Belanger says he knew he had to act quickly once he saw the “nightmare” unfolding at Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington state. The news of multiple infections and deaths there served as “an alert all across the country” to start planning preventative measures against the spread of COVID-19.
Next, a checkpoint was put in place to screen all staff members for the coronavirus before they reported for work. That became difficult, though, as more information became available about asymptomatic cases, he says.An RV sits outside Shady Oaks Assisted Living. Asking his staff to work exhausting hours away from home and loved ones for two months is no small feat, he says. But he says the center feels good about their decision to “bubble up.”
Although his financial situation looks bleak, he says saving patients’ and caregivers’ lives was the biggest priority. Although he says he’s still a couple hundred thousand dollars short from the extra expenses of RVs and pay bonuses, he has “no regrets” for doing all he could to save lives within Shady Oaks Assisted Living.The upside is being a part of a movement “to show that it can be done by bubbling up and all working together as a close team and protecting our elderly,” she says.
That might sound like a hefty price tag, but he says nursing homes would end up paying “quite a bit anyways” in hazard pay, human costs of suffering and personal protective equipment if the coronavirus ravages through an assisted living center. There are additional costs if a patient has to go from a nursing home to a hospital and if a ventilator is needed.
hereandnow Thank you governor Cuomo....Er, I mean Connecticut person.
hereandnow What States can ALL do is stop allowing LTCs to hire staff who work multiple sites and ensure they make overtime at one site. BC did this on April 9 with success. Many nursing aides working multiple jobs for very lowest wages is bad for staff and patients at all times.
hereandnow Two months of quarantine!
hereandnow So the quarantine approach is proven effective!
hereandnow Dedicated owner and Dedicated staff!
hereandnow Guess they handled that potential liability issue without asking for the Feds to give them a free pass for all their dead Covid19 patients.
hereandnow Well done by all.
hereandnow That my friends,is how it’s supposed to be done❤️
hereandnow
hereandnow Wow this is such a great story to read in every way. An owner who takes decisive action because he cares deeply about his staff and patients. There is so much of that lacking right now that it’s really touching to read
hereandnow The facility I worked at gave everyone a 2% raise and wonders why people quit left and right. And now they have an outbreak.
hereandnow Bless the owner and the staff!!!!
hereandnow Above and beyond. Simply brilliant foresight and containment. Congratulations!
hereandnow
hereandnow Just brilliant and prescient and caring - all of them.
joncoopertweets hereandnow Sharing this with my daughter - She’s a day manager at a nursing home/memory care facility in eastern WA who has a few positive cases/deaths and working multiple shifts. She hasn’t seen her daughter since March to ensure zero transmission. I’m heartsick with worry.
hereandnow One of the most inspirational stories I’ve heard in a long time. Thank you for broadcasting it!
hereandnow The fact that this only happened in this one isolated case says a lot about the state of senior care in the US.
hereandnow Way past time for this story to get wide attention. That this happened in Connecticut - the Land of Steady Habits - where doing things the way we’ve always done them, even when we know those things don’t work - makes it even more remarkable. Kudos to Tyson Belanger and his staff.
hereandnow My husband's agency for developmentally disabled adults in northern NJ has done similar with their residential homes. Staff volunteered to spend up to 3 months quarantined in the houses with the clients, in exchange for increased pay and bonuses.
hereandnow Strategy 101 - always protect and reinforce the frontline - please consider the health and safety of workers - provide them a safe working environment so they can hold the line!
jillybeecooks1 hereandnow Real heros.❤🙏😇
joncoopertweets hereandnow Corporate nursing homes would not spend the money it takes to do this. To them it is always profit over people
joncoopertweets hereandnow Awesome story!! Better to pay your employees bonuses than paying out settled lawsuits that also pay attorney’s commissions. The bonus is you will have your experienced staff still alive and available when the environment is safe.
joncoopertweets hereandnow Wow, this is a very impressive and heartwarming story. Proof that there are still Americans doing the right thing. Kudos to the owner and staff.
joncoopertweets hereandnow This is how lives are saved💙🙏
joncoopertweets hereandnow This is what could have been.
hereandnow 👍💖😊
hereandnow Kudos 2 them!!👍👍👍
hereandnow seaforrest
hereandnow Wow. This is an awesome story
hereandnow That was a stoke of genius by the guy. Should be appreciated by all. But I wonder how long he can carry on. Unfortunately this isn't a sustainable model. Hope we find a cure or vaccine soon.
hereandnow Nicely done!!!!!
hereandnow That's the action of someone who is pro-life!
bankerkam hereandnow Absolutely brilliant !!
hereandnow This is what happens when you put people before profits.
hereandnow Michigan's problems came when the governor started warehousing covid patients in nursing homes. Its cheaper than hospitals.
hereandnow Well done & congratulations! Someone who used his intelligence to see a problem coming, think outside the box, & devise a unique solution. All while focussing on keeping his residents & staff safe. With heart & his own money. Shinning Example!
hereandnow Wow interesting
designmom hereandnow This story has no sources at all. No third party voices, no people who actually live in the goddam nursing home, or any of their relatives, no bigger context experts. The entire “story” reads like PR for the nursing home owner, who is the only source, the only quotes. JFC
jconli hereandnow 😊😷
ronnychieng hereandnow Kewl so feudalism is the answer
hereandnow That is brilliant.
hereandnow A clever solution made possible by an honorable man and a dedicated staff.
hereandnow Leadership
Clthames5 hereandnow This is the gold standard model for how to ensure the safety of nursing / care homes during a pandemic.
hereandnow ❤️👏🏽❤️🙏🏽❤️🙌🏽❤️‼️
NatalieNicole hereandnow In Spain some residences have done exactly the same with same results.
hereandnow Are doctors and labs in the world unable to find a vaccine for a virus that will be eliminated by Dettol?
hereandnow This just makes me sooooo happy!
hereandnow Good owner! More should do this
hereandnow That is awesome!
hereandnow So they live there till there is a vaccine ?
hereandnow The fact that this is news, is the saddest thing in the world. This should have been done everywhere and coordinated by the feds. Instead we have a bunch of ppl saying, 'We should protect the vulnerable,' while no one does anything that could possibly be effective in doing so.
MommyLobbyAZ hereandnow If only Cuomo had not insisted COVID-19 patients be admitted and readmitted into their nursing, causing hundreds of needless infections and deaths.
hereandnow How many in the rvs
senatorjen hereandnow Hero with a PLAN!!
hereandnow ♥️
hereandnow Brilliant
hereandnow That’s a huge sacrifice by the staff there. Amazing.
hereandnow In NY the governor sent thousands of infected patients back to nursing homes. The numbers are astronomical.
hereandnow Smart
hereandnow Sounds like caring pays off, should put his handle so he receives well deserved congratulatory tweets
hereandnow Luckily, the Governor of that state didn't force COVID positive patients into those nursing homes. You know, like the Governor of New York did.
hereandnow Nice to see someone who cares about the living.
hereandnow That's what happened when health and compassion are placed before profit.
hereandnow I think a nursing home in Washington state did the same thing. Had the staff move into the nursing home. I was watching a news story earlier about a nursing home in England that also did it.
hereandnow GABECORREDOR
hereandnow Now THAT is the way to do it.
hereandnow Promising. 🌈☀️
hereandnow Perhaps after being voted out of office, Mr. Trump can take up residency in similar fashion. But it would be called a jail cell.
hereandnow Dude should get a medal or something. Quick thinking.
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