WHEATLAND – The pandemic tested the patience and resolve of all people in Platte County. Hardest hit by the regulations and restrictions were the elderly.

From periods of isolation in their rooms, locked down and unable to go anywhere to having to wave to their families outside the facility through their windows, it was a brutal period. Thanks to the amazing staff and tireless workers at the Platte County Legacy Home, they are all survivors of a very dark and trying period of American history.

As early as last March in an interview about the regulations, Legacy Home’s executive director, Josie Lauck, said there have not been a lot of changes since the quarantine ended. They have loosened the restrictions slightly, but there are still others in place.

“We still have to wear masks,” Lauck said. “By our CMS regulations, it is mandated that all employees have to be masked and unvaccinated have to wear KN95s or something of that nature. We also still have to screen in, so it hasn’t changed a whole bunch.”

There is also a vaccine mandate in place which makes it hard for a field already challenged to find front line workers who will comply in an area where compliance is not popular.

“March 14 is when all of the employees have to have their second dose unless they are exempt,” Lauck said. “It makes it really difficult to keep our facility staffed. We also have a lot of staff that don’t want the vaccine. I don’t feel anyone should be made to do something that they don’t want to do.”

The facility has not to this point let any employee go due to disregard of mandated regulations.

There have been some prospective workers, however who have not chosen to continue with the hiring process. Not many, Lauck added, but it has happened.

With everything constantly changing, I’m hoping that it will continue to change for the better,” she said. “The biggest change in the last six months was when they said that we could not lock down anymore. They were taking into consideration resident rights and the residents being isolated and depressed because of the no visitation or the restrictions on visitation. That was probably the best change to happen.”

One thing that hasn’t changed, although it was on hold for a time, but now stronger than ever is the federal enforcing of health care worker mandates.

“I anticipate that they will do away with the mandate eventually,” Lauck said. “Just not soon enough, probably.”

Lauck, who was scrambling to find workers who could fill the requirements of the mandates was doing an amazing job keeping the facility staffed and watching as her workers were going above and beyond the call of duty – picking up extra shifts to try to fill the voids.

UPDATED DEVELOPMENT

A new development was announced in September and Lauck said, “There are some new and exciting changes going on here!  I’m not sure that it’s news worthy, but we’ve been waiting for almost three years for this to come.  We are no longer required to wear masks or screen in (staff and visitors) while our county transmission rate is not high.  If there happened to be an outbreak in the facility of COVID, we would have to go back to masking.  But as of now we are free from the masks.  I anticipate seeing more changes for us coming regarding the vaccine, quarantine and etc. , but this is the first big step.”

Although some of the restrictions have been removed, the facility is still under the scare of a recurring outbreak.

“I’m not going to say normal, because it’s not normal,” she said. “And the mandates are not just affecting staff, but now also contract workers. If anyone comes in is going to be around the staff      who work with the residents or in resident common areas they either have to be vaccinated or exempt. So that makes things a little muddy.”

The exemptions are still for religious or medical purposes.

At this point, Legacy Home has not had any resident positive COVID cases since last October.

“Another good thing is now we are having more and more entertainment come in” Lauck said. “That’s one thing that the residents really missed. We can have speakers, church services and instrumentalists, but the funny thing is that they won’t allow singing. Our volunteers are coming back too, so we are slowly getting there. And when the weather gets nice, we can do things outdoors where the restrictions aren’t as bad.”

The Platte County Legacy Home is in dire need of staffing and now that COVID has been on the decline and restrictions are lessened, Lauck is hoping that some people who were thinking of applying will once again consider signing on with the facility.

Legacy Home is a five-star nursing care facility that hasn’t lessened the care it gives or the quality it provides. What it is looking for is quality care workers who want to become a part of one of the best Wyoming has to offer.

“As for pressure on our regular staff, they are just working like crazy. God bless them, they will pick up extra shifts and fill in where needed, but yeah, it does put the pressure on them.”

Lauck said that in a perfect world, if they even had four more regular dependable CNAs, that would be amazing.

“We are actually trying to get people in as Resident Care Assistants (RCAs),” Lauck said. “They are not a CNA and don’t do the hands-on stuff, but they’re kind of like a CNA helper. They will make the beds or go take coffee or go help people to the dining room for meals.”

Right now a cry for help goes up to help those who have put up with more than their share of pain throughout the pandemic.

To ask where you can be a part, you can call 307-322-7400 or you can find contact people who can direct you at: http://pcmnh.com/contact-us/