April 4, 2020
COVID-19 Press Coverage of Long Term Care Organizations
Dear Sholom residents, families and staff,
On April 3, 2020, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) made the decision to release information to the public about COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Because a part-time employee in a non-direct care role tested positive for COVID-19 on March 25, 2020, Sholom West (Ackerberg campus in St. Louis Park) is on this list and this has been published by a variety of area news outlets.
Unfortunately, due to limited testing, inadequate personal protective equipment and the ease of transmission of the COVID-19 virus, we anticipate that all long-term care providers will see the outbreak continue to spread despite all of our best efforts to keep it out of our centers.
When Sholom was notified this employee tested positive, we fully cooperated with MDH as they directed their investigation and provided guidance to our team. We closely followed all requirements to ensure a safe Sholom environment. No other Sholom employees, residents or tenants have tested positive for COVID-19 at any of Sholom’s locations. We continue to follow all precautions to maintain a safe environment. Further, notification letter was sent on March 25th describing the employee incident to our employees, residents, tenants, families and community.
Sholom senior leadership has elected to be transparent with all outbreak information to reinforce the trust all of our staff, residents and community have placed in us. We will continue to cooperate and partner together during this pandemic.
We commit to communicating with you regarding any changes at Sholom. Please refer to our website www.sholom.com for regularly updated information. Thank you for your continued vigilance to protect the seniors in our care.
Barbara Klick, RN, MBA
Sholom CEO
