New York State loosened nursing home visitation guidelines Thursday, which will allow residents, like those at Meadowbrook Healthcare, to embrace loved ones for the first time in more than a year. “We are thrilled,” Sandy Geddes, community relations coordinator, said. “The visitation update is better than we could have imagined.” (Provided photo — P-R photo)

PLATTSBURGH — New York State loosened nursing home visitation guidelines Thursday, which will allow residents, like those at Meadowbrook Healthcare, to embrace loved ones for the first time in more than a year.

“We are thrilled,” Sandy Geddes, community relations coordinator, said. “The visitation update is better than we could have imagined.”

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‘Ageism at worst’

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Less than 24 hours before Meadowbrook officials received word of the updates, they had bemoaned the state’s delay in adopting new visitation guidelines, which were released by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) weeks before.

Meadowbrook CEO/Administrator Paul Richards called the state’s hold up in adopting the policy “ageism at its worst,” saying “one more day that goes on is just too much.”

The nursing home’s key qualm with New York’s then protocols was a 14-day rule, which, upon the discovery of either a positive or inconclusive COVID-19 test among residents or staff, had blocked all visitation for two weeks.

Meadowbrook recently had to start that 14-day clock due to an inconclusive test and Richards had told the Press-Republican, “We test over 1,000 people a week here; it’s inevitable that someone is going to test positive or inconclusive.”

The newer CDC, CMS guidelines had curbed that rule.

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State changes

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The state announced Thursday that its nursing home visitation guidelines were revised in line with CMS recommendations effective immediately and noted, “this guidance replaces the Feb. 23 guidance which required a facility to be COVID free for 14 days.”

Changes would permit visitation at all times and for all residents, with exceptions for unvaccinated residents in areas of high community spread and lower resident vaccination rates, residents with confirmed COVID-19 infection or those in isolation or quarantine, a state news release says.

The state noted nursing home case numbers had dropped more than 80 percent since peaking in January.

“From the very beginning we’ve used science and data to find the appropriate balance between protecting our most vulnerable populations in nursing homes and the importance of allowing safe contact with their loved ones,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo says in the release.

“We now have three effective vaccines that are leading to significant decreases in long term care COVID cases and a robust staff testing system to limit community spread from entering a facility.

“Now is an appropriate time to take the next step and safely reconnect this community with their families.”

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‘Embrace then space’

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As previously reported by the Press-Republican, more than 95 percent of Meadowbrook residents and nearly 90 percent of staff members were vaccinated.

Geddes noted there would still be steps to follow should a resident or staff member test positive or inconclusive for COVID-19, but said, instead of stopping all visitation, Meadowbrook could now “cohort” to keep visitation open to as many residents as possible.

“We’ve launched a very accommodating visitation plan for our residents and their families,” she said. “It has been really well received.”

While the state’s plan allowed for resident-family contact, Geddes said Meadowbrook would promote an “embrace, but then space” protocol.

“So they can hug, but then they must take their seat, social distance and wear their mask for the duration of the visit,” she said.

Meadowbrook hasn’t had in-person visitation since the summertime and residents haven’t shared a hug with family since March 2020.

“They have not been held, they have not touched their loves ones,” she said. “This is genuinely one of the happiest days for some of our families.”

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Crawl, step, walk

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Asked if there was anything missing from the state guidance, Geddes said Meadowbrook was using a crawl, step, walk philosophy.

“We just want to take it slowly,” she said. “It’s enough for what nursing homes can handle for now.”