COVID-19 Positive Case at the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center
One staff member at the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center (SBVCC) in Richmond has tested positive for COVID-19.
The staff member was tested on September 16. Rapid test results were received on September 16. The staff member is at home in self-isolation, and under the care of their personal health care provider.
Residents, family members, and staff have been notified of the positive COVID-19 case.
Measures currently in place to protect the health and safety of residents and staff include:
- In accordance with current Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines, residents and staff are tested regularly.
- SBVCC is closed to all visitors. The only exception is for family members to visit a resident in an end-of-life stage, with prior coordination;
- All persons entering the care center are screened (temperature taken) and are asked about potential COVID-19 exposure. Persons with a fever or a positive response to the questionnaire are denied entry;
- Residents are screened three times a day (temperature and vitals). Any resident with a temperature above 100.4 or showing other potential signs of COVID-19 exposure is immediately isolated. A COVID-19 test is conducted upon the direction of the care center medical director;
- Residents who have been admitted to a hospital must have a negative COVID-19 result that is less than 24 hours old, and must not have been tested or treated on any dedicated COVID-19 wing or isolation unit of the hospital prior to readmission to SBVCC;
- All staff who enter a resident room wear masks. If a resident’s condition calls for it, additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as gloves and gowns, is worn per Virginia Department of Health (VDH) protocol;
- Staff are following Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) guidelines related to handwashing, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, covering coughs, and use of PPE;
- Staff who are sick have been directed to stay home and contact their personal health care provider; and
- Each care center continues to follow the latest VDH, CDC, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) guidelines closely.
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) operates the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center. As of September18, 2020 SBVCC provides care for 179 residents; three hundred and forty staff members care for them.