In a letter issued to its residents earlier this week, the Sedona Winds Retirement Community announced residents may have been potentially exposed to COVID-19 at the facility on Friday, Oct. 9.
The undated letter does not provide any specifics. The letter does not specify where at the facility the potential exposure may have taken place. The letter does not indicate who or how many residents may have been potently exposed, nor the nature of the potential exposure, nor how Sedona Winds staff became aware of the potential exposure.
Sedona Winds management did not provide any specifics after several emails and phone calls from Larson Newspapers.
However, Courtney Beller, an attorney with Fennemore Craig, which serves as counsel for Sedona Winds, stated in an email, “Sedona Winds has one positive case and is taking all measures to prevent any further transmission.”
“Your request has been forwarded to our corporate office as they address all media and public announcements,” wrote Toni Glenn, Senior Living Services’ executive director of assisted living and memory care, in an email late Tuesday, Oct. 13. “This matter is in relation to the Independent living building as you can notice from the letter. I am sure you will receive what you are requesting from those who can speak on behalf of this matter.”
The letterhead states “Sedona Winds Retirement Center” and does not specify where at the facility the potential exposure occurred.
“The Corporate office will get back to you. Have a great day,” Sedona Winds Executive Director Terry Williams wrote early Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The letter reads in part:
“Dear Residents, Family, and Friends of our Community,
“On Friday, October 9, 2020, residents may have been potentially exposed to COVID-19 at Sedona Winds.
“COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing, and contract with mucus or saliva from the nose, mouth, or throat of an infected individual. Respiratory virus outbreaks, such as COVID-19 in Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF) are not uncommon.
“Older patients and those with chronic medical conditions are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19, it is critical for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease.”
The Sedona Winds letter, copied from the Arizona Department of Health Services, then lists things like social distancing and handwashing.
Except for the addition of “potentially” in the first sentence, the letter is a verbatim copy of the “Template Letter for Residents, Families/Guardians, and Visitors” on the Arizona Department of Health Services website, found HERE:
“I forwarded your first request and additionally this reply, I am not the manager of the Independent living as we are separate buildings as here in Assisted Living has no cases,” Glenn stated. “[Executive Director] Terry Smith forwarded and with myself being included in your first email I as well forwarded to the proper directors and replied to you. I will also forward this as well what you’re requesting.”
“We have had one confirmed COVID case since the pandemic began in March. It is unknown whether this case originated at Sedona Winds or outside of the facility,” Chief Compliance Officer at Senior Living Services Tahra Inman wrote in an email Wednesday, Oct. 14. “We cannot share further details concerning the individual impacted or their status as a resident or employee.”
Inman did not address the potential COVID-19 exposure on Oct. 9, not any details about it. She did not address the letter.
“We respect the privacy of our residents and staff,” Inman wrote. “We abide by HIPAA and the ADA, both of which place important restrictions on the amount of information we can share. HIPAA prevents us from sharing any identifying information of residents with suspected infections.”
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 aims to protect patient privacy. It does not prevent any facilities from releasing non-personally-identifying health information about their facilities.
“Arizona Department of Health Services Director, Dr. Cara Christ, has also taken the position that the State will not name facilities with COVID-19 infections publicly as doing so would violate HIPAA,” Inman wrote. “Likewise, disclosing the identity of, or information that would allow someone to identify, a sick or quarantined employee violates the ADA.”
Christ, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and the state of Arizona were sued in May by The Arizona Republic, ABC15, Channel 12, CBS 5 and 3TV for their refusal to provide information about facilities with COVID-19 cases or outbreaks.
The lawsuit against Christ and the state was nullified June 18 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Safety Network began publishing the Nursing Home COVID-19 Public File, which is publicly available at THIS DATABASE. The information on the database is delayed roughly two weeks.
“We can tell you that our facility is following CDC and Arizona Dept. of Health Services guidance on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Inman wrote. “We have increased sanitization, we are encouraging social distancing and we have partnered with an accredited lab to offer COVID-19 testing, among other things.”
“Testing is mandatory for all staff and available to residents who wish to be tested,” Inman wrote. “We are educating residents, their family and staff on safety precautions and has increased sanitization measures. We are reporting information to the state and county health departments as required by law. We are sharing information with our residents, their families and staff as this situation develops and in accordance with our legal obligations.”
“We are happy to discuss more specifics with you off-line, though we must observe both HIPAA and the ADA’s privacy requirements,” Inman wrote.
In her email, Beller only confirmed one case thus far. Larson Newspapers will provide more information if and when possible.
Inman concluded her email with, “Any effort to share incorrect, unsubstantiated or inflammatory information on your part, or on the part of Larson Newspapers, Sedona Red Rock News, The Camp Verde Journal, Cottonwood Journal Extra, The Scene, The Village View will be met with legal action.”
In a post on a social media group related to the story, Erika Arriaga-Borjon, the office manager at Sedona Winds Assisted Living, adjacent to the Sedona Winds Retirement Community, stated, “Our Assisted Living facility has been and continues to be Covid [sic] free.”
The letter to residents concludes by directing people to follow up with their health care provider.
Sedona Winds can be contacted at (928) 282-1021.
