Visitors to All Washington Veterans Homes Restricted to Essential Health Care Personnel and Compassionate Care, such as End of Life Situations
In an effort to prevent possible COVID-19 exposure to residents and staff, all Washington Veterans Homes will follow the guidance of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and further restrict visitors. This policy is in line with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who has also restricted visitor access in their Community Living Centers.
These changes to visitation at Veterans Homes include:
· Restricting all visitors, effective immediately, with exceptions for compassionate care, such as end-of-life situations;
· Restricting all volunteers and nonessential health care personnel and other personnel (i.e. barbers);
· Cancelling all group activities and communal dining; and
· Implementing active screening of residents and health care personnel for fever and respiratory symptoms.
We are in the process of contacting families or resident representatives and will work with them over the weekend to consider visits on March 14 and 15 compassionate care visits. For visitors allowed in the facility, we will screen them and provide instruction on hand hygiene, limiting surfaces touched, and use of PPE according to current facility policy while in the resident’s room. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience. Regulation changes are happening frequently and we understand that the lack of notice is challenging for our residents and their families.
Opportunities for video or teleconferencing options are available so that families have the ability to stay in touch.
We will continue to provide regular updates here and on our website at: www.dva.wa.gov/covid.
For more information on these changes, please visit:
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announces-new-measures-p...