Dear Family and Friends,

We conducted routine staff testing on 10/27/2020. During the routine testing we had one staff member test positive for COVID-19.  These results prompt us to initiate weekly point prevalence testing (PPT) for all residents and staff.  Testing will take place on 11/03/2020. We follow all recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

In the event we have any residents test positive, we would activate our COVID unit. The unit is segregated from the rest of our community. The designated staff that care for residents in this unit remain within the area and do not have physical contact with other non-segregated residents. Any staff who test positive will be self-quarantined at home and will not be allowed to return to work until they recover from the virus; 10 days following positive test and 72 hours from last fever without using medication. Our staff are equipped with specific training and PPE to continue to provide safe, quality care, services and support to the residents of our community.

As a result of potential exposure, we are initiating facility wide precautions for all residents of Aitkin Health Services to reduce any potential exposure within the building. Unfortunately, this means we will need to stop all indoor visits and patio visits at this time.

Don’t forget to get your flu shot this season to help protect our community. Please follow our Facebook page (@Aitkin Health Services) 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 Ali Meyer, Administrator, at almeyer@ahs.sfhs.org or by phone at 218-927-5514 if you have any questions or concerns.