Drew Lutton, the administrator of Pleasant Valley Nursing Home, said they began preparing for COVID-19 cases before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out guidelines. By March 11, they had an isolation wing ready in case any of the residents came down with the virus.

“We were a little bit ahead of the curve,” he said.

Despite their safety measures, 14 staff members have become sick with COVID-19, Lutton said. They are required to stay home while they recover from the illness, and cannot return to work until they are well. No one has had to be admitted to the hospital, and four staff members have recovered and have returned to work, he said.

Of the nursing home’s 145 residents, 23 are living in the COVID-19 isolation wing. Lutton said they have either been confirmed to have the virus or are suspected of having it because they were in close contact with someone who did have the virus.

Lutton said they are well-stocked in personal protective equipment, such as N95 masks, surgical masks, gloves and face shields, but welcome donations of fabric face masks and monetary donations for more PPE as their supplies are used.

When cases of COVID-19 cropped up in Monroe County, he closed the nursing home to visitors and hired a security company to take the temperature of everyone who enters the nursing home. Only staff and outside personnel such as hospice staff, the dentist and the eye doctor can come in.

“We don’t allow any contractors in the building,” he said.

If someone has a temperature of 100 degrees or more, then the person is interviewed to try to figure out what might be causing it.

He said the nursing home is able to get test results back from the lab within two days. All of the residents in the isolation wing are in their own rooms to prevent cross-contamination.

The nursing home does not have ventilators, so if a resident gets seriously ill, then he or she is taken either to St. Luke’s Monroe Campus or Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono.

Some of these residents have died, he said. The co-morbidities that many nursing home residents have make surviving COVID-19 very difficult, but some have gotten well enough to return to the nursing home.

“We’re doing everything we possibly can to help them,” he said. “Our promise is to provide the best quality of life care we can.”

This includes keeping the residents, both those in isolation and those in their regular rooms, in touch with their families.

The nursing home has several tablets that were donated by the Friends of the Pleasant Valley Nursing Home organization. These tablets are used to help residents FaceTime with their families. They have a schedule set up so that everyone who wants to participate can visit with loved ones.

“It’s been really helpful for the families,” he said. “They feel really torn apart.”

Lutton applauded his staff for their hard work taking care of the residents and those sick with a virus during this pandemic, and for filling in for their co-workers who are sick.

“The staff has been great,” he said.