Rolling with the changes

Community Memorial Health Center in Hartley is adjusting to some big changes.

After spending the past year mostly shuttered from the outside world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, residents at the facility are now able to leave on outings with their loved ones more frequently. The change was precipitated by vaccinations, as a majority of residents have been inoculated and a growing number of the general public has also received their shots.

"There's a lot of changes coming out now, and we review them daily to see if there are updates," said CMHC Administrator Dr. Janette Simon. "What we are doing always is mitigating risks."

Residents who leave the facility on outings are subjected to quarantine guidelines to safeguard against an outbreak. If they are fully vaccinated and leave with family members who are also fully vaccinated, there is no quarantine requirement. However, that changes based on the vaccine status of both the resident and family members.

For example, if a resident is fully vaccinated but their family is not, the resident must quarantine for three days. If neither the resident nor family members are vaccinated, the resident must quarantine for 10 days.

"We're still cautious," Simon said, noting two recent COVID-19 outbreaks at Iowa nursing facilities. "That's why we don't want to go hog wild."

Simon said that though vaccinations have significantly reduced the threat of an outbreak, COVID-19 still poses a threat. She re-emphasized the facility is continually mitigating risks when possible and following federal protocol.

"When you're in the middle of the crisis, you're focused so much. Now that it's letting up, I think some of our emotions are now coming out," she said. "We're worried we're going to undo all we've done throughout the pandemic. It's scary to start opening, and that's how we feel."

A vast majority of CMHC residents are vaccinated, along with 87 percent of the staff. Simon said the facility would continue following the science on vaccines and listen to the experts. She has asked residents and their families to be patient with the protocol and noted cooperation is key during constantly changing times.

"We don't set everything back," she said. "We're hoping things will continue to go in our favor and loosen up more. We're waiting and watching what's happening in our area."