Washington State Residential Care Services received CDC Updated Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations in Response to COVID-19 Vaccination as well as CMS Updated Nursing Home Guidance with Revised Visitation Recommendations.  We understand that residents and their families are all looking forward to a time when they can be together again and this will move us in that direction.

Washington State is in the process of updating the Safe Start for LTC Recommendations and Requirements in accordance with this guidance and the Governor will be issuing a proclamation shortly.  We do not anticipate this will be a long process. In the interim, it is important that we continue to follow the current Safe Start Plan. Currently there is no change in visitation status. We will communicate with you again as soon as we receive additional guidance.

Last week it was discovered in our routine testing that one staff member
had tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member was tested again
with a lab PCR test that confirmed they had been positive. This person
is quarantined and all local and state agencies have been notified. We
have tested all residents and staff and  there have been no positive
cases to report aside from this on isolated individual. We will continue
to test twice weekly (staff and residents) for the next several weeks
and report our findings.