COVID-19 Positive Cases at the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center and the Virginia Veterans Care Center
Including results received from testing prior to the week of September 20th, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services is currently monitoring five active COVID-19 cases (one resident, four staff) at the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center (SBVCC) in Richmond and twelve active cases (eight residents, four staff) at the Virginia Veterans Care Center (VVCC) in Roanoke.
All residents have been moved to separate wings at the veterans care centers to isolate them from other residents, while employees 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 cases.
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;
- 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 monitor and follow the latest VDH, CDC, CMS, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) guidelines closely.
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) operates the Sitter & Barfoot and Virginia Veterans Care Centers. As of September 25, 2020 SBVCC provides care for 177 residents; three hundred and forty staff members care for them. VVCC provides care for 185 residents; three hundred and ten staff members care for them.