020

Please refer to our website to view Frequently Asked Questions, and you can also contact me via email or phone should you have questions. Please know that I will return your call/respond to your email as soon as I can.  Our team appreciates each and every one of you and your words of support as we care for the physical and emotional well-being of our residents.   

Sincerely,

Alex Haughee, Administrator

8/13/2020

As you know, our community recently underwent point prevalence testing (Point Prevalence Survey or PPS) of all residents and employees, at the direction of and in collaboration with local and/or state health officials. This schedule of testing requires that all employees and residents undergo testing within a 48-hour period of time. The PPS approach provides information on the overall number of affected individuals in the community at that point in time. PPS testing will help us identify symptomatic and asymptomatic infected residents and employees. 

As research indicates, residents of senior congregate living communities are at high risk for infection from COVID-19, and subsequent serious illness. The PPS testing approach can be used to determine the scope and magnitude of outbreaks.  PPS testing also helps us evaluate our current infection control efforts and identify if additional efforts are required to prevent transmission among residents and employees.   

We are pleased to inform you that the testing results for White Oaks South Elgin have been received and all residents and employees have tested negative.  While this is only a point in time, it re-enforces that the measures being taken at our community have been successful in keeping our residents and employees healthy. These measures include resident and employee education, effective use of personal protective equipment, 6-foot physical distancing, frequent hand hygiene, disinfecting of high touched surfaces, precautions to quarantine residents with a possible exposure, and a thorough, yet cautious approach to “Reclaiming Our Home”.

We would like to acknowledge our residents and employees for their diligence in keeping our entire community safe and doing everything they can to comply with necessary infection control precautions. These excellent mass testing results would never have occurred without the sacrifices each of you are making, every day. Thank you.     

Do not hesitate to reach out to me should you have any questions about these testing results. 

Alex Haughee, Campus Administrator

8-12-2020

As we have demonstrated over the course of the pandemic, we value information and transparency with all of our residents, loved ones, staff, and partners. We began taking precautions early and have remained vigilant with our infection control and safety policies to keep our residents and staff healthy. To this end, our last confirmed case at Heritage Woods of South Elgin was 6-19-2020.

Today, however, we have been informed that a staff member at Heritage Woods of South Elgin has tested positive for COVID-19. No other staff or residents are demonstrating signs or symptoms of the virus at this time. We have every reason to believe that this employee did not acquire COVID-19 in the HWSE community.

We are continuing to implement enhanced safety measures per IDPH guidelines including increased monitoring of staff and residents and increased cleaning protocols. This is on top of all of our previously communicated cleaning programs, social distancing, staff and resident screening, visitation restrictions, universal use of appropriate PPE, and continued training on the most up to date information regarding COVID-19.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our residents and employees at this time. Because of HIPAA privacy and confidentiality regulations, we cannot release any information that would identify the employee in this confirmed case. Our top priority is the residents of our community. We have been monitoring the situation very closely with federal, state, and local authorities.

We continue to provide education and assist residents with reminders on hand hygiene, hydration, and social distancing. Our supplies for activities and equipment for exercise have also been replaced with items that can be individualized instead of shared.

We are helping residents keep in touch with family members through phone calls, video chats, letters, and email messages. We will continue to work closely with state and local officials and follow their guidance and advice. As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Alex Haughee, Administrator

July 29, 2020

As we continue to learn more about the COVID-19 outbreak and how quickly it can spread, we have taken a number of precautions to keep residents and employees safe. Even with our best efforts, as we are all learning, this virus spreads quickly and is easily transmitted.

White Oaks at Heritage Woods of South Elgin has one recent COVID-19 diagnosed case of an employee. We have every reason to believe that COVID-19 was not acquired at White Oaks of South Elgin. We currently do not have any other employees or residents who are symptomatic or undergoing testing. We are following the direction of local and state health officials, as well as CDC guidance in regards to testing and quarantine.  

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our residents and employees during this pandemic. Because of HIPAA privacy and confidentiality regulations, we cannot release any information that would identify the employee in this confirmed case. Our top priority is the residents, families and employees of our community. We have been monitoring the situation very closely with state and local authorities. We have been and continue to be highly proactive in taking steps to help ensure the health and welfare of all residents and employees, and limiting possible exposure to COVID-19 or other viruses. This includes the implementation of enhanced infection control precautions and enhanced staff training. We have also been proactive in monitoring the health of our residents and screening all employees. We have secured personal protective equipment to maintain safety for all of our residents and employees.

At the direction of our local health department we will be implementing mass testing for all staff and residents, please be alert for future communication regarding this process. Additionally, we have been advised to postpone our outside visitations. We will provide communication when we are able to resume this activity.

We are helping residents keep in touch with family members through, phone calls, video chats and messages that we have printed for them to view.  We will continue to work closely with federal, state and local officials, and follow their guidance and advice.

As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Alex Haughee, Community Administrator

June 2, 2020

Dear Residents, Families, and Employees,

On March 10, 2020 our community implemented restrictions to control and/or prevent the outbreak of COVID19. This is an important date. Our decisions since this date have been made for the sole purpose of keeping our residents and employees safe. We recognize that over the past 12 weeks, these necessary safety precautions have been difficult, and have caused each of you to be separated from your loved ones. Again, we have always placed the health and well-being of our residents and employees first. As we look back, we are confident that the proactive approaches taken, were the right decisions at the right time.

During the past couple of weeks, we have formed a team to develop a plan to begin to slowly lift some of the restrictions that have been imposed. The team, “Reclaim Home” will only make changes when we are prepared to do so and only when we have the resources, equipment, space, and guidelines to do it safely. June 5^th will be our “Reclaim Our Home” day in the community. Our employees and residents will be celebrating the beginning of reclaiming their home. 

This will be followed by the first step of our plan, which is modified small group activities, to begin on Monday June 8^th. While adhering to very detailed infection control precautions, each community will hold two small group activities daily, Monday-Friday. Precautions will include wearing of masks, physical distancing, frequent sanitizing of touched surfaces, disposable supplies, etc. A scheduling system will be implemented that provides an equal opportunity for each resident to sign up for groups. As always, in-room activities will be available for those residents who are not comfortable joining in small group activities.    

Over the coming weeks, you can expect to receive continued announcements regarding additional modifications to previously implemented restrictions. This will include the re-opening of the beauty salon, manicures, expanded window visits, outdoor visits with family members, and modified small group dining. Again, our plan will be determined by the prevalence of COVID-19, ability to adhere to required infection prevention precautions, direction from the local health department, and state orders. We look forward to the day that we can welcome our families and friends back to the community.  

Do not hesitate to reach out to me should you have any questions. We all have the goal of reclaiming home and providing new opportunities for connection with each other, while keeping our residents and employees safe.

May 29, 2020

As we continue to learn more about the COVID-19 outbreak and how quickly it can spread, we have taken a number of precautions to keep residents and employees safe. Even with our best efforts, as we are all learning, this virus spreads quickly and is easily transmitted.

Our community was notified today that we have one employee who has tested positive for COVID19. There are no other reported COVID 19 cases among our residents, and we have no other symptomatic residents or employees. We are following the direction of local and state health officials.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our residents and employees at this time. Because of HIPAA privacy and confidentiality regulations, we cannot release any information that would identify the employees or resident in this confirmed case. Our top priority is the residents, families and employees of our community. We have been monitoring the situation very closely with state and local authorities.

We have been and continue to be highly proactive in taking steps to help ensure the health and welfare of all residents and employees, and limiting possible exposure to COVID-19 or other viruses. This includes the implementation of enhanced infection control precautions and enhanced staff training. We have also been proactive in monitoring the health of our residents and screening all employees. We have secured personal protective equipment to maintain safety for all of our residents and employees.

Given the risk of COVID19 to residents of congregate living facilities and to healthcare professionals, we have taken steps over the past several weeks to restrict visitors to our community and have canceled outings. All communal dining has been cancelled. Following the directives of state and local governmental entities, we have secured the front doors to our community at all times. We are restricting entrance to only required healthcare providers. In addition to the measures we’ve taken to practice social distancing in our community, we are asking residents to shelter in place in their apartments.

We are helping residents keep in touch with family members through phone calls, video chats and messages that we have printed for them to view. We will continue to work closely with federal, state and local officials, and follow their guidance and advice.

As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Alex Haughee, Administrator