With Gratitude: Lenbrook Welcomes the National Guard in the Fight Against COVID-19
Right now, in the middle of the global pandemic, it is an honor for me to be on the frontline as part of Lenbrook’s COVID-19 Task Force. Together, we help design and implement the large and small policies and procedures that are put in place to keep our 500 residents and 250+ associates as safe as possible.
Our response to COVID-19 is built on Lenbrook’s established and robust Emergency Plan, and on the directives that our Task Force receives from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) and WHO (World Health Organization).
When dealing with COVID-19, every day brings new challenges and opportunities, but I think you can imagine my initial surprise and yes, a bit of apprehension when I first received a call from Major Muse of the National Guard on April 3rd. The day before, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp had announced that he would mobilize the National Guard to help disinfect Georgia nursing homes, and Lenbrook was offered this service on a voluntary basis.
Our Task Force discussed and welcomed this unique opportunity to further limit and mitigate the possible spread of COVID-19 on our campus of more than 1 million square feet, and invited Sergeant Ponders for a walk-through and to create a detailed action plan. The National Guard’s only priority was to disinfect places where the virus could hide or linger, not to clean – and as a matter of fact, our staff was complimented on their outstanding job of keeping our community spic and span!
Due to Lenbrook’s size, including its 500 residences, a fitness center with swimming pool, five restaurant venues, a health care center and assisted living, it was determined that the National Guard would need the best part of two days to disinfect properly.
It was quite a sight when on the afternoon of Thursday, April 9, seven military vehicles drove up to our loading dock to bring three National Guard platoons. After another walk-through, a total of 42 of our country’s finest, composed of 3 platoons, fanned out for five hours to treat Lenbrook’s common areas and our back-of-the house laundry and maintenance areas. They were back the next morning for another three hours to completely disinfect our Health Care Center and Assisted Living.
It was an emotional moment for me and many others when Chris Keysor, our president, thanked Lieutenant Bryant, Lieutenant Mitchell, Lieutenant Massy and all the National Guard team for all their help. All of us at Lenbrook thank them for their service to our country, and on a very real level, they may have actually saved our lives. COVID-19 is such a dangerous adversary and the virus needs to be fought with every tool in our arsenal.
We are very grateful that the National Guard visited our community last week. Together we are strong in this ongoing fight to maintain Lenbrook’s safety.
For all new information about our COVID-19 measures and efforts on our website, LenbrookAlerts.org – where we consistently update and accessible to everyone.
Also check out our social media profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn to see the how are community is staying connected in these unprecedented times.