New COVID-19 Update

24 July 2020

Dear Residents/Family Members,

It’s been a frenetic few weeks, however we want to keep everyone informed of our status at the Hallmark. As of today, we have one (1) resident who is testing positive. This resident usually resides in independent living, however, is currently in healthcare recuperating after hospitalization.

As most of you know, we do not release the names of residents who test positive per HIPPA guidelines, however the Hallmark does perform extensive tracing to determine potential exposure risks. If there is ever reason to believe someone has been exposed, we would communicate directly with that individual.

In addition to the resident above we are also tracking five (5) employees who are currently out after presenting symptoms and/or subsequently testing positive. Tracing is done in these instances as well and we are monitoring specific individuals who had potential to be in contact. This monitoring includes temperature checks, oxygen saturation levels and additional screenings.

On the testing front, we are making some progress towards a test date and continue to work with the department of health, CDC and Texas Health and Human Services department. As part of that process, I am including an authorization form that will need to be completed prior to testing. I hope to be able to announce a date sometime next week.

Several residents have requested NOT to be tested for various reasons. It is our intention to make the test available, however as independent living residents, it is your decision to participate in the process.

There is no update at this time related to the re-opening of the dining room, however I hope that some of the recent changes (including comment options) have been beneficial. I would also like to remind everyone that storing prepared meals for lengthy periods of time will affect the quality/taste of the food and does pose potential health concerns. Our commitment is to provide fresh meals daily, so please don’t feel like you need to “save” something that is not fresh.

As always, we continue to encourage each of you to do your part to prevent potential exposure. This includes social distancing and wearing appropriate masks when around others.

Sincerely,

Harold Ermshar

Executive Director