Looking forward for Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley

Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley’s first priority is the safety and well-being of its residents. When the facility found itself face-to-face with COVID-19 on March 28, 2020, divisional and facility leadership demonstrated this as they sprang into action to fight against the deadly virus.

Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley was as prepared as any long-term care facility could be upon the arrival of the virus with its provision of proper PPE, N95 masks and increased precautionary measures. 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 coronavirus.

Over the next 60 days, the team at Nashoba Valley fought against the virus. Triumphantly, they came out on the other side and stabilized their building. Sadly, they lost 25 of residents and one team member in the process. Although the facility faced unwarranted scrutiny from the local media, Champions Rise – which is what the dedicated team at Nashoba Valley has done.

As Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley became COVID-free at the end of May, Zo Long, Life Care’s Northeast Division Vice President, stated that she believes the passage of time will bring context and clarity of facts to what happened at Nashoba Valley.

“What is clear is that the virus ravaged the entire state, not just the skilled nursing home industry,” said Long. “What is also clear is that the work done by associates at Nashoba Valley and at all of our Massachusetts facilities deserves high praise, not criticism.”

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 Nashoba Valley.

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 that continues 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 includes 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 first-hand experience in controlling the virus.

Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley’s journey since March 28 has been filled with tragedy, sorrow, heroism and community support. Despite the challenges they have faced, leaders and associates at Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley continue to demonstrate true strength as they come together to fight against this unseen enemy. And with new tools and technology available, Regional Vice President Kate O’Connor believes that the facility’s future looks brighter than ever before.  

“I believe that Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley has an extremely bright future ahead – as do the rest of our facilities in Massachusetts,” said O’Connor. “We are living in a time where we have incredible health care technology – like the NeedlePoint Bipolar Ionization filtration system and UV SafeZone mobile unit – at our fingertips. When you combine that technology with a dedicated and compassionate staff such as Nashoba Valley’s, I believe that creates a very healthy and happy future for both our residents and associates.”