A Message From Our President
December 17, 2021:
As I have noted on a few occasions, the circumstances that Londonderry Village is currently dealing with are among the most challenging that I have experienced in my nearly 40-year career in long term care. The coronavirus pandemic is nearing two years in length, and it continues to test our resolve and our resources. While our track record of infections and outbreaks continues to be very good, both staff and residents are understandably weary from “being careful” each and every day. As a result, several members of our staff have resigned in recent months to go work in non-healthcare industries. With infection rates still soaring in Lebanon County, we are concerned about the soon-to-arrive omicron variant that is even more contagious than the delta.
In early December, our vaccination mandate for staff went into effect. As I predicted, a fair amount of staff ultimately decided to receive the vaccination, while about 20 remained on the payroll via a medical or religious exemption. Others just decided to resign and either retire or seek employment elsewhere. We are hopeful that 2022 will be a year in which we can now go forward and rebuild our depleted staff.
A few months ago we made a decision to temporarily close the Sweigart Haven Green House due to a lack of available staff. Since that time, additional staff have resigned due to the vaccination mandate. Regrettably, we have now made the very painful decision to temporarily close the Hostetter House, effective December the 20th. These decisions have both been made with the interests of the residents, first and foremost, as we cannot maintain our standards of care with the staff that is currently available. As Hostetter House was due for a complete interior renovation in 2022, we will use this time advantageously to accomplish the renovations without having to worry about disrupting the residents. The seven residents currently in Hostetter House will be safely relocated to other nursing care beds.
We are aggressively recruiting for additional staff, so that we may eventually re-open Hostetter House and Sweigart Haven. Given the shortages of candidates in the labor market, however, this task will take some time to accomplish. Please pray for our residents and our staff as we seek to provide the best care for our residents in healthcare. Thank you for your understanding.
Jeff Shireman, President
