Cedar Lane Senior Living Community Announces Free Universal COVID-19 Testing

Memo

To:             Cedar Lane Residents

From:        Beverly Stickles, President & CEO

Date:         June 10, 2020

Re:            Universal Testing for COVID-19

I am excited to announce that the St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) will be completing no-cost universal COVID-19 testing for all Cedar Lane residents, live-in caregivers and staff on Monday, June 15th and Tuesday, June 16th.  Universal testing is a vital step in developing our Reopening Plan.

  • The SMCHD is providing the test at no cost to Cedar Lane, residents or staff. 
  • In order to be considered universal testing, everyone at Cedar Lane must be tested within the two-day span of June 15th and 16th.
  • SMCHD nurses will go to each resident apartment to complete the test right in the doorway. Nurses will go building by building, floor by floor and will be accompanied by a Cedar Lane staff member. 
  • We will call you by phone this Thursday or Friday to verify your information prior to testing.  On Friday afternoon, you will receive a note identifying the day and time window for your COVID-19 test.
  • The COVID-19 test is a nasal swab test. The nurse will place a special 6-inch cotton swab up both sides of your nose and move it around for about 15 seconds. It won’t hurt, but it might be uncomfortable. The swab is then inserted into a container and sent to a lab for testing.
  • The COVID-19 tests will be processed at the MD Department of Health Lab in Baltimore. We anticipate receiving test results on Friday, June 19, 2020.
  • SMCHD will contact you with the results of your test.  If your test is negative for COVID-19 it means that you were not infected at the time your sample was collected. However, that does not mean you will not get sick. The test result only means that you did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing.  If your test is positive, you will receive a call from an Infectious Disease RN who will give you instructions to self-isolate and stay away from those who are not infected with the virus.   Your information will remain confidential.  You cannot be evicted from your Cedar Lane apartment or be charged a higher rent due to positive COVID test results.
  • If you test positive or negative for COVID-19 you should continue to take preventive measures to protect yourself and others – wash your hands, cover coughs and sneezes, clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily, avoid close contact, cover your mouth and nose with a face cover when around others and monitor your health. 
  • Everyone at Cedar Lane is to be tested, even if you have been tested for COVID-19 already.  The only exception will be someone who was tested on Sunday, June 14th.
  • In the event that a resident or staff member tests positive for the virus, we will inform you, while also protecting the privacy of the individual.  We will not release names, addresses or any other means of identification.  
  • Health experts agree that testing is a huge part of being able to proactively manage any outbreak and chart our way out of the COVID-19 storm. Our goal with implementing this universal testing is to rapidly detect asymptomatic positive community members, assist them in managing their recovery, and prevent the unknowing transmission of COVID-19 in our community.

Residents have the option to opt out of testing, but I am hoping that all of you will agree to participate. This is a unique opportunity for our community to pull together and gain a real understanding of how we are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we can address actual health concerns and begin to move forward with our Reopening Plan.

Residents who cannot be in their apartment at the appointed time and wish to reschedule their COVID test or residents who wish to opt out of Cedar Lane’s universal testing are asked to call the Front Desk and ask for Wanda Fenwick at ext. 24.

It takes a village. Thank you for being a part of ours.