Coronavirus Update

Lancaster and York counties have been added to Gov. Tom Wolf’s list of Pennsylvania counties under a stay-at-home order as officials try to slow the spread of COVID-19. View the stay-at-home order details: here.
The order goes into effect at 8 p.m. tonight, and will remain in effect until April 6.

• Beginning Sunday, March 29 at 7 PM, Brethren Village will enforce a 7 PM daily curfew time throughout campus. Curfew will be lifted at 5 AM.
• No one will enter campus after 7 PM, with the exception of Team Members who are scheduled to work, other essential, direct caregivers and emergency personnel.
• There are reports of positive COVID-19 cases at other Lancaster County retirement communities.
• Employing a curfew will help to limit the traffic on campus, and assist in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

What do these guidelines mean?

• Residential Living Residents need to complete all errands and off-campus needs prior to 7 PM.
• No visitors of any kind will be admitted to campus after 7 PM.
• If you order food delivery, please plan to have it arrive prior to the curfew.
• Package, mail and medication deliveries will continue.
• Visitors to Residential Living are strongly discouraged.

This means that:

• Begin communicating with your family and friends through telephone calls, Skype, FaceTime or Zoom.
• If you rely on outside visitors for caregiving, please contact your social worker.
• Additional restrictions may need to be imposed, and immediate action will be taken as the situation demands.

Brethren Village is now employing single entry/exit at the Airport Road and Fairview Drive entrance to campus. Every person entering campus needs to be screened and visitors to Residential Living Residents are discouraged. (Visitation to Supportive Living remains restricted.) Please view our latest video below for details.

Today, a positive COVID-19 case was identified at LGH. This marks the first case in Lancaster County. Our efforts are to continue to be proactive in keeping the virus off of Brethren Village’s campus. For the health and safety of our Residents, we are actively developing a plan to limit visitors to all Residents on campus. This will include a staffed, single-entry point to our campus on Airport Road. Please tune in to our YouTube Channel or check back here at noon on March 19 for details.

All events, activities and wellness programs that have 10 or more people attending are currently cancelled.

Beginning TODAY, The Bistro and Chives will be available for carry-out only, as our primary concern is virus mitigation.

In an effort to protect our most vulnerable Residents, All Team Members, contractors and agencies will be screened prior to working their shift, beginning TODAY. We are using a single point of entry, and everyone will enter through the Welcome Center and be screened at that time.

As always, I want to assure you that Brethren Village is doing everything in our power to protect Residents and keep COVID-19 out of our campus. I recognize that with the latest restrictions, you may be wondering what you can do. Now is a good time to be a great neighbor. If you’re heading to the grocery store, ask a neighbor if they need anything. Is your hall-mate mobility-challenged? Offer to pick up their take out meal for them. It is times like these that true humanity is on display.

As you’re already aware, news and recommendations regarding COVID-19 are changing rapidly. Please be sure to tune in to our regular communication channels for updates.

Our pool and fitness centers are closed to non-Residents until further notice. Thank you for your understanding.

Due to increasing cases of COVID-19 surrounding Lancaster County, we are using prudent judgement and restricting visitation to our Supportive Living areas. That means no one will be admitted to visit a Resident in Personal Care, The Courtyards or Short Term Rehab. Additionally, Brethren Village is currently not accepting admissions in our skilled nursing areas from the outside community. Our greatest responsibility is to protect our most vulnerable Residents, we appreciate your understanding.

Brethren Village’s Infection Control RN and leadership team meets daily to monitor information about Coronavirus. The health and safety of our Residents, Team Members, guests, and other members of the Brethren Village community is our highest priority. As of today, there are no reported cases of Coronavirus among Brethren Village Residents or Team Members.

We review guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on a daily basis. CDC guidance is changing frequently, so please continue to visit this web page for up-to-date information about Brethren Village’s response to Coronavirus.

We ask that all members of the Brethren Village community, including Residents, Team Members, family members, guests / visitors, volunteers, agency staff members, and our contracted service providers take these common-sense precautions:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, and lather the soap around all fingers, your thumbs, fingernails, and the back of your hands for at least 20 seconds.
• Cover your hand with a paper towel, whenever possible, to turn off the faucet and when touching door knobs and other surfaces.
• Cover your nose or mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough, and cough into your elbow instead of your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, as germs from your hands can spread.
• Consider avoiding large group events and avoid close contact with anyone who appears ill.
• Please refrain from coming to Brethren Village if you have flu-like symptoms or symptoms of respiratory illness. Signs have been placed at various entrances, asking that visitors experiencing symptoms of illness not enter.

For Brethren Village Team Members, volunteers, agency staff, and our contracted service partners:

• Consistently and properly wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as appropriate for your job.
• If you have symptoms of flu or other respiratory illness, please stay home and speak to your health care provider. If you have concerns regarding your health, please contact your health care provider.
• If you are diagnosed with, or have symptoms of, a communicable or contagious illness, please immediately notify your supervisor or a Human Resources representative (717-581-4239 or 717-581-4269). Information regarding a contagious illness will be shared with the facility’s Infection Control RN, for the purpose of limiting the spread of illness throughout the facility. The least amount of information necessary will be shared, and only with those who have a bona fide reason to know, related to preventing the spread of illness.
• If you are not experiencing symptoms, we ask that you report to Brethren Village as scheduled, so we continue to provide appropriate care and services to our Residents.