Virginia Department of Veterans Services announces confirmed positive COVID-19 case
RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is currently monitoring one positive case of COVID-19, a veteran who is a resident of the state veterans nursing home in Richmond, Virginia – the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center (SBVCC).
The veteran is currently being treated at a Richmond-area hospital.
DVS was notified on April 6, 2020 that the resident, who was receiving care at an area hospital at the time, tested positive for COVID-19. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has been notified and is assisting DVS with implementing response measures.
The resident’s family has also been notified, as have SBVCC residents, their families, and staff.
Last month, in response to the spread of the coronavirus, DVS formed coronavirus task forces at both the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center and the state veterans nursing home in Roanoke (the Virginia Veterans Care Center (VVCC).
The SBVCC Coronavirus Task Force, and its counterpart at VVCC, is comprised of staff from various departments, including a Registered Nurse Infection Preventionist. The task forces have met at least daily since the beginning of March to review operating policies and procedures related to COVID-19.
Both care centers incorporated directions and guidelines from the Governor of Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), and other governing agencies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect residents and staff members.
The Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center (SBVCC) in Richmond is a residential, skilled nursing care facility operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS). It is exclusively for veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States. It has a capacity of 200 residents in all-private rooms. It delivers three types of care: long-term skilled nursing care, Alzheimer’s/memory care, and short-term in-patient rehabilitative care.
As of April 6, 2020, there were 185 residents at the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center. Over 360 staff members care for them.