“While we knew we were a rarity, we did not realize how much of a rarity we were,” said Kendra German. The Administrator of Ottawa County Riverview Healthcare, German recently discovered the facility was one of only 64 nursing homes in the country to not suffer a Covid-19 outbreak.

The news broke in the article “Most SNF’s hit by COVID 3x” by Kimberly Marselas of McKnight’s Long Term Care News in June. SNF stands for Skilled Nursing Facilities, the terminology used by the Centers of Medicare/Medicaid Services for Nursing Homes.

Being owned by Ottawa County for the last 150 years means Riverview has no corporate administration handing down how the virus was to be handled.

“There was a number of us who would split up, watching the governor, the president and webinars by our Nursing Home Associations (Ohio Health Care Association and Leading Age Ohio) to make sure we were up to date on the ever-changing precautions and information about the virus,” German said. “If it meant making an immediate overhead announcement and everyone needing to change what they were using for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), we did that.”

Riverview Healthcare officials credited the dedication of its beloved staff, the #ViewCrew, who worked diligently using appropriate hand hygiene, sanitation practices and proper use of PPE to get through the Covid-19 pandemic without a resident case.

“We kept our staff educated and reminded them, what they did outside of our facility, they also brought into the facility,” said German.

With 76% of the facility’s staff vaccinated and 97% of the residents, the staff feels they can breathe a little easier. They also know the fight is not over. There is still a small chance that even those vaccinated could test positive or that those unvaccinated could contract the virus.

Knowing the successfulness of the vaccine so far, though, has given the facility some hope and has begun to relax some restrictions.

Unvaccinated staff are required to test twice a week. Masks are still required on the campus and visitation restrictions are almost gone.

“We continue to do our best to keep our residents and staff safe. We appreciate the hard work of our staff and the continued adherence of precautions by our residents,” said German. “We also credit great partnerships with the Ottawa County Health Department, Ottawa County Emergency Management Agency and Magruder Hospital.” Ottawa County Riverview Healthcare Campus offers Traditional Long Term Care, Memory Care, Short Term Rehab, Assisted Living, Inpatient and Outpatient Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy and is contracted with the Federal Government’s Veteran’s Affairs to serve Veterans. The facility is a 5-Star Medicare Facility. For more information about Riverview’s Services or to join our #ViewCrew, call the facility at 419-898-2851.