Life Care Center of Farmington - Looking Forward

Life Care Center of Farmington’s first priority is the safety and well-being of its residents. When the facility found itself face-to-face with COVID-19 on April 1, 2020, divisional and facility leadership demonstrated this as they sprang into action to fight against the deadly virus.

For the next 115 days, Life Care Center of Farmington battled to treat and protect its residents. The facility’s leadership continued to evolve its methods of resident care daily in conjunction with CDC guidelines as the nation learned more about the novel coronavirus.  

By the time New Mexico reached its summer peak of new active cases on June 27, the facility had already stabilized its building. Sadly, the team lost 44 of their 87 residents in the process. Although the facility faced unspeakable pain and hardship through these difficult times, Champions rise – which is what the dedicated team at Farmington has done.

As Life Care Center of Farmington became COVID-free at the end of July, Matt Ham, Life Care’s Southwest Division vice president, attested to the premier level of care offered at the facility by noting that in the midst of all of this, Farmington still received a deficiency-free survey.

“To not get a single tag in the CMS survey is amazing,” said Ham. “It shows the teamwork that occurred in Farmington and how stringently they followed all policy and protocols.”

Because the safety and peace of mind of residents and their family members is the highest priority, Life Care Centers of America is investing more than $2 million in NeedlePoint Bipolar Ionization, a technology that kills viruses like COVID-19 on a continual basis as air flows through a facility. Additionally, the company is investing in mobile UV SafeZone technology that can disinfect a resident’s room or other spaces inside our facilities in less than 20 minutes. These technologies are being installed in our skilled nursing facilities across the country – including Life Care Center of Farmington.

• In addition to this new technology, Life Care and its associates are committed to providing vigilant care that goes the extra mile to keep residents safe. That vigilance includes: Providing every patient with a daily respiratory assessment.
• Using “Point of Care” testing equipment from the federal government, which can process 20 tests an hour.
• An ongoing surveillance testing program will continue for staff, per state requirement.
• A policy that states new admissions will have private rooms for at least 14 days allowing for observation to focus on preventing any new introduction of the virus into the facility.
• Ongoing communication with family members will include monitored outdoor visits, window visits, texts, phone calls, FaceTime calls and “drive-by” parades to keep families connected to their loved ones.
• Strict adherence to CDC and state health department infection control protocols will be maintained, including wearing goggles or face shields.
• Training for associates will be continuously updated based on regulations and firsthand experience in controlling the virus.

Life Care Center of Farmington’s journey since April 1 has been filled with tragedy, sorrow, heroism and community support. Despite the challenges they have faced, leadership and associates at Life Care Center of Farmington continue to demonstrate true strength as they come together to fight against this unseen enemy.

“I must say, not once did our associates falter in this fight,” said Julie Hank-Sanderson, director of nursing at Life Care Center of Farmington. “Every day, we rose together and fought as champions against an invisible enemy that tore through our hearts and souls. I am honored to fight alongside this team for our residents and each other.”