Hebrew SeniorLife Update on COVID-19 at Jack Satter House in Revere

BOSTON – On March 24, HSL announced two confirmed COVID-19 cases among its residents at Jack Satter House. We have since received notice from City of Revere Public Health that five additional residents have confirmed cases. Of total cases at Jack Satter, five are hospitalized and sadly, one is deceased, though the cause of death for this resident has not been determined. To protect the residents’ privacy and confidential health information, no more resident details can be provided.

Woolf, President and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife said, “Our prayers are with the residents diagnosed with COVID-19, as well as the family that is grieving the loss of their loved one. May their memory be a blessing.”

Due to rapidly escalating COVID-19 cases across the city – 33 cases as of today -- the City of Revere today issued further guidance to Jack Satter House. Effective this morning, Jack Satter House residents are directed to quarantine in their apartments and not leave their apartments. Additionally, the City issued additional guidance to all senior facilities across the city.

“We know that this virus is so aggressive, that it can get past the most diligent practices,” Woolf continued. “Despite the strictest guidelines in place at Jack Satter House, including no visitor policies, suspension of communal dining, deep infection control screening for all employees that include temperature checks, we are seeing an escalation of cases. Even opening a package ordered online can spread the virus. We appreciate the support of the City of Revere in their actions today and will focus all of our resources on stopping the spread of COVID-19 at Jack Satter House.”

What this means for Jack Satter House:

• The residence is in quarantine, effective immediately.
• Each resident must stay inside their apartment; there is no access to common space.
• If a resident leaves the building, they will not be able to return until the quarantine is lifted. Even if they leave with a family member, they will not be able to return.
• Jack Satter House is providing a 7-day a week meal plan during the quarantine period.
• To protect the safety and well-being of residents, extra security staff has been added.
• Staff and a limited number of health aides on an exception basis can enter daily. Each will follow the strict infection control procedures in place, including rigorous screenings and temperature checks. We are bringing additional HSL aides to care for residents during this time.
• A staffer phone bank has been deployed for daily check-ins with each resident.
• We are working with those staff who may need to be in self-isolation as a result of the confirmed resident cases.

Preventive Measures
As we’ve shared with the HSL community continuously since the COVID-19 outbreak began, we are completely focused on preventing the spread of COVID-19 at all of our communities and protecting the health and safety of all.

“In many cases, the strong levels of precaution that HSL has put in place go well beyond guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control, because we know the swifter and more aggressive our response, the better the outcome for our community,” added Woolf.

HSL’s proactive response to COVID-19 to date includes (but is not limited to):

• Aggressive no visitor policy across all campuses, per Governor Baker’s State of Emergency orders, and CDC/CMS guidance.
• Mandatory screenings including a temperature check for all employees, private aides, and visitors who are allowed on an exception basis (e.g., end of life).
• Suspension of programs and services, such as volunteer and multigenerational programming, outpatient and adult day health programs, group fitness programs, and communal dining.
• For emotional, physical and spiritual well-being, replacement of in-person gatherings with video and live streaming programming.

“We are working closely with the City of Revere to ensure compliance and thorough communication to our residents and staff, as well as the public,” Woolf continued. “Pandemics call for serious measures. We firmly agree with the measures that the City of Revere is taking at this time for senior living communities. We ask everyone to support this measure to keep seniors throughout Revere and across the nation safe.”