Dear Family and Friends,

As of today, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our care center. Our care center continues to test staff weekly. We will continue to test staff and residents weekly until we have 2 weeks of all negatives.  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).

This week’s results:

1/05/21 Test date	# Staff Tested: 54	Staff Positives: 0	Staff Negatives: 54
1/05/21 Test date	# Residents Tested: 29	Residents Positive: 0	Residents Negatives: 29

We are bringing in the New Year with new hope and excitement. We will administer our first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in our care center. Our next vaccine clinic will be on 01/12/2021. Carol Ziemer, NAR/TMA/ET,  who has been eagerly awaiting the COVID-19 vaccine says, “I am excited to get the vaccine as then I will protect my family and myself while also protecting the vulnerable population I care for every day. I am also looking forward to seeing the residents I care for able to reunite with their families.”

We have prepared a Frequently Asked Questions to help you understand why the vaccine is so important in defeating COVID-19. You can find this along with the Moderna Fact Sheet, on our website at sfhs.org/resources/covid-19/. If you have any other concerns or questions, please contact Autumn Herzog, Administrator.

We will continue following our infection prevention and control practices along with the latest guidance from MDH and CDC regarding safe visiting for our residents. As of today, our care center plans to open for indoor visits on 1/21/2021. We will continue regular communication with our residents, friends and family on our COVID response, visitation guidelines and testing results.

Looking for ways to help? We have a variety of positions available with flexible scheduling and on the job training. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobswithus.org.

Please follow our Facebook page (@Browns Valley 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 Autumn Herzog, Administrator, at 320-695-2165 or by email at aherzog@bvhc.sfhs.org if you have any questions or concerns.