COVID-19 Update | AUGUST 7, 2020

Friends and Family of Santa Marta,

It seems in recent months there hasn’t been as much good news to celebrate, but today is certainly one of those opportunities. With tremendous effort, sacrifice and cooperation from residents, team members and families, Santa Marta once again has no active cases of COVID-19.

Both team members who were COVID-positive received their second consecutive negative test in a 72-hour window, the standard to determine recovery. We’re eager to welcome these friends back to campus soon.

We’re also encouraged that despite a continued incline in cases in Johnson County, our most recent round of bi-weekly tests for all healthcare staff identified no new cases.

On Monday, we began outdoor visitation for residents in our health center and their families. As you can imagine, this has been very well received. We’re incredibly pleased with the participation so far, and the adherence to the safety protocols we’ve implemented. For those interested in scheduling a visit, please connect with Riley Mason, our admissions director, at rmason@www.santamartaretirement.com.

As you may have seen on our Facebook page, we also began a soft reopening of dinner reservations for independent living residents this week. The camaraderie built from such a social activity has been sorely missed, and we’re so pleased to offer this small, socially distanced step toward normalcy.

Now more than ever it’s so important we celebrate the wins; they’ve been too far and few between lately. But we mustn’t bury our collective heads in the sand and believe we’ve forever vanquished this virus from our community. I ask the entire Santa Marta family to continue to take the steps and precautions to protect themselves, their friends, neighbors and colleagues so we can have more days like this.

Stay safe, and God bless.

Chet Surmaczewicz

Executive Director