12/29/2021

Friends, family, and residents,

You have likely heard that Jefferson County, Colorado, and most of the country is experiencing a significant surge in COVID cases, primarily driven by the newly discovered Omicron variant.

Today we have identified two positive cases of COVID-19 among staff population. Thankfully, 100% of our staff and our residents are fully vaccinated. This has prevented these individuals from experiencing any serious symptoms.

That said, it’s important that we do everything in our power to mitigate any further spread. Please review the following guidance, provided to us from the state of Colorado and Jefferson County.

1. All residents should wear a mask when outside of their room. Masks can be removed while participating in communal dining but should be worn to and from the dining room.
2. Visitors will not be allowed to participate in communal dining or group activities until further notice.
3. Visitation can only take place in a resident room or outside in the designated visitation area. Visitors will not be permitted to move throughout the building. For unvaccinated visitors, visitation must take place in the designated visitation area only.
4. Some group activities will be subject to change or cancellation.

Additionally, it’s important for the safety and well-being of our residents that we keep sick staff out of the building. For this reason, we have made contingency plans within our business to allow us to operate even when shorthanded. For example, In the unfortunate circumstance that we do not have a cook, we will likely order pizza, make sandwiches, and provide soup to our residents. Although not ideal, our number one priority is health and safety of our residents and staff.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding. Please feel free to contact us directly with any questions or concerns.

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11/18/2021

Friends, family, and residents,

As you have likely heard, Colorado is facing a significant surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, along with the CDC have worked together to update guidance based on county transmission rates.

Unfortunately, Jefferson County is currently experiencing a high transmission of COVID-19 cases, with nearly 11% of residents testing positive. Considering these numbers, we have been instructed by CDPHE and the Jefferson County Public Health Department to take the following precautions when caring for our residents and staff.

• Visitors should wear a well-fitting facemask when around residents or health care professionals, regardless of vaccination status. Individuals who are unable to wear appropriate source control must be excluded from inside the facility.
• All residents, regardless of vaccination status should wear a well-fitting facemask or cloth mask when outside of their room, participating in visitation and out in the community.

Additionally, guidance has been updated to include Holiday celebrations.

• During high community transmission, visitors cannot remove source control (masks) while indoors, even in the resident’s room.
• Food and drink cannot be consumed during group activities and facility outings unless food and drink are consumed outdoors, and the resident is physically distanced from others.

Although more restrictive regulations are certainly disappointing, our primary responsibility is to maintain a safe environment for our residents and staff. Additionally, it’s worth reinforcing that these changes are only predicated on current county transmission levels. As transmission increases or decreases, we will update our policies to reflect CDPHE guidance. Please use the following link to monitor transmission rates across the state.

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view|Colorado|Risk|community_transmission_level

Thank you in advance for your understanding. Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Leigh Boney

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Dear Residents, Family & Friends,

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Since April, there have been a lot of amazing changes at The Gardens on Quail.  This beautiful building was designed with the center courtyard as a focal point for all residents to enjoy year-round.  With this design and thought process in mind, we are excited to announce a few changes to the building operations. Effective Friday, October 1^st, we will be expanding our Memory Care to include the Peak to Peak Neighborhood. This expansion will double our Memory Care area and create a larger space for our Memory Care Residents to move around and spend time.

The next exciting change is that all Memory Care and Assisted Living residents will have full access to the courtyard.  We have had to make several upgrades to the building’s access control system and the nurse call system to accomplish this.  Memory care residents will enter and exit the courtyard from Dallas Creek and/or Peak to Peak.  Assisted Living residents will be able to access the courtyard from Cinnamon Pass, The 50’s Diner, or through the main Town Center.  Assisted living residents will enter the building from the courtyard through the Town Center entrance/exit. Cinnamon Pass and The 50’s Diner will be locked from the courtyard side. The main Town Center door is equipped with Wander Guard, so if a Memory care resident gets within a few feet of the door, it will lock, and the nurse call will alert the staff.  With all this said, we will no longer be able to prop open any of the courtyard doors; we will also be unable to cut through the courtyard to reach Cinnamon Pass.

Additionally, we have elected to open up the back gardens and walking paths to all Assisted Living residents.  The grounds of the northwest of the building will be open from 8 am to 5 pm.

Please note all these changes are weather permitting.  None of the grounds will be open on extremely cold, hot, or snowy days.

Last but not least, we will be having an end-of-summer bbq in the courtyard this coming Thursday, September 30^th, at 12 pm, and would love for friends and families to join.

Below is a map of how the doors work moving forward.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let Troy McClymonds or Leigh Boney know.

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8/4/2021

Friends and family,

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To better align with recent recommendations from the CDC, the Colorado Department of Public Health has updated masking guidance to include requirements for universal masking in Residential Care Facilities.

Effective immediately, all health care personnel, visitors, and residents, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear face coverings that cover both their nose and mouth at all times.

Some exceptions have been made for residents and staff.  For instance, fully vaccinated residents do not need to wear masks while participating in group activities and facility outings attended by other fully vaccinated residents and staff.  Additionally, fully vaccinated residents may continue to share a table with other fully vaccinated residents while dining.

Although this is certainly disappointing news, we will continue to work closely with local public health officials to provide a safe and engaging environment for our residents and our staff.

Thank you for your understanding.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

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06/01/2021

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Friends, Family and Residents,

I would like to take a moment and provide important information regarding recent changes to CDPHE guidance, Public Health Order 20-20 and Gardens on Quail policies and procedures specific to COVID-19.

On 5/31/2021, the Colorado Department of Public Health announced significant adjustments to their guidance as it pertains to communal dining, group activities, visitation, and source control. (face coverings)

As I highlight these changes, keep in mind the following:

• Vaccination contributes to safe environment for staff and residents to interact more closely, with all types of visitors.
• Gardens on Quail precautionary measures for unvaccinated residents, staff and visitors remain largely the same.
• Regardless of vaccination status, visitors must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms, and perform a temperature check prior to entry.

Communal Dining/Group Activities/Community Outings

• Fully vaccinated residents can participate in communal dining and share a table with other fully vaccinated residents without a face covering or physical distancing.
• Fully vaccinated residents can participate in group activities without using a mask or social distancing.

Visitation

• Fully vaccinated visitors willing to provide proof of vaccination, are no longer required to schedule an appointment when participating in a visit.
• All visitors, vaccinated or otherwise, are required to wear masks while participating in a visit.  (This is likely to change in the near future)
• If a visitor is participating in activities or communal dining, the visitor must share a copy of their vaccination record with Gardens on Quail prior to the visit

Source Control (face coverings)

• Fully vaccinated residents may choose whether they wear a mask while inside of the facility.
• Fully vaccinated staff are not required to wear a mask unless they are providing direct care to a resident.

I expect that this announcement will lead to many more questions.  As always, Gardens on Quail will continue to work with residents and their families to better understand each unique circumstance.

Please look for additional communication and contact The Gardens on Quail directly with any questions or concerns.

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4/14/2021

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Families, friends, and residents,

We have enjoyed seeing so many of you as you visit with your loved ones. As we continue to open up visitation availability, we would like to remind you of our visitation guidelines.

All visitors must use hand sanitizer upon entry and wear a surgical grade mask covering your nose and mouth. If you don’t have one, we are happy to provide a mask when you arrive. We ask that you maintain a distance of 6 feet from others when possible. All visitors must check-in at the front and wait on a staff member to escort you to and from visitation areas. We ask that all visitors stay in the visitation area, and not walk around the building. Weather permitting, you are welcome to take residents outside and walk around the outdoor areas. Lastly, please refrain from eating while on the property as this requires you to remove your mask.

The Gardens on Quail continues to recommend that all visitors obtain a negative test result prior to any scheduled indoor visit. Testing is the best way to prevent COVID-19 spread and the inevitability of an outbreak. The Gardens on Quail is prepared to help provide testing if you are unable to obtain a test on your own.  Please see me directly for details.

As mentioned in previous communications, The Gardens on Quail and Jefferson County must continue to meet several criteria to allow for indoor visitations. Our eligibility will be reviewed weekly, and visitation may be halted at any time.

Weather permitting, we continue to encourage outdoor visitation as a compelling alternative to indoor visitation.  Outdoor visits can be scheduled seven days a week, with no concern over COVID testing or vaccination.

Thank you for your continued support.

3/26/2021

Families, friends, and residents,

As you may be aware, we were forced to pause indoor visitation after several positive employee cases of COVID-19 were identified through weekly surveillance testing.

Although we are now able to resume indoor visitation, there have been several changes to the process, as defined by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Most notably, visitors are not required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test at the time of the visit.

The Gardens on Quail continues to recommend that all visitors obtain a negative test result prior to any scheduled indoor visit. Testing is the best way to prevent COVID-19 spread and the inevitability of an outbreak. The Gardens on Quail is prepared to help provide testing if you are unable to obtain a test on your own.  Please see me directly for details.

Another change to state protocol is regarding physical interaction between visitors and residents.  If the resident is fully vaccinated, they can choose to have close contact (including touch) with their visitor while wearing a well-fitting face mask and cleaning their hands before and after contact.

Unvaccinated residents will be allowed to participate in indoor visitation, unless the COVID-19 county prior week test positivity rate is more than 10% and fewer than 70% of residents in the facility have been fully vaccinated.

As mentioned in previous communications, The Gardens on Quail and Jefferson County must continue to meet several criteria to allow for indoor visitations. Our eligibility will be reviewed weekly, and visitation may be halted at any time.

Weather permitting, we continue to encourage outdoor visitation as a compelling alternative to indoor visitation.  Outdoor visits can be scheduled seven days a week, with no concern over COVID testing or vaccination.

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Thank you for your continued support. Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns.

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