Dear Residents and Families of Birch Bay Retirement Village,

I hope you have all have had a nice week. We currently have no cases of COVID-19 among our staff and residents. Please know that we have followed and will continue to follow all state and federal guidelines set forth for resident care, staff safety, and efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. We will continue to work closely with MDI Hospital, the CDC, DHHS and CMS to ensure that we are adhering to the highest standards of safety and care for our community.

Beginning Monday, June 1st we launched Phase 2 of our Birch Bay Campus Safe Guards plan which will be effective through June 14th. The Phase 2 plan included welcoming local families for outdoor visits with their loved ones. It was great to see so many of you (from a distance!). We hope you enjoyed our new outdoor seating area.  Please remember that visitors must maintain physical distancing at least six feet apart and wear cloth face coverings or mask at all times. We are screening all visitors so please contact us to make an appointment for a visit so we will be prepared to screen you for fever or other symptoms. To schedule an outdoor visit, please contact Sara Starbuck at 288-8014 x 5202 or sstarbuck@birchbayvillage.us

On Tuesday, June 9th we will be welcoming Herb Pratt as our new Director of Programs and Resident Engagement. Herb worked most recently at The Jackson Laboratory. He has a solid background in project innovation, development, and implementation as well as strong leadership skills and style that match well with our team and BBRV vision. He will be overseeing the Straus Center Adult Day Program, the Life Enrichment and Activities Departments. Under Herb’s leadership, we plan to increase activities throughout the next several weeks with safe distancing, our resident’s well-being and safety in mind.

We will continue to provide you with periodic and transparent updates with as much information as we can on our efforts to combat COVID-19. We realize that many of the restrictions and guidelines suggested by the CDC for long-term care communities seem harsh to residents and families. We work hard to keep a balance between resident health with safety and quality of life. We welcome your suggestions as to where we could improve the quality of life for residents during this difficult time.

On behalf of the entire Birch Bay Retirement Village community, I want to thank each of you for your continued support and understanding. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Peter Sullivan, MBA, RN-BC, LRCA, CDP, Executive Director, Birch Bay Retirement Village