HLRC Administrator Reflects on 2020

Wow! 2020 will be one of those years we’ll be talking about 20 years from now while rocking on our front porch, more than the winter 1978-79 or the winter of 2010 -11. How could one have known what 2020 held for the American public, and more importantly, the residents, families, and staff of Hi-Line Retirement Center.

I was in Wisconsin in March when I received a phone call from the facility telling me Hi-Line Retirement Center was “locking down”, and would be in quarantine until future notice. I didn’t take it very seriously after all we always overreact, and things would return to normal in a few weeks. No one dreamed that 10 months later we would still be dealing with the effects of a virus we had never heard of, from a faraway place most of us never knew existed, Wuhan, China.

In spite of all our efforts the Coronavirus (COVID-19) had a devastating effect on Hi-Line Retirement Center, and other nursing homes in the state. Approximately 90% of the residents, and 68% of our staff have had COVID 19. COVID was a contributing factor in 10 resident’s deaths.

Obtaining supplies, and keeping the facility staffed during this time, has been a challenge, while quarantining affected staff at home for 14 days.

The big question is how much longer before we can return to normal?

CVS Pharmacy has contracted with the Federal Government to distribute COVID vaccine, and has been assigned to be the provider/administrator of the COVID vaccine for HLRC. They anticipate they will be at HLRC mid-January for a COVID vaccine clinic. CVS will administer the vaccine to all residents and staff. A second clinic will be held 30 days later to administer a booster shoot and vaccinate anyone missed during the first clinic. CVS will return 30 day later for the 3rd clinic to give boosters to those who received their first shot during the second visit. It takes several weeks after being vaccinated to develop enough antibodies to protect yourself from infection. That means it will be late March before things return to some sort normal. We will make every effort here at HLRC to make life as normal as possible for our residents and staff while still operating within the guidelines that have been set by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Dept. Of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

I appreciate all of the families, and the community for their support during these trying times. I know the staff here is not always perfect, primarily because their leader is far from perfect! We are honored to care for the seniors of Phillips County.

I also appreciate the Phillips County Health Care Foundation for their support over the years. Recently, the foundation purchased a new lift chair for baths, new furniture for resident’s rooms, a new commercial kitchen range, and repair of the walk in freezer, totaling over $21,000.00. There is no way to express our gratitude to the foundation and the residents of Phillips County that have supported and donated to the foundation making all this possible.

Duane Murray

Administrator

Hi-Line Retirement Center