Dear Loved One,

I’m writing to provide a brief overview of Onondaga Center’s preparedness and response to COVID-19 and the measures we’ve taken to protect the safety, health and welfare of your loved one and all residents at the Center. We have been following all federal, state and local guidelines for infection control policies and procedures. We have implemented precautions to include instituting measures to limit access to the nursing facility, monitoring our workforce, and vigorously pursuing infection control practices throughout the Center.

This letter serves as your update regarding the current suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the center. As of 2/22/21 we have 0 resident with respiratory symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath etc.) We have had 4 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from Residents who had tested positive between 2/15/21 and 2/18/21. We have 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from Staff members who had tested positive between 2/15/21 and 2/19/21. All 3 Staff members have been furloughed. We are continuing to manage this exposure and have taken all necessary precautions to protect your loved one and other residents at our facility. Our staff is well trained and continues to be educated in the most current standards and best practices to ensure your loved one is safely cared for. Our staff has received appropriate protective masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment. Our clinical team continues to perform frequent assessments of the residents at the Center to monitor their status and condition.

As per the DOH guidelines, all outdoor, indoor and window visits will be suspended for the next 14 days or until cleared by the DOH. This does not include Facetime/Skype/phone, etc. visits. Those will remain the same. Please join the Weekly COVID Update call every Tuesday at 3:00 pm by dialing: (605) 313-4411; code 758733.

We want to assure you that we take the safety, health and welfare of your loved one very seriously. We will continue to provide services, treatments and interventions as outlined in their plan of care. You can always reach out to Yudi Polatoff, Administrator and / or Suzanne Reid, RN, Director of Nursing at the Center should you have any questions about your loved one or any questions about the Center’s current COVID-19 practices, policies and procedures. The Department of Health has also encouraged family members who have more specific COVID-19 questions to submit them directly to your local Department of Health. For daily updates please check frequently on our website at “onondaga-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org”.

Thank you,
Yudi Polatoff
Administrator