Lisa Haglund, Heritage president and CEO, has confirmed that Orchard Grove, a Heritage senior living community in West Ellicott, has a staff member who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in their senior living community.

“The staff member who tested positive is currently in quarantine, and will not return to work at Orchard Grove until further notice,” Haglund said. “All of our families have been notified. Per New York state mandate, all visitation at Orchard Grove is suspended until further notice. In accordance with HIPPA requirements, no further details will be released. At Heritage, the health and safety of both our residents and staff is of the utmost importance, and we are taking action to reduce the risk of exposure for all. The steps we are implementing are directly tied to the recommendations and guidelines of the CDC, state, local, and federal regulations, and we will adjust these steps if those recommendations change. To date, we consider ourselves lucky to have limited our exposure as a result of the pro-active efforts of our staff working in conjunction with our COVID-19 task force.

Heritage has taken multiple steps to help prevent exposure for residents including daily employee and resident health screenings in accordance with CDC guidelines, and no group activities.

“Our COVID-19 task force has been preparing for this possibility, and we believe our incredible team of caregivers is well trained and ready to support our residents,” Haglund said.