How Geer and Noble are staying safe from COVID

Kevin O’Connell is peeved. The normally unflappable CEO of Geer Village in North Canaan said the recent barrage of dire statistics and negative publicity about nursing homes’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic undermines dedicated efforts at facilities such as Geer (where, as of Friday, April 17, zero confirmed cases of coronavirus had been reported).

The Noble Horizons retirement community in Salisbury, too, has yet to have one resident test positive for the virus, according to William Pond, that 91-bed facility’s director. 

Geer has 120 licensed beds.

“I feel like nursing homes are almost under attack,” said O’Connell, adding, “I’m passionate about this. I find it frustrating. It seems like a lot of the news out there gives the sense that this virus and the horrible situation that seniors are under is somehow happening worse in nursing homes because of the care that is provided.” 

Good fortune so far

O’Connell said the novel coronavirus is “so insidious” that anyone can be contagious before they even show symptoms. 

“The fact that people are dying, and that the mortality rate is so bad in nursing homes, is that its residents are so susceptible to it, so vulnerable and at risk,” said O’Connell. “The virus attacks us all, and people are dying all over the country.” 

O’Connell and Pond said they are acutely aware that at any moment either a member of staff or a resident could test positive for the coronavirus. But for now, they said, they are relying on strict adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, ongoing staff training and hiring, relentless oversight and a dose of faith to get everyone through the pandemic safely.

“I’m not so naïve as to think that something couldn’t happen here,” said Noble Horizons’ Pond. “But by the grace of God, so far we haven’t had anything related to COVID-19,” even though “a lot of facilities have had over 50% of their residents test positive.”

Isolation has helped

Pond said there are a number of factors that contribute to his facility’s ability to stave off the virus, including the decision early on to close Noble to outside visitors, and constant screening of staff and residents.

“We just have to continue to stay on top of issues. If someone does present” with COVID-19, said Pond,  there are procedures in place to isolate that resident at a separate section of the Salisbury facility.

While Noble Horizons has accepted, with careful screening, non-COVID patients from area hospitals in the past, “we have not taken on any new admissions in the last few weeks,” said Pond, who added that the facility has no plans to accept anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus.

“Our nursing home gets its unity and strength from within,” said Noble’s director. “We are committed to the community. But our priority is to take care of the individuals we have at our nursing home and ensure that they stay safe.”

Deep financial cut

At  Geer, the cost of responding to the unprecedented pandemic has resulted in a monthly revenue deficit of $100,000. O’Connell attributes that to a combination of increased costs and lost income. 

“We’re buying a lot more material, including PPE [personal protective equipment], hiring additional staff” and incurring expenses for feeding employees once per day, said O’Connell. The closing of the YMCA on campus, as well as the café at Geer, translate to lost revenue. 

“We are not taking rent from the YMCA when they can’t even open,” he said.

 In addition, Geer has closed its Adult Day Center and its outpatient physical therapy center. 

“We just furloughed staff this past week” from the therapy center, said O’Connell, noting the therapy center alone generated about $90,000 in monthly revenue. 

“Also, we can’t admit people to the assisted living center in a safe way, so we stopped admissions at the Lodge. Nobody is coming in,” said the Geer CEO.

Although the state is reimbursing facilities that accept COVID-19 positive patients onto their campus with a stipend of $600 per individual, O’Connell said Geer has no plans to accept intakes diagnosed with the coronavirus. 

Increase in Medicare funds

On a positive note, said O’Connell on Friday, Geer is receiving a 10% increase in Medicare reimbursements, “which equates to about $1 more per hour.”

Gov. Ned Lamont later announced — on Sunday, April 19 — that the reimbursements would be increased to 15%. After that announcement, O’Connell said, “We will use some of the additional funding received from the state to cover the cost of the PPE we need and to increase pay for our employees. We feel it’s important to recognize the very difficult conditions our staff are working under,” said O’Connell. “It is time to recognize that the nursing homes are a part of the solution to ending this pandemic and deserve support, not criticism.”

The Geer CEO credited his employees for being on the front line in the war against the coronavirus. 

“They are the ones that work hard every day to keep our residents safe. They come to work without complaint despite having to wear cumbersome protective equipment all shift. They then go home not knowing if they are exposing their families to a dangerous infection.” 

The mental stress alone, said O’Connell, is a hardship. “Our staff deserve recognition for their role in keeping the most vulnerable among us safe. They should be praised and they should be paid more during this national health crisis.”   

People are helping

The community is rallying around Geer. A local business has donated material for making much-needed protective gowns. And Geer is giving back to the community. Referring to Sharon Health Care Center, which is one of four Connecticut facilities accepting patients who test positive for the coronavirus, O’Connell said Geer has offered them transportation services. 

“We’re actually in the process today of assisting them. We sent over four drivers and vehicles and are helping them to move their non-COVID patients to other facilities.”

O’Connell said that while the pandemic is showing signs of “starting to backslide,” he warned that the fatality rate tends to lag behind. “What it all means is that you see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s risky still and will be for a number of weeks. We’re here but for the grace of God. COVID-19 could come in so many ways. We are only as good as our weakest link.”

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