Gardenside and Cedarwood have updated visitation guidelines to reflect current CMS guidelines, which have lightened restrictions for visitors. Please note that visitation guidelines and instructions are different for Gardenside and Cedarwood, because of their different licensures.

Guidelines for Visitation at Gardenside:

• Gardenside will no longer limit the frequency or length of visits for residents.
• Because of Gardenside’s space limitations and the continuing need to distance for infection prevention, we recommend no more than 3 visitors at a time. Please visit with Social Services or the Director of Nursing about larger groups if needed.
• Appointments continue to be recommended to help Gardenside staff accommodate visits and space and maintain the core principals of infection prevention for COVID-19. Appointments can be made through SignUp Genius on the webpage, JCHealthandLife.org, locations, Gardenside; OR may be made by calling the facility at 402-729-5220. Appointments are NOT required.
• When visitors arrive on campus they are asked to call the Gardenside nurses desk at 402-729-5220 and come to door 31 (located between Gardenside and Cedarwood.)
• All visitors must screen at the kiosk before entering Gardenside.
• All visitors must perform hand hygiene before entering, during the visit and prior to leaving, and any time they touch their face mask.
• Proper face covering or mask is required for the entire visit.
• Physical distancing of at least 6 feet is required between visitor and residents and/or staff.
• Visitors should enter and go directly to their visit. Please don’t wander the halls, stand at the nurses station or go to the day room or dining room. Please don’t get closer than 6 feet to any residents who are in the halls.
• Visits may be held in the resident’s room if they have a private room or a semi private room with no roommate. Otherwise, visits will be scheduled in visitation rooms.
• Do NOT enter the facility if you are ill, have a recent positive COVID-19 test, or have been asked to quarantine or isolate.
• Residents are allowed to go out of the facility for outings with family at any time. We encourage them to avoid large gatherings. Staff appreciates a 24-hour notice to ensure proper paperwork is completed. Please contact social services at 402-729-6849 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to schedule outings.
• Visitors who do not adhere to the core principals of COVID-19 infection prevention (including screening, masking, hand sanitizer, distancing, etc.) they will be asked to leave the facility and prohibited from visiting.
• Gardenside is currently working on some additional enhancements to make it more convenient for visitors to screen and enter the facility. Please watch the website for updates.

Guidelines for visitation at Cedarwood:

• Cedarwood will no longer limit the frequency or length of visits for tenants.
• No appointments are required.
• Cedarwood visitors are asked to use the main entrance.
• All visitors must screen at the kiosk before entering Cedarwood.
• Once the visitor passes the screening, they will receive a code to press on the door entry system.
• All visitors must perform hand hygiene before entering, during the visit and prior to leaving, and any time they touch their face mask.
• Proper face covering or mask is required at any time the visitor is in shared spaces (such as hallways.)
• Visitors should enter and go directly to their visit. Please don’t wander the halls. Please don’t get closer than 6 feet to any tenants or staff who are in the halls.
• Visits are recommended to be held in the tenant’s living units.
• Do NOT enter the facility if you are ill, have a recent positive COVID-19 test, or have been asked to quarantine or isolate.
• Tenants are allowed to go out of the facility for outings with family at any time. We encourage them to avoid large gatherings.
• Visitors who do not adhere to the core principals of COVID-19 infection prevention (including screening, masking, hand sanitizer, distancing, etc.) they will be asked to leave the facility and prohibited from visiting.
• Cedarwood is currently working on some additional enhancements to make it more convenient for visitors to screen and enter the facility. Please watch the website for updates.

“Gardenside and Cedarwood are among a very small group of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the state of Nebraska who have had no cases of COVID-19 diagnosed among residents or tenants,” said Laura DeBoer, Gardenside Director Nursing Services. “We have worked very hard throughout the pandemic to keep our residents and tenants safe, and we will continue to follow the guidelines that have made this possible.”

Those with questions about the guidelines may contact:

• Laura DeBoer RN – Gardenside Director of Nursing Services — 402-587-5228
• Raven Gerths – Gardenside Social Services Coordinator — 402-729-6849
• Becky Bruce, LPN, Cedarwood Director of Nursing – 402-729-6883

JCH&L Fairbury Clinic is now offering the COVID vaccine booster weekly on designated days. Patients can choose which booster vaccine they would like to receive – Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson.

The booster is available for anyone 18 and older who has had a complete series of one of the COVID vaccines. The person must have had their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least 6 months before the booster date, and the Johnson and Johnson dose at least 2 months prior to the booster date. The person receiving the booster may choose which brand of vaccine they would like to have for their booster. They are not required to have the same brand they had for their initial series.

If someone has not yet had their initial doses of the vaccine, JCH&L Fairbury Clinic continues to offer the COVID vaccine for anyone 18 years and older.

To make an appointment for a vaccine booster, please call the Vaccine Line at 402-587-5188. The line is answered by a voice mail. Please leave your name, date of birth, brand of vaccine you prefer for booster, and phone number to be contacted. JCH&L staff will contact you to schedule your booster appointment.

There is no out of pocket cost for the booster. You will be asked for insurance information for an administration fee. If you do not have insurance, you will not be billed this fee.

If you have additional questions on the vaccine, please leave your questions on the Vaccine Line and you will be contacted.

Honored for overall excellence in quality and patient perspective

Jefferson Community Health & Life has been recognized by The Chartis Center for Rural Health/iVantage Health Analytics and the National Organization of State Office of Rural Health (NOSORH) for overall excellence in quality and patient perspective, reflecting top quartile performance among all rural hospitals in the nation.

“This recognition affirms the work and care of JCH&L’s staff, physicians and board, and the support of the community,” said Burke Kline, DHA, CHFP, FACHE, JCH&L CEO. “JCH&L’s mission is to inspire healthy living by providing exceptional health and life services for every person, every time. This recognition recognizes our commitment to our patients for quality and excellence in care.”

JCH&L was among 32 Nebraska hospitals recognized for quality, and 24 Nebraska hospitals recognized for patient perspective.

The Performance Leadership Awards utilize the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX®, the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. INDEX data is trusted by rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints, hospital associations and state offices of rural health across the country to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance.

Performance Leadership Award recipients are rural hospitals ranking in the 75^th percentile or above in the INDEX performance pillars for Quality, Outcomes, or Patient Perspective.

“We are proud to mark this year’s National Rural Health Day by recognizing rural hospitals’ steadfast commitment to serving their communities and delivering high quality care,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “In the face of tremendous challenges, these top quartile performers continue to exemplify the power of rural and create a blueprint for excellence in quality, outcomes and patient perspectives.”

Jefferson Community Health & Life has previously been recognized with the NOSORH/iVantage Performance Leadership award for quality in 2020; for quality, outcomes and patient perspective in 2017, 2018 and 2019; the Performance Leadership award for financial strength and patient satisfaction in 2016; named as a Top 100 critical access hospital for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, and 2014; named as a Top 20 critical access hospital for quality in 2020 and Top 20 overall in 2018; and named a HEALTHSTRONG hospital in 2015.

Jefferson Community Health & Life was named among the Top 10 Nebraska hospitals for Rural Provider Excellence in Quality by the Chartis Center for Rural Health and the Nebraska Department of Health. Presented at this year’s Nebraska Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics Conference on Quality, the Rural Provider Excellence in Quality Award honors Top 10 overall performance in quality among the state’s Critical Access Hospitals.

“Quality is of utmost importance to all of us at Jefferson Community Health and Life,” said Burke Kline, DHA, CHFP, FACHE, JCH&L CEO. “We are pleased to be honored among the top rural health facilities in Nebraska for our quality.”

This is the fourth year JCH&L has received the recognition since it began in 2018.

The Rural Provider Excellence in Quality Award utilizes the Chartis Center for Rural Health’s Hospital Strength INDEX® framework to analyze Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) measures for all Critical Access Hospitals in Nebraska. The analysis percentile-ranks performance for each facility across 22 equally weighted, core MBQIP metrics. Hospitals with the 10 highest scores are recognized with the Rural Provider Excellence in Quality Award.

“Our Critical Access Hospitals place a tremendous amount of emphasis on delivering a high level of quality, and we are proud to highlight and recognize their efforts,” said Nancy Jo Hansen, Flex and SHIP Program Manager, Nebraska Department of Health. “These top 10 award winners are a testament to the commitment to quality we see across Nebraska, the power of innovation and the belief that improving the care experience is always possible.”

“Each year, Critical Access Hospitals in Nebraska are among the nation’s top performers across multiple facets of the INDEX,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We are delighted to partner with the Nebraska Department of Health on this unique program and recognize outstanding performance in quality among the state’s Critical Access Hospitals.”

A subsidiary of The Chartis Group, iVantage Health Analytics (iVantage) is a leading provider of healthcare analytic and performance management analytic tools. Health system and hospital leadership teams across the country rely on the company’s software and services to deliver customized insights on clinical and financial performance, strategic planning, market assessment and payment optimization. iVantage’s analytics are the basis of continuing thought leadership and insight in the areas of healthcare policy and research.

The Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project is a quality improvement activity under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) grant program of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health policy. The goal is to improve the quality of care in Critical Access Hospitals by increasing quality data reporting and driving quality improvement activities based on the data.