With the threat of a viral outbreak and vulnerable populations, area nursing homes and assisted living facilities are shuttering and staff is putting in more work.
Cindee Johnson, director of sales and marketing at Concordia Retirement Center, said the facility is not currently allowing guests and is adhering to CDC and Arkansas Department of Health guidelines.
"Our main thing, always, is to care for the residents," she said.
The facility is currently only open to workers, residents and medical professionals, she said.
Workers are collecting lists and getting groceries as well as leading Bible studies and small church services so residents can stay home, she said.
Activities, including exercise sessions, are also being provided, she said, but the groups are kept smaller to ensure everyone can keep a safe distance. This means staff members are putting on more activities to ensure there are enough for everyone, she said.
Exercise is especially important, she said, because fitness helps keep residents' immune systems in top shape.
"I'm proud of the teams here," she said.
With a wide array of necessary new precautions needing to be implemented very suddenly, she said, workers are having to take on a wide array of new tasks, but everyone is managing well -- something she credits to excellent leadership.
To the North, Brookfield Assisted Living is taking a similar set of precautions.
Barbara Ryan, Brookfield's administrator, said that there will be no visitors and residents will be quarantined to their apartments until further notice.
Residents who don't have a courtyard apartment are allowed to spend some time outdoors in the courtyard, but must adhere to social distancing rules and no more than 10 at a time are permitted, she said.
In particular, she said, residents with dementia have a tough time understanding what's going on and why caretakers' faces are covered.
"It's hard for them to grasp the ... impact it's having on our nation as a whole, on the world," she said.
Staff members entering the building, including those who have left and returned the same day, are being screened for covid-19. Their temperatures are taken and they are required to answer a series of questions, she said.
Once in, staff members, including those who aren't in contact with residents, are wearing masks their entire shift, she said.
"It's emotionally draining," she said.
If there's a case in the facility, she said, workers will contact relevant agencies for guidance and keep the patient in isolation for 14 days when they return from the hospital.
Further to the south, Jim Graham, owner of Cornerstone Pharmacy, has stayed very busy.
'It's been a really eventful couple of weeks," he said.
Graham said he's glad to have a job right now. While several industries are slowing down, healthcare and adjacent businesses are staffing up, he said.
Because pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare providers, he's been fielding people's questions and easing their concerns while filling a high volume of prescriptions as people stocked up, though that eventually tapered off.
"Last week we were doing quite a few prescriptions, this week it's kind of quiet," Graham said.
People have had a lot of concerns, he said, and it's easy to get spooked by symptoms from allergies, colds or the flu.
The pharmacy, which is located in Mercy Bella Vista, is seeing primarily drive-through business now, and the hospital housing is screening people as they enter.
Other providers, including veterinarians, are shifting to curbside-only, which can help reduce the threat of spreading illness, he said.
It is incredibly important to ensure health providers avoid contracting covid-19, he said.
Bella Vista could be particularly vulnerable to the illness, though the city as a whole -- unlike assisted living facilities and nursing homes -- benefits from being spread out.
"If we get sick, we've got a problem," Graham said. "Because of our demographics ... we have to keep our guard up and look out for each other and keep our distance. We just can't have it sweep through Bella Vista."
General News on 04/01/2020