COVID-19 Positive Cases at the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center and the Virginia Veterans Care Center  

One staff member at the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center (SBVCC) in Richmond and one staff member at the Virginia Veterans Care Center (VVCC) in Roanoke have tested positive for COVID-19.  Testing for the SBVCC staff member was performed on August 14 and the test result was returned on August 17.  Testing for the VVCC staff member was performed on August 17 and the test result was returned on August 19.

Both staff members are at home in self-isolation, and under the care of their personal health care providers.

Residents, family members, and staff have been notified of the positive COVID-19 cases.

Measures currently in place to protect the health and safety of residents and staff include:

• The care centers are 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 centers 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 VVCC or 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 SBVCC and VVCC. As of August 21, 2020, there were 187 residents at the Virginia Veterans Veterans Care Center. Three hundred and five staff members care for them. The Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center provides care for 175 residents; three hundred and twenty eight staff members care for them.