Statement on COVID-19

At BRC, we have no higher priority than the health and safety of our residents. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is not on our campus yet, and we are committed to doing everything we can to keep it that way. We’ve been following the situation closely since early January and making preparations throughout our campus to mitigate the risk of exposure for our residents. Now is the time to take additional steps.

Until now our preparations have taken place behind the scenes, like ensuring our stockpiles of emergency food and medical equipment are sufficient and reinforcing proper handwashing hygiene protocols with our team members. But as the virus spreads more widely throughout the US and (in particular) the Commonwealth of Virginia, the time has come to implement significant measures to safeguard our residents.

As such, I’m writing to inform you of new prevention efforts going into effect today. We have made the difficult decision to suspend all visitation to our nursing households and assisted living residences. Exceptions may be made on an individual basis for end-of-life care. Village residents are highly discouraged from hosting off-campus visitors in their homes or attending large off-campus gatherings. We encourage you to stay in touch with your loved ones via phone, video conferencing, email, social media, and other means.

In addition, the following measures will go into effect:

• All campus events and community gatherings are canceled until further notice.
• All school group visitation (including clinical internships) has been suspended.
• All outside vendors and contractors will follow prevention protocols and are restricted from certain areas. Anyone who enters buildings where residents live or gather will be screened (including temperature readings).
• Residents and team members must report travel plans to Resident Services or their respective team leaders. Residents and team members will be monitored upon their return.
• BRC will screen and collect a temperature reading for every person (including team members) who enters the Huffman Health Center, Assisted Living, or the Administrative Center.
• Admissions and move-ins will continue, with appropriate preventive measures and protocols.
• Everyone is encouraged to continue practicing good infection control by washing your hands and using hand sanitizer regularly; covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze; maintain social distances of around six feet from people who show symptoms; and avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth.

Many of these changes will be personally difficult, especially for our residents’ families, and you have our commitment to continually evaluate the threat level posed by the virus and respond accordingly. Daily updates will be provided online at brcliving.org/covid19 and via our Coronavirus Prevention Hotline (540-828-2444).

To receive the most timely updates from us, I encourage you to share your email address with us at prevention@brcliving.org. Please be sure to include your name and the name of the family member who resides at BRC in the body of the email.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and assistance as we strive to provide the safest possible environment for our residents.

With best regards,

Rodney Alderfer
President, Bridgewater Retirement Community