JCH&L Gardenside, Cedarwood Delay Visitation

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Visits by family members to JCH&L Gardenside and Cedarwood have been delayed from starting by at least one week.

“An increase in cases of COVID-19 in the surrounding counties in our public health district since late last week make us feel we must postpone visits,” said Deb Sutton RN, BS, NHA.  “We know everyone is excited to be able to see family again, but safety must be our first priority.”

JCH&L and Cedarwood work closely with Public Health Solutions district health department, and comply with state and federal guidelines. Moving forward the long-term care and assisted living facilities will review area stats and make decisions on a week-by-week basis, working with the local medical director and the public health department.

Visits had been announced to begin on July 15 after the facilities have been closed to visitors since March 14 because of state and federal guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Health & Human Services and CDC have provided guidelines that nursing homes and assisted living facilities must follow to reopen to visitors, including strict standards for social distancing and the use of face masks for all visits. Community incidence of the virus must also be taken into consideration.

Anyone with questions about the requirements should contact Sutton at 402-729-6843.

JCH&L Gardenside, Cedarwood Prepare for Visits

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JCH&L Gardenside and Cedarwood are preparing for visits from family members beginning July 15. The facilities have been closed to visitors since March 14 because of state and federal guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to be able to welcome family members back to visit their loved ones. We appreciate their patience and understanding, as we have very strict guidelines we are required to follow in order to keep our residents and tenants safe,” said Deb Sutton RN, BS, NHA, administrator of JCH&L Gardenside and Cedarwood.

The Department of Health & Human Services and CDC have provided guidelines that nursing homes must follow, including strict standards for social distancing and the use of face masks for all visits.

Gardenside and Cedarwood were able to move to Phase 2 on June 24. Phase 2 allows group activities in groups of 10 or fewer, with facemasks required for all residents attending. Group dining is allowed with two per table, with a plexiglass divider between them.

Gardenside and Cedarwood were granted permission to move to Phase 3 as of July 3rd. In order to move to Phase 3, both facilities had to test all staff for COVID-19, with all negative results; have enough personal protective equipment on hand in the event of a case being diagnosed; our hospital must have the capacity to admit any residents who contract COVID-19; we must have adequate staffing and a supervised visitation plan in place; and the public health district we are located in must be in Phase 3 and there cannot be a high number of COVID-19 cases in our county or community. Gardenside and Cedarwood staff were all tested for COVID-19 on June 30, and all test results were negative. Both facilities meet all other requirements.

If at any time a nursing home or assisted living has a positive case of COVID-19 identified with a staff member or a resident/tenant, the facility could be required to move back to Phase 1 immediately, with no visitation.

As the facilities open to visitors:

  1. They are required to have staff available to monitor and supervise all visits, to ensure the guidelines are properly followed at all times
  2. Nursing homes and assisted livings must designate a specific location for visits where staff can monitor that guidelines are followed
  3. All visitors must wear a cloth face mask that fits over their nose and under their chin during the entire visit
  4. All visitors must always maintain social distancing of 6 feet during the visit
  5. All visitors must be screened, including a temperature, before entering the nursing home or assisted living. Anyone with any respiratory symptoms will not be allowed to enter
  6. All visitors must clean their hands with hand sanitizer before entering the nursing home or assisted living
  7. Visiting areas must be disinfected between visits

To meet these requirements, Gardenside and Cedarwood have developed a visitation plan which includes:

  • Family members will be given priority for visits to residents/tenants.
  • All visits must be scheduled in advance with Gardenside or Cedarwood.
  • Visitation times will be limited and will be offered on Wednesday evenings beginning July 15; Saturday afternoons beginning July 18; and Sunday evenings beginning July 19
  • Visitors must check in at the door between Gardenside & Cedarwood (signs will be placed to mark location) 5-10 minutes before their scheduled visit. Park in the West parking lot to access this door. This door is locked, so staff must open the door from inside.
  • Visitors must bring a properly fitting cloth face mask with them
  • No more than 2 visitors for a resident per visit with only 3 residents allowed visitors at a time
  • No children under the age of 14 will be allowed to visit at this time
  • Visitors will have their temperature checked and will be asked screening questions
  • Visitors will sign in before each visit
  • Staff will take the visitor to the designated location and will remind you when we need to end the visit so we can prepare for the next scheduled visitors
  • Visitors are required to keep their mask on at all times and must stay at least 6 feet away from their loved one.

Any visitors who cannot wear a mask will not be allowed entry into Gardenside for the safety of our residents. Any visitors who do not follow these guidelines will be required to leave immediately.

“Please bear with us as we begin this new process for visitation. We will continually reassess our visitation times and locations to try to best meet the needs of our residents and families. We understand that it has been extremely difficult for our residents and their loved ones these past several months. We want to bring everyone back together again, but we must keep the safety of residents our first priority,” Sutton said.

Anyone with questions about the requirements should contact Sutton at 402-729-6843.

JCH&L’s Next Women’s Health Days are July 28 and Aug. 25

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Wellness Experience Offers Women a Convenient Way to Take Control of Their Health

Women’s Health Days have returned to Jefferson Community Health & Life. In just about three hours women from Jefferson County and beyond can complete their annual health checks and receive a well-deserved indulgence at the same time. Women’s Health Day is a complete wellness experience designed to make women’s health easy. Jefferson Community Health & Life is now scheduling women for the experience on Tuesdays, July 28, and Aug. 25.

The program is available at the Jefferson Community Health & Life Health Center and Fairbury Clinic on select days every month, and includes:

* Personalized guidance from an on-site Women’s Health Day navigator

* Important health screenings, including fasting lab tests, a screening mammogram and a routine annual exam to assess overall and gynecological health (lab test and mammogram results will be available before participants leave for the day, while Pap test results will be provided later by mail)

* Complimentary breakfast and a relaxing indulgence—such as an express manicure or express pedicure, for example. Offerings may vary.

* Reserved parking

“It’s so important for women to make time for their own health, but we know life sometimes gets in the way,” said Erin Starr, Chief Quality Officer. “That’s why we created Women’s Health Day—to provide a convenient way for women to get their essential health screenings all at once, while also taking time to unwind.”

All major insurance plans are accepted for screening and exams (coverage is subject to individual policy terms). JCH&L Fairbury Clinic accepts new patients.

Appointments for the Women’s Health Day experience start as early as 6:30 a.m. To schedule, call 402.729.6841.

JCH&L Burkley Fitness Center Expands Hours

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JCH&L Burkley Fitness Center expanded its hours on Monday, July 6. The center is now open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

A number of COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.

  • The number of users in the facility at one time is limited. The number of users in the weight room, pool and hot tub at one time also remain limited. Pool and hot tub use by appointment.
  • Users enter through an alternate entrance (through the basketball court.)
  • All facility users are screened.
  • Basketball court remains closed to activities.
  • No group fitness classes.
  • No access for members or guests to the health center from the fitness center.

“We are happy to be able to expand our hours, and thank our members for their patience throughout this pandemic,” said Craig Bontrager, Burkley Fitness Center director. “We are following the guidelines set out by the governor, and are working hard to keep our members and staff safe.”

Members are encouraged to watch JCH&L’s Facebook, Twitter and website for updates.

Golf Tournament to Benefit Jefferson Community Health & Life

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A charity golf tournament to benefit Jefferson Community Health & Life has been set for Friday, Aug. 7, at the Fairbury Country Club.

A few changes are being made this year to be in compliance with county Directed Health Measures, state guidelines, and CDC recommendations. This year’s tournament will be a two-person scramble. The 18-hole tournament will feature cash prizes along with pin prizes and will begin with an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start.

The entry fee is $200 per team. The field is limited to a maximum of 27 teams. The entry fee includes grab-and-go breakfast and coffee beginning at 7:30 a.m., boxed lunch, gifts for all golfers, mulligans and chances at pin prizes.

Hole sponsorships are also available. Sponsorship is $475 and entitles the sponsor to recognition at the hole sponsored and on the tournament program, and one team entry.

A raffle will also be available for those who choose to donate.

Tournament proceeds are not designated to specific projects, and have been used for a variety of projects at Jefferson Community Health & Life over the years. One large project made possible by unrestricted funds was funding $200,000 (about half the cost) of a new X-ray machine which is safer, faster, more efficient and more comfortable for patients.

Jefferson Community Health & Life, named a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital for Quality by Chartis Center for Rural Health in 2020, operates a 17-bed, acute-care Critical Access Hospital in Fairbury, Neb., offering inpatient and outpatient services, including surgery, therapy, screenings, and emergency services. Jefferson Community Health & Life offers additional health and life services, including Fairbury and Plymouth clinics (primary and family care), Burkley Fitness Center, Gardenside (long-term care), and Home Health services. In addition, Jefferson Community Health & Life supports numerous education programs and support groups.

Entry forms are available by contacting Lana Likens, director of public relations, at 402-729-6855, or email lana.likens@jchealthandlife.org.

JCH&L Partners with the State of Nebraska to Expand Testing

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Leveraging TestNebraska’s infrastructure, Nebraska is scaling widespread COVID-19 testing

FAIRBURY, NE – Today, we are announcing a partnership with the State of Nebraska to provide free COVID-19 testing to eligible residents. Residents of Nebraska can take an online assessment through the TestNebraska portal, and if eligible receive a free test from our hospital.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nebraskans have been asking for more widespread access to testing. The State’s partnership with Nomi Health provides our hospital with access to a pre-existing supply chain of testing that works, project management, and clinical expertise in collaboration with our hospital staff to get the job done. Our hospital and public health systems across the state needed immediate access to scarce resources, high-quality testing equipment, an efficient process, which this partnership delivers.

“Jefferson Community Health & Life is pleased to partner with the state to make free COVID-19 testing available for those who are eligible through Test Nebraska,” said Burke Kline, DHA, JCH&L CEO.

Test Nebraska will be held at JCH&L on Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. beginning Tuesday, July 7. Appointments are required through TestNebraska.com. Those who have appointments are asked to drive up at the main entrance (circle drive.) Please don’t arrive more than 5 minutes before your appointment time, and stay in your car with the windows up until you reach the sampling area and are given instructions.

Kidney Specialist Returns to JCH&L

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Jeffrey T. Marple, MD, Nephrologist Returns Via Telehealth

Jeffrey T. Marple, MD, nephrologist and internal medicine specialist, will begin seeing patients at Jefferson Community Health & Life Outpatient Services through telemedicine on Tuesday, July 7. This service is a partnership between JCH&L and Bryan Telemedicine.

“We see a need among our area residents to see a nephrologist (kidney specialist,)” said Erin Starr RN, Chief Nursing Officer at JCH&L. “Patients have been pleased with utilizing telehealth for the mental health clinic, and we are excited to expand the use of telehealth to other areas where we see community needs.”

Dr. Marple will see patients at JCH&L Outpatient Services monthly through the telehealth system. Dr. Marple attended the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine, completed his residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, and completed a fellowship through the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He is board certified through the American Board of Internal Medicine, with Nephrology as his subspeciality. He contracts with Bryan Telemedicine to provide telehealth services to patients.

Patients with an appointment will come to JCH&L Outpatient Services and check in as usual. A nurse will be with them throughout their appointment, and will take care of getting biometric information the physician needs – such as blood pressure, pulse, temperature, etc. The patient and physician will talk through two-way video. Other services which might be needed – such as laboratory, ultrasound, or xray, for example, are also available through JCH&L Outpatient Services.

“Telehealth is becoming a very popular way to be able to access needed health care, and JCH&L is pleased to be able to partner with Bryan Telemedicine to continue to expand this service to our area residents,” said Dr. Burke Kline, JCH&L CEO. “We continue to seek ways to better serve our community.”

All outpatients who visit the clinic are screened and will be asked to wear a mask. For an appointment or more information, call JCH&L Outpatient Services at 402-729-6851.

Deadline Nears for Historic Trail Walk Challenge

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Historic Walk Encourages Activity, and Share Community Historic Sites

Complete the Historic Trail Walk Challenge by July 6 for a chance to win a Kindle Fire!

JeffCo On the Move introduced the Historic Trail Walk in May. The concept is simple: provide information at various historic sites around the community, and let walkers or bikers know where other signs are and how far it is from place to place.

“The goal is to encourage healthy activity in our community,” said Lana Likens, president of JeffCo On the Move. “We want to encourage walking, biking, and connecting our community.”

Sites included on the Fairbury Historic Trail Walk are: Rock Island Railroad Depot Museum, Fairbury Public Library; McNish Park; Fairbury City Museum; Fairbury City Park; and Jefferson County Courthouse/Historic Downtown Fairbury. Each sign includes a brief history of the location, photos, a map of the community with other Historic Trail Walk locations marked, and distances to the other locations on the trail. Each map has a QR code which allows participants to go to the map on their mobile device. The map can also be accessed on line at the City of Fairbury site. Go to fairburyne.org, then parks, then JeffCo On the Move Historic Trail.

The Kickoff Challenge for the Historic Trail Walk runs through July 6. Individuals or families are invited to walk or bike to each of the six locations on the Historic Trail Walk and take a selfie with the sign at each location. (The visits don’t all have to be the same day.) We encourage individuals and families to post their selfies on the JeffCo On the Move Facebook page with the hashtag #historictrailwalk. Each participant is then encouraged to show their six selfies to staff at the Fairbury Public Library (during regular library open hours) prior to closing time on Monday, July 6, and fill out a form to register for the drawing. There is no cost to compete in the challenge. One entry per family is allowed. From all eligible entries, one winner will be drawn for a Kindle Fire.

Full contest details and map can be found on the JeffCo On the Move Facebook page.

“We are very grateful to our sign sponsors for their part in making this project possible, and to the city of Fairbury for their support for the project and installing the signs this spring,” Likens said.

Sponsors are: Westin Packaged Meats-Fairbury Operations; Heartland Bank; PVI; Rooted in Relationships; Fairbury Public Library Foundation; and Jefferson Community Health & Life.

The goal of JeffCo on the Move is to encourage and facilitate healthy lifestyles.

“We also encourage families to check out the locations that the signs recognize,” Likens said.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Fairbury Historic Trail project or JeffCo on the Move may check out the Facebook Page (JeffCo On the Move) or contact Likens at 402-729-6855.

JCH&L Gardenside, Cedarwood Work Toward Re-Opening to Visitors

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JCH&L Gardenside and Cedarwood staff are working diligently to put all plans in place which are required to re-open to visitors.

“We are thrilled to have the blessing of the governor and the Department of Health and Human Services to work toward re-opening Gardenside and Cedarwood to visitors,” said Deb Sutton, RN, Gardenside and Cedarwood administrator. “There are many requirements that each nursing home must work through in order to be able to re-open to visitors, and nursing homes will not all work through that process at the same pace.”

Because of the plans and steps required, Gardenside and Cedarwood do not yet have a date set to begin re-opening to visitors. Before re-opening to visitors, nursing homes are required to:

*Complete COVID-19 testing on all staff. Gardenside and Cedarwood have applied to have staff testing done, and is awaiting approval from Test Nebraska. More than 500 nursing homes and assisted living facilities will be applying for this testing.

*Have a plan to have enough staff to screen all visitors and supervise all visitation to ensure that visitation requirements are followed. Gardenside and Cedarwood are working on this plan.

*The facility must have the ability to test all staff and residents at any time if a COVID-19 case is suspected. Gardenside and Cedarwood have a plan in place for this if necessary.

*The facility’s public health district must be in Phase 3 of the Directed Health Measures. Public Health Solutions, the five-county public health district which includes Jefferson County, is scheduled to move to Phase 3 on June 22.

*There can’t be a large number of COVID-19 cases within the county. There have been 9 people in Jefferson County test positive for COVID-19. Only two of those have been within the last 14 days, according to Department of Health and Human Services data.

“Our administration and staff understand completely the desire of family members to visit their loved ones, and the need of our residents to have visits from their family members,” Sutton said. “We are doing everything in our power to complete all the steps required as efficiently as possible to allow this next step.”

Gardenside is currently able to allow residents to dine in controlled group settings with only 2 residents per table and a plexiglass divider between them. Cedarwood is in the process of making the same type of controlled group dining available to tenants.

Group activities were not allowed so a new wireless speaker system was purchased, which has allowed Gardenside and Cedarwood to offer some live entertainment performing outside, with residents and tenants able to watch out the window and hear through the speaker system. Guidance was received June 15 that small group activities of 10 or fewer residents or tenants can be resumed with appropriate distancing and cloth face masks in use by all participants.

“We are trying to be creative and innovative in helping our residents find some joy during this situation,” Sutton said.

Gardenside and Cedarwood have been totally closed to all non-essential personnel, including family members of the residents, since March 14. Prior to that, visitation had been discouraged since March 11, and those who didn’t meet screening criteria were not allowed to visit.

“We thank the community for the support during this time. We have received many cards, drawings, cloth masks, flowers and other donations which have helped the residents feel loved and appreciated,” Sutton said. “We ask for continued support from families and the community as we navigate the many requirements and work toward safely re-opening to visitors.”

New Oncologist to See Patients at JCH&L

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Dr. Joni Tilford, Southeast Nebraska Cancer Center (SNCC) Medical Oncologist, will begin seeing patients at JCH&L Outpatient Services on Wednesday, June 17. Dr. Alan Berg, SNCC Medical Oncologist, who had been serving patients at JCH&L since 2005, retired earlier this month.

“Oncology is an important specialty to continue to offer our community,” said Dr. Burke Kline, JCH&L CEO. “It is one of the many specialties which are very important to offer locally so that patients don’t have to travel as far. We are pleased to have Dr. Tilford join us in providing exceptional service for our patients.”

Dr. Tilford is board certified in medical oncology and practices at SNCC in Lincoln. She earned her medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She then completed a three-year residency in internal medicine and a two-year fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

JCH&L outpatient services also offers chemotherapy services. Carol Blobaum and Carly Berkenmeier, both chemotherapy certified, work with oncologists who order chemotherapy, and the JCH&L pharmacy which mixes and prepares chemotherapy drugs for administration. JCH&L outpatient services also offers lab tests and radiology services such as PET scans and CT scans which may be needed by patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. Medical orders can be accepted from any oncologist.

JCH&L outpatient services offers two dedicated chemotherapy rooms. The rooms are located near the outpatient entrance and are easily accessible for patients and their family member who may come with them. Each room has its own flat screen television, recliner and guest chair. The rooms have windows for natural light, as well.

Dr. Tilford is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, the Nebraska Oncology Society and the Lancaster County Medical Society. Other professional activities include Nebraska Oncology Society; Lancaster County Medical Society; former chairperson of Bryan Health Cancer Committee, former Physician Liaison for Bryan Health Cancer Committee, Doctors for Science at Nebraska Wesleyan University and an investigator with the Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group.

Dr. Tilford has a broad background in both clinical and laboratory medicine and has authored scientific articles in molecular genetics, thrombosis and leukemia.

A Nebraska native, Dr. Tilford, is from Wauneta, Nebraska and is married with three children.

2200 H St., PO Box 277, Fairbury, NE