Cheshire Home is committed to providing a response to every inquiry within 24 hours. If you call on a weekend, we ask for your patience, as we may not be able to respond until first thing Monday morning.
Cheshire Home is dedicated to our residents, staff, families, and friends in the monumental efforts to stay healthy and safe during this unprecedented time. We have been working diligently to institute each and every safety measure outlined by the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in order to best protect the health and safety of everyone at Cheshire Home. Most recently we have been following the specific requirements as outlined in the NJDOH’s Executive Directive No. 26-026. This directive governs all long-term care facilities in the state and outlines many important details regarding the management of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities.
Cheshire Home has developed an Outbreak Response Plan (ORP) that is customized to meet the unique needs of our residents, staff, and facility, and is based upon national and state standards and developed in consultation with Cheshire’s Infection Control Committee.
The plan includes the following:
Policies for the notification of residents, residents’ families, visitors, and staff in the event of an outbreak of a contagious disease at Cheshire Home. Policies include a communication plan to inform residents, their representatives, and families of the residents by 5 p.m. the next calendar day following the subsequent occurrence of either: each time a single confirmed infection of COVID-19 is identified, or whenever three or more residents or staff with new-onset of respiratory symptoms occur within 72 hours of each other.
Information on protocols for testing, protocols for screening visitors, protocols to require ill staff to not be present at the facility for work duties, and processes for implementing evidence-based outbreak response measures.
Policies to conduct routine monitoring of residents and staff to quickly identify signs of a communicable disease that could develop into an outbreak.
Protocol for isolating and cohorting infected and at-risk residents in the event of an outbreak of a contagious disease.
Policies for reporting outbreaks to public health officials in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Methods to communicate information on mitigating actions implemented by the facility to prevent or reduce the risk of transmission, including if normal operations of the facility will be altered.
Methods to provide cumulative updates for residents, their representatives, and families of those residing in the facilities at least once weekly, in particular during a curtailed visitation period.
Written standards, policies and procedures that provide for virtual communication (e.g. phone video-communication, FaceTime, etc.) with residents, families, and resident representatives, in the event of visitation restrictions due to an outbreak of infectious disease or in the event of an emergency.
A documented strategy for securing more staff in the event of a new outbreak of COVID-19 or any other infectious disease or emergency among staff.
Our outbreak plan is available to view and has been submitted to the NJDOH, and fully includes all educational, surveillance, testing, communication, staffing and reporting requirements.
If you would like additional information about our response to COVID-19 or more detailed information regarding policies and procedures, please contact our Social Service Department at 973-966-1232 ext. 230.
Updates and information regarding Covid-19 are also sent via email.
