COVID-19 UPDATE | September 18, 2020

Friends and Family of Santa Marta,

We’re blessed to make it through yet another week with no active cases of COVID-19 among residents. This is a testament to everyone’s continued support and cooperation with our strict safety protocols, and we’re incredibly grateful.

Our weekly testing for all healthcare staff, as per guidance from the CDC, is still ongoing. A vast majority of the 176 tests we conducted during the most recent round came back negative. However, we’re disheartened to report that we identified three positive team member cases this week, with a few tests still pending.

One of the affected employees is a beautician. Contact tracing for this individual has been completed and we’re actively monitoring everyone who may have been exposed for symptoms. The two other incidences involve health care dining servers. We’re actively working on completing contact tracing related to both cases. All three newly impacted team members are recovering at home.

The healthcare dining server who had previously tested positive has fully recovered. The formerly impacted skilled nursing CNA is well on their way as well, and we’re looking forward to both of them returning to work.

We continue to adhere to the latest safety guidance from local, state and federal health authorities. Due to the high positivity rate of COVID-19 tests in Johnson County, outdoor visits remain temporarily suspended at our community.  Presently, we’re encouraging window visits and video calls as the safest way for families and loved ones to connect with residents.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or the Santa Marta Management Team at updates@www.santamartaretirement.com with any questions. As always, we will continue to keep you informed of the latest at our community in our ongoing website and Facebook updates.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our community remains resilient and united as we persevere through this period.

Thank you and God bless,

Chet Surmaczewicz

Executive Director