COVID-19 Status Update

Latest Updates

Update 11/20/20

Level Red Goes Into Effect Tonight

Governor Polis’s Level Red order goes into effect this evening at 5:00 pm. The designation impacts everyone in our county and is aimed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Just this week, the Governor released a new statistic that 1 out of every 100 people in the Denver metro area is infected with the virus. We also know that some state hospitals are already at capacity.

The order very specifically states that anyone considered in a high-risk population should stay home. People ages 65 and up are considered a high-risk population in the order definition; therefore, according to the state order, residents in our community should stay home unless they need to leave for a medically necessary reason.

The order also closes restaurants but still allows for take-out and delivery, and it limits the sizes of gatherings indoors. Again, this applies to everyone who lives in our county, not just senior living. The Centers for Disease Control has also issued a strong advisory asking people not to travel this Thanksgiving.

All of this information is hard to hear. We’ve been working to understand how this order impacts our senior living community. We have been seeking guidance from the state health department and local agencies for any changes in protocols and operations. These conversations are ongoing. Therefore the information listed below may change; this is what we know as of now, and what we must do to be in compliance with the new State order:

All life gatherings are limited to five people and should be with people each resident is frequently around, their “COVID Bubble Buddy”. This is a term a group of residents came up with to describe what the health order refers to as pods of people, a “household”. Now is the time for all residents in our community to identify their “Bubble Buddies,” up to five people in your specific neighborhood, that you can socialize with while maintaining a safe bubble, creating your household. Residents must continue to wear a mask, keep six feet of social distance with each other, and wash their hands frequently if they are together with their “bubble buddies.”
With the risk of exposure so high in our area, we are also asking residents to consider the health and well-being of their neighbors before leaving the community for a non-clinical visit. We know we have a conscientious group of people who want to be a good neighbor.

Now is the time to pull together as a community and “protect our house.” We want to be safe and responsible for each other. We also want to be creative and find ways to retain and build a connection with each other for our mental and emotional well-being. Please start talking with your neighbors about building your “bubble buddy” system. Work together to place calls to each other, schedule video chats, and small groups of five gatherings with social distance. Now is the time to establish your tribe of people within our community.

We know these restrictions are worrisome. Please stay in communication with your loved one, schedule video visits, send care packages, drop off cards and favorite meals, and let us know if you have concerns so we can try to help.

We are in this together. With new vaccines on the horizon, we have to now more than ever, support and love each other, and we will get through this together.

Update 11/13/20

Holiday Season

With the holidays fast approaching, and our community and states COVID-19 positivity rate increasing, it is important for all of us who live and work at Bella Vita to take extra precautions this holiday season.

Governor Polis recommends no more than six to 10 people gather together. We are highly recommending that Bella Vita residents consider making alternative plans to stay in the community for your holiday. If you choose to leave the community to gather with family and friends we will request that you maintain a self-isolation period for 14 days upon your return to ensure the health and well-being of everyone who calls Bella Vita home.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued some holiday guidelines for all of us to consider if we choose to take part in a gathering.

• Take into consideration the local county positivity rate before planning a gathering.
• Those preparing food should wear a mask at all times.
• If two or more households are gathering, everyone should wear a mask.
• For residents hosting a small apartment gathering, you do not have to count each in community apartment as a separate household. Bella Vita is considered one household according to CDPHE, however, you must still adhere to no more than six to 10 people, and you must practice social distancing.
• Keep the gathering small and short in duration to limit exposure risk.
• If possible, have a window open or better yet, host the meal outside. Governor Polis has asked for no more than two households to gather together.
• Attempt to maintain social distancing of six feet or more at all times.

With the surge in cases in our community and nationally, we all must do our part to stop the spread of the virus and protect each other from this very contagious virus.

Thank you for your support and understanding during this challenging phase of our community’s life.

Update 6/2/20

Resident Recovered from COVID-19

We are pleased to share some good news, the resident that tested positive for the COVID-19 virus has recovered and is no longer in isolation. There are no new COVID-19 cases at Bella Vita but we must all continue to utilize good infection control, hand hygiene, self-monitor for symptoms, use the buddy system to check-in on each other and follow Governor Polis’s Safer at Home Order.

We encourage Bella Vita residents to stay in their apartment homes except for essential medical visits, grocery shopping, and exercise. If you would like a COVID-19 symptom self-monitoring log they are available at the Concierge desk. Additionally, we ask residents to wear a mask when exiting their apartments and while in community spaces.

Bella Vita will continue maintaining restricted visitor access. Team Members and care essential visitors will be screened before entering the community. All team members and essential visitors must wear a mask. We are diligently maintaining daily virus-mitigation cleanings and careful assessment for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19. These precautions help protect the health of both residents and team members.

We are currently reviewing Bella Vita’s Life Enrichment Program and will be providing guidance within the coming week for opportunities to soon re-engage in group activities with your neighbors. Please know we are working very hard to ensure the well-being of everyone who lives and works at our community.

FAQ

Q: What is being done to protect residents and staff?

A: We continue to implement rigorous virus sanitizing protocols daily. The county health department continues to direct our actions. Residents’ temperatures are taken twice daily and the team is vigilantly monitoring all signs and symptoms for everyone who lives and works at Bella Vita.

Q: Is Bella Vita Safe?

A: The COVID-19 Pandemic is a world-wide health crisis. While no place at this time is immune to the virus, we continue extraordinary precautions with the guidance of local health officials and the CDC.

Q: What are the ‘rules’ your respective communities follow to detect, contain and isolate COVID-19?

A: The health and safety of our residents and team members is our top priority and we will continue to practice all federal, and local mandated measures as well as our organizational procedures to limit exposure of COVID-19 in our communities.

Q: Who is allowed to visit your communities?

A: Bella Vita residents are able to have outside visits with social distancing and wearing a mask for family visitors. We are still under CDC restricted visitor status and adhering to visitation guidelines established by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and CDC is limited to:

‘Essential Need Only’ visits. Essential need visits include care providers. Visits must be brief.

Q: How are visitors being screened?

A: We screen everyone entering the building everyday immediately, including team members and essential care providers. Screening includes:

Fever screening, we take temperatures of everyone, including team members
Cough and/or shortness of breath
Sore throat
Any travel outside of country or state
Identifying if they have visited another senior living community
Questions on purpose of visit
Once screening is complete, visitors must wash hands before visiting residents and after leaving the community

Q: Can you describe your training protocols?

A: CLC/CLS already conducts extensive yearly training for all team members in managing infections and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. These protocols are multi-disciplinary and prescriptive to prevention, containment and how to stop the spread of the disease should it occur.

All communities are following a special set of coronavirus-specific policies and procedures modeled after our very successful flu and norovirus protocols. Training and protocols include:

Provide training for all employees on infection control standards
Report and act quickly if any symptoms are reported in the community
Start isolation procedures immediately if COVID-19 is suspected
Follow state report guidelines for any confirmed cases

Q: What is done if a team member or resident shows symptoms?

A: If a team member has any symptoms, they are required to stay home and report symptoms to their doctor to determine if they meet COVID-19 test standards. If a resident exhibits symptoms, we ask for them to notify the community, contact their doctor to determine the best plan for testing and quarantine in their apartment.

Town Hall Recordings

You can view the last organizational Town Hall Webinar pre-recorded on June 25th here.

Letter from CEO

View a status update letter from Christian Living Communities-Cappella Living Solutions Interim CEO Camille Burke here:

June 17, 2020

Dear Residents, Team Members, Families, Supporters and Friends:

We have collectively traveled a long road together as our world navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. From efforts in early March of preparing, implementing, and ensuring communication of our undeterred commitment to the health and welfare of everyone who lives and works in our communities; to now, navigating our “new normal” of continuing virus mitigation and restrictions; we have made every decision with our mission in mind, of dignity, love, respect, and compassion for each individual.

The decisions that had to be made were difficult. Living within the required restrictions has been, at times, heart-breaking for everyone. Our continued commitment is to do all that we can for everyone’s health and well-being; this includes efforts to promote mental and emotional health.

For the last four weeks, our team has been working to balance health and happiness. An organizational leadership committee, which includes residents, has worked towards finding creative ways to adhere to required restriction yet allow for more personal connections and personal freedoms for older adults.

We are now entering another phase, where each community will determine how and when protocols and procedures will change for them based on their county and state directives. As we have all seen, across the nation, the decisions are shifting from federal directives to local control. That is the same for all 23 communities in our CLC-Cappella family. Our leadership will continue to guide and support all community teams in navigating the ever-changing government and oversight directives as well as resident and family desires.

The journey will continue as we know that the COVID-19 virus will be with all of us for some time. Every day we will work hard with residents, families, and associates in mind, asking what we can do and how we can do it better. We will not stop asking those questions, and we will not stop until this journey is done.

With sincere appreciation and everlasting hope,