At Benedictine Living Community-La Crosse, our priority is the health and wellness of our residents and associates. We know that the frail and elderly are especially susceptible to the coronavirus. That is why we have been doing everything we can to prevent the spread of this virus onto our campus.

Face masks still required on our campus:

On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued good news for those who are fully vaccinated. If you are fully vaccinated (meaning that you have completed the full series of the vaccine and two weeks have passed since the last dose), the CDC says you can resume activities without wearing a face mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, or local law.

Unfortunately, healthcare is one of those exceptions in which wearing a face mask is still required except in certain circumstances. While face masks are required to be worn in most areas of our campus, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services does allow for fully vaccinated residents to visit in person with fully vaccinated visitors without wearing face masks and within close contact when in a private room or apartment. Face masks must be worn in common areas or when an unvaccinated person is in the room or area.

Employees who are fully vaccinated may remove their face masks in break rooms or meeting rooms when all present are fully vaccinated. All employees must continue to wear face masks and eye protection when in care areas.

If you are unvaccinated and are interested in vaccination, the COVID-19 vaccine is readily available in our community. Not sure where? Check out vaccines.gov, text your zip code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find a location near you. If you still have questions, go to www.cdc.gov/coronavirus for more information on the COVID-19 vaccine.

We look forward to the day when COVID-19 is vanquished. Until then, we appreciate your cooperation as we comply with the requirements applicable to senior care facilities.

Visitation

We are thrilled to welcome visitors back onto our campus. Please note there are some differences for residents who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (which means they have received both doses of the vaccine and 14 days have passed since their last vaccination) and those who haven’t been vaccinated or not reached the fully vaccinated status.

All residents are still advised to follow the core principles of infection control, such as wearing well-fitting masks that cover the mouth and nose, staying 6 feet from others (social distancing) when practical, and using good hand hygiene to reduce risk of infection.

If a resident is fully vaccinated, it means they:

• do not have to quarantine after non-medically necessary outings unless they spend 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period within 6 feet of someone who can spread COVID-19.

• may gather indoors or outdoors with other people who are fully vaccinated;
• may visit indoors or outdoors with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 infection;
• may choose to have close contact (including touch) with the persons visiting;
• may choose to attend a place of worship or other group event that complies with current state mandates or restrictions, shop or eat in a public establishment.

If the resident hasn’t been vaccinated and they choose to leave the building, they may be required to quarantine for 14 days when they return if they haven’t test positive for COVID-19 in the past, have tested positive more than 90 days prior to outing, or tested positive by antigen test but had no symptoms. They will not need to quarantine if they tested positive within 90 days prior to the outing or have been released from isolation, per CDC guidelines.

All visitors will still need to be screened for COVID-19 before their visit, to wear a well-fitting face mask for the duration of their visit, maintain social distance from other residents and staff, practice good hand hygiene and remain in the resident’s room or designated visiting space. Visitors who have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days prior to their visit will not be allowed into the building. Your cooperation with these measures is greatly appreciated.

We are required to inform visitors that there may be a risk of exposure to COVID-19 while visiting. Adhering to the basic infection prevention measures helps to mitigate the risk.

Please note – visitation may be cancelled on short notice if a resident or employee tests positive for COVID-19. If a resident or employee tests positive, we are required to restrict general visitation until testing has been completed. We will provide notification as quickly as possible if changes are required.

COVID-19 Update:

Benedictine Living Community-La Crosse is providing regular coronavirus testing and as needed to residents, tenants and employees with symptoms. This testing helps to identify those who may have the virus and many not show symptoms so we can care for them and potentially limit transmission to others. Please check our hotline – 608-519-4252 – for the latest COVID-19 Update.

We remain in close communication with our local health officials to ensure we are taking all appropriate actions. As we have for the past few months, we will continue to monitor all residents and employees for signs or symptoms of the virus.

Infection Control Measures

Since March 2020, we have followed all recommended guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and our state and local health departments. Because we have taken this situation very seriously, our campus has been:

• Monitoring and screening residents daily for symptoms of respiratory illness, temperature and oxygen levels.
• Providing masks to all residents to wear when caregivers are in their room or when they leave their room for any reason.
• Offering socially distanced meal service and activities.
• Encouraging health care providers to use telehealth when possible.
• Screening staff prior to beginning work for symptoms. Employees are not allowed in the building if they are ill. Any employee who exhibits symptoms is instructed to self-quarantine at home and/or seek medical care.
• Requiring all employees to wear face masks and face shields while providing care.
• Implementing enhanced infection control measures, including extra efforts to clean and disinfect all high-touch areas throughout the building.

We sincerely thank our residents, their families and our staff for their patience and dedication as we keep the safety, health and wellness of our residents and associates our top priority. Given the coronavirus situation is changing frequently, we will be working hard to provide additional information on this page and through other communication methods as it becomes available.
Please feel free to contact us at 608-788-9870 with any additional questions or concerns. We’re here for you and your loved one!