Dear Friends and Family

As you may have heard in the news, President Trump has declared a national emergency as a result COVID-19. This development triggers heightened infection control practices and protocols as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Please know that maintaining the health, wellness and safety of your loved one is our number one priority.

Effective immediately, Birch Bay Retirement Village will restrict visitation on our campus as required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Based on federal guidance, no visitor will be
permitted into our community except for certain compassionate care situations such as an end-of-life situation. We will also be suspending services of the Straus Center Adult Day Program.

Please know that the news about the spread of this new disease is concerning for us all. We understand that communication with your loved ones is incredibly important and encourage you to communicate with them in other ways such as the telephone, video chat, e-mail, or social media.

In addition to restricting visitation to prevent the illness on our campus, we are also focused on infection control best practices with our staff and residents. Staff have been trained on the symptoms of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), CDC recommended infection prevention techniques, and have clear protocols for staff to stay home and not come to work if they are ill or symptomatic.

We continue to monitor information and guidance from the Maine Department of Health and the CDC and are working with state and local public health and emergency preparedness officials to prevent the illness and strengthen our preparation for and response to outbreak. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause, but believe it is in the best interest of residents. We will continue to keep you informed. Please also visit our Facebook Page for regular updates and do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Peter Sullivan, MBA, RN-BC, LRCA, CDP