July 14, 2020

Ave Maria Home, in conjunction with our sister facility, St. Clare Health and Rehab continues to monitor the always changing situation with COVID-19.  We continue to follow the recommendations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the CDC, and the Tennessee Department of Health.  We are continuing to provide care to our elders throughout our campus.

Ave Maria and St. Clare Health are continuing to monitor our residents and staff on a daily basis based upon assistance and guidance we have received from the State Department of Health and the Shelby County Health Department.  Weekly testing for COVID-19 for our employees began in the last week of June. Due to the holiday, labs were very slow in reporting our results. On Tuesday of this week, we will test all staff again. Our first and second testing resulted in 5 staff members of Ave Maria and 4 staff members of St. Clare Health being positive.  Of those 9, 7 of those staff are now back at work per the guidelines we have been given.

For more information about COVID-19 and what is recommended, please consult the website below.  We will have more information about our changing situation in the coming weeks.  We currently have no active cases of the virus among our staff or elders.

• https://www.cdc.gov

This continues to be a difficult time for everyone.  Please be assured that we are working diligently to keep our staff and residents healthy as possible.  We continue to allow window visits, Facetime, Skype, and other forms of communication for immediate family members, but again, no one is allowed inside any facilities here on the campus.  Due to the increase in cases in our area, interaction between family members and elders is very limited.  Last week, we also had a family parade, via cars, where family members could drive around our campus to see their loved ones.

If we can answer any questions, do not hesitate to contact us on our special line at 901-701-5999.  Ave Maria continues to take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Sincerely,

Frank J. Gattuso, Jr.
Executive Director