An Update for Seattle Families

Friday, March 13, 10:30 a.m. EST

We want to make you aware that a resident at one of our Seattle-area communities has tested positive for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). We have communicated this news to residents, families and team members at the community, and the individual who tested positive is currently being treated at a local hospital.

I am sure you have many questions, and we are committed to being as transparent as possible while maintaining the privacy of our residents and team members. We took immediate steps to reinforce and expand our infection control procedures when we became aware of our resident’s potential COVID-19 diagnosis. Extensive precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of illness and support our residents and team members, including:

  • Professionally deep cleaning the entire community.
  • Asking residents to remain in their suites at this time, and delivering meals to residents’ rooms.
  • Cancelling all community-wide activities and working with our teams to engage all of our residents in meaningful and purposeful activities in their suites.
  • Providing opportunities to virtually socialize with loved ones via Skype and FaceTime.
  • Prohibiting visitors at the community unless absolutely necessary to provide critical healthcare and services, and in certain situations such as end of life. 

We understand that this news is extremely concerning, but please know that we are well-prepared to respond to this situation. Sunrise has nearly 40 years of experience caring for seniors, and infection control is part of our everyday operations. Out of an abundance of caution, we implemented the following measures weeks ago to help protect our team members and residents from COVID-19:

  • Conducting resident health evaluations, including temperature checks and respiratory assessments multiple times a day.
  • Instructing team members to stay home if sick or experiencing virus symptoms, and asking team members to self-quarantine in cases of possible exposure to infectious illness.
  • Screening all team members and visitors for possible illness, recent travel to CDC-issued Level 2 and Level 3 countries (China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, and Italy), and potential exposure to the virus.
  • Re-educating our team members and monitoring to ensure that community teams are following the standards in our evidence-based Infection Control and Prevention program, such as frequent handwashing, cleaning of high-touch surfaces, and other recommended hygiene measures.

Our team is working to maintain normalcy for our residents and families despite this situation, and we are committed to keeping an open dialogue with you regarding your loved one’s care. Moving forward, we will continue informing you of developments directly impacting your community. 

We want to thank our residents, families and team members for their understanding, cooperation and words of support in recent days. We appreciate the trust you place in us every day, and it is our honor and privilege to serve Seattle families.