Update at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation

April 18, 2020

 

To the Community and Members of the Media:

Good afternoon and Happy Saturday~

• I know we have shared this previously, but we really continue to be encouraged and energized by what we are seeing in our residents who were previously experiencing functional challenges as a result of the virus. On both the first and second floors of the Facility, there is resident activity, participation in therapy, consistent ingestion of food and fluids, and an overall sense of optimism about what is happening. While we are, and will remain, on high alert for changes in condition, we are celebrating these changes.
• In addition to the impact of COVID-19 on our residents, our staff were also affected by the virus over the past couple of weeks. A number of our team members were diagnosed as positive, and not able to work pending their own recovery. However, as of today, we have welcomed back nearly 40% of these staff following their confirmed negative status. Further, and based on information available to us in this moment, we are hoping to see another significant percentage of residents return to us over the course of the next week.
• As I am sure all can appreciate, this pandemic has changed the course of our lives at Riverbend… we have experienced loss, fear, disruption, and anxiety on a large scale and on a big stage. All of us, including residents, families and staff, have been tried. No one is the same as we were before, we know that. But we are committed to formalizing the turning of the tide here, and are working as a leadership team to design a way to reintroduce the Facility as “HOME” moving forward. We think it is integral to identify steps we can take to write the next chapter for the Riverbend family, which will support our collective emotional recovery.
• Finally for today, we are grateful for another anonymous food donor, who treated our staff to a “Live Mas” lunch with Taco Bell. It is hard to argue with the curative properties associated with a good bean and cheese burrito, and keeping our team nourished benefits our residents as well. We are thankful for those who help us take care of the staff who take care of our residents.

We wish you a restful remainder of the weekend, and will plan on reporting again on Monday.

Cory Schulte                                                   Maureen Purvis, RN
Administrator                                                 Director of Nursing

 

Update at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation

April 16, 2020

 

To the Community and Members of the Media:

Good afternoon. On this Thursday in mid-April, we have the following information to share about the status of things in our Riverbend community: Read more

Update at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation

April 14, 2020

 

To the Community and Members of the Media:

Good afternoon and we hope everyone is having an excellent start to their week. In terms of today’s update, we have the following information to share:

• The types of improvements we have seen on the second floor, with almost all of our residents there returning to baseline as a product of the clinical interventions, are now evident in our first-floor patients. We have been able to stabilize this group and continue with their care in-house; the fact that we are not needing to transfer these patients to the hospital allows us to implement strategic, recovery-based treatment. We literally feel the tide turning in beneath us.
• Our second-floor residents are starting to participate in therapy as ordered and appropriate. Our physical, occupational and speech therapists are able to provide evaluations and treatment as ordered by the physician, since the residents have now improved sufficiently to meaningfully participate in therapy. The residents are excited to continue with their rehabilitation, and we are equally pleased to be able to facilitate it.
• We do want to take the opportunity to address our process for communicating with residents and families during this challenging time. Generally speaking, we have been regularly communicating with residents and families as we identify changes in a resident’s condition (improvements or otherwise) or regarding other such clinical situations; that information is reported directly from the nursing staff or the physician to the resident or his/her responsible party. We have also done our best to timely answer incoming calls and questions as they are received. While our first priority has been caring for our patients and ensuring they remain safe, we understand the importance of sharing information with those outside the walls of the Facility on a more proactive We are currently reviewing this process of communication to identify ways to improve it going forward. We thank you for your patience, and continue to encourage family members and loved ones to call us directly at 913.334.3666 if there is something you need or if there is some way we can be of assistance to you.

Today, we share our profound appreciation for all those individuals and groups who have prayed with, for and around us over the past several days. We have felt deeply your support and love, and have likewise been restored emotionally, physically and spiritually as a result of it. On behalf of our staff and our residents, we hope you will continue with the prayers and support – they mean the world to us all.

We thank you for your time today, and will look forward to updating you again tomorrow.

Cory Schulte                                                   Maureen Purvis, RN
Administrator                                                 Director of Nursing

 

Update at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation

April 12, 2020

 

To the Community and Members of the Media:

Good afternoon and a Happy Easter to all… We provide the following update on this Sunday for your review:

• The improvement of patients on the second floor referenced during yesterday’s update continues through today. Our estimate of the percentage of patients who are positively responding to the clinical interventions has increased to approximately 90%, as we see positive trends in nutrition, hydration and vitamin absorption. With each advancement in resident condition, we are honing our clinical approach to maximize the information we are receiving and then incorporating it into our recovery plan. We expect this to be an ongoing process, as we intervene to return our COVID-19 positive patients to their baseline (or better).
• While we are seeing success in turning the tide relative to this virus, there are still some residents whose overall course has not been as encouraging despite the efforts of our clinical team. In those very limited cases, we are making palliative and supportive care available as requested and appropriate, and interfacing directly with residents and families to ensure that their existing needs are met in accordance with their directives. We extend our thoughts and prayers to these valued members of our community during this difficult time, and would ask that you join us in doing the same.
• The team at Riverbend has found its cadence in managing the effects of this virus on the residents and on each other. We are bonded together like never before, and united in our commitment to #crushCOVID19… this unity of purpose is motivating, and helps carry us through the more challenging of moments.
• Our special thank you today is directed at the several staff who provided Easter treats to the team members working on this Holiday, and to our team members who made sure that our residents were able to worship and celebrate as per their individual religious preferences. We know how important faith is, now more than ever, and it was a privilege to bring faith into the building to comfort and inspire those we serve (and one another).

 

We wish you blessings on this Easter, and will look forward to updating you again tomorrow.

Cory Schulte                                                   Maureen Purvis, RN
Administrator                                                 Director of Nursing

 

Update at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation

April 10, 2020

 

To the Community and Members of the Media:

We understand and appreciate that there have been questions regarding the current status of the COVID-19 situation at Riverbend Post Acute. While we have been attempting to proactively communicate with families and loved ones individually, and respond to press inquiries as received, we have decided that we will communicate more globally (like we are doing here) on a daily basis, going forward. This allows us to both share what we are seeing and experiencing in the moment in a more streamlined manner, while allowing us to remain focused on the continued delivery of care and treatment to our patients without distraction or interruption.

In terms of what is taking place at Riverbend today, here is what we can share with you:

• The Facility continues to work closely with the Wyandotte County and, specifically, its lead epidemiologist Dr. Allen Greiner, Chief Medical Officer for Wyandotte County, with respect to the way in which the COVID-19 virus is evolving in the building. Given the number of patients and employees who have tested positive for the virus, it has been determined that the Facility will be considered as fully COVID-19 positive moving forward. This approach allows us to focus on clinical interventions rather than testing and resident movement within the building. We can deliver recovery-oriented care, with the goal of facilitating our patients’ return to baseline in a shorter period of time. We are beyond grateful to Dr. Greiner and the members of his team for their expert assistance and timely response to our reports and questions; their guidance has been essential in our management of these unprecedented circumstances.
• We are very pleased to report that a significant percentage of our residents who tested positive for COVID-19 early in the timeline are now showing signs of recovery. We are seeing an excellent response to our clinical interventions, which were developed in collaboration with and delivered under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Fields and Dr. Ryan Sears, the Facility’s Medical Directors. Seeing these improvements is uplifting to all of us, and we are thankful to Dr. Fields and Dr. Sears for their diligence and their commitment to beating this virus.
• We also wish to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the many community members who surprised us by surrounding the facility yesterday afternoon to pray for our facility staff and residents. To unite in prayer and come together for the common good is a powerful thing – we felt it, our staff and our residents felt it, and we are better because of it. We will not allow this virus to divide or defeat us, and will overcome it together.
• Finally, we want to reiterate the depths of our appreciation for those on the front line – our nurses, CNAs, and every single team member that shows up every single day because they care deeply about our patients and each other. There are no words to adequately express how we feel about the Riverbend family – you all truly are heroes without capes.

It is our intention that this communication will be distributed at 4pm CST on a daily basis, and posted on our Facility website thereafter. We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to our patients, their families, and the Kansas City community, and we thank you in advance for your continued support of the dedicated, passionate and amazing Riverbend team.

 

With gratitude,

Cory Schulte                                                Maureen Purvis, RN
Administrator                                              Director of Nursing