Dear Family and Friends,

Due to county positivity, our care center routinely tests unvaccinated staff monthly and when an employee or resident show signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or has had exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19. As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. We are following recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Unfortunately, COVID-19 case numbers have recently spiked, bringing Minnesota’s positivity rate up to 3%.  Health officials are warning that the highly contagious Delta variant of the Coronavirus now accounts for more than 75% of the state’s new COVID-19 cases. The Delta variant is highly transmissible and is causing significant, quickly spreading increases in infections in some areas.

Our residents are the most at risk for severe and fatal symptoms. Becoming vaccinated is the best way to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and it’s variants and we have strongly encouraged everyone in our communities to get a vaccine as soon as possible, however, we do not mandate that our staff get the COVID-19 vaccine at this time. Continued infection prevention and control strategies remain essential in our efforts to keep COVID-19 out of our settings. These include the continued screening of staff, visitors, and residents, good hand hygiene, appropriate and consistent use of PPE, efforts to increase vaccination percentages, and testing for early identification of COVID-19.

We are thankful for all those who stepped forward to receive the vaccine, helping to lower positivity rates in our communities and allowing visitors back into our care centers. We continue to educate those in our community about the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure the safety of our residents and our staff. Please follow our Facebook page (@Heritage Manor Health Center) or our website (www.sfhs.org) for all COVID updates and information on what is happening inside our care center. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Chester Fishel, Administrator, at cfishel@hmhc.sfhs.org, or by phone at 218-274-7711 if you have any questions or concerns.