st. ann's community

Press release:

St. Ann’s Community is one of several skilled nursing and independent living facilities in the Greater Rochester area to receive rapid testing devices from the Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) with the goal of rapid detection of COVID-19 in nursing home staff.

That includes St. Ann’s Community at The Greens, an independent living community in Le Roy.

Per guidance from New York State, staff must be tested a minimum of once per week in order to minimize virus exposure and spread to residents and other staff members.

The devices provided to St. Ann’s Community by CMS, known as the BD Veritor ™Plus System, can read a sample in approximately three seconds and give a COVID-19 positive or negative result. The process currently consists of a nasal swab which takes a sample from each nostril. The swab is then placed inside of a vial with a solution, and the vial deposits three drops onto a cartridge. The cartridge then rests for 15 minutes and is inserted into the device for a rapid result. 

This rapid testing has made for a much easier and more efficient way of testing the nearly 1,200 staff members at St. Ann’s Community.

While the testing of staff may be more efficient with the devices, the difficultly comes with the data obtained from the rapid testing devices. New York State requires the data for all testing completed for each individual to be uploaded within three hours to the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) for results and lab tracking.

This data then needs to be electronically submitted and uploaded to the Electronic Clinical Laboratory Reporting System (ECLRS), which has caused more work and time dedicated to data analyzation and uploading of information for compliance purposes.

This is all done while ensuring St. Ann’s has the necessary staff, tools, and processes to carry out the testing and uploading of data. Fortunately, St. Ann’s has well-equipped information technology and medical teams who assist in these complicated and time-consuming matters.

“I believe we’re the first of the Alliance for Senior Care homes, and perhaps the first of any Rochester area skilled nursing facility to test, capture, and upload live data [not just test data] to New York State,” said Aaron Fields, chief information officer at St. Ann’s Community. “This means we’re no longer reliant on just one testing method, and we now have multiple options for COVID-19 testing.

"In our current ever-changing world, it has made our access to testing supplies better and our results and reporting times faster, especially when so many of these supplies are in high demand and there are frequently long wait times for results with other testing methods. We have a fantastic team in place which makes this that much easier. It’s really putting us ahead of the curve for point of care testing.”

Press release:

LE ROY -- St. Ann’s Community is proud to announce the addition of a Graduate Practical Nurse (GPN) Residency Program to its lineup of employee benefits. The program is designed to help support and advance individuals interested in becoming Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN).

Applicants of the GPN Residency Program at St. Ann’s Community will receive hands-on training from some of the area’s leading experts in nursing and education while working and being paid as an LPN.

This training will coincide with the applicant working towards their board licensing exam. Graduates from the program will be reimbursed for exam costs, and they will be promoted to a higher paying LPN position within St. Ann’s Community upon completion of their residency.

“The Graduate Practical Nurse (GPN) Residency Program at St. Ann’s is designed to acclimate and welcome the new LPN graduate into the increasingly complex long-term care environment,” said Chrisann Fennessey, director of Education at St. Ann’s Community and head of the new GPN Residency Program.

“Graduate Practical Nurses will work on the units and in our nursing classroom and lab with nurse educators who have diverse experience in long-term care, acute care, occupational and community health, and leadership and teaching roles at local schools and colleges. They will also work with nursing staff on various units under Registered Nurse (RN) supervision and interact with other disciplines to gain a better understanding of their roles.”

Prospective Licensed Practical Nurses interested in the GPN Residency Program at St. Ann’s Community are encouraged to apply directly to Amanda Falzone, Talent Acquisition Specialist. A resume, official transcripts, and two letters of recommendation are needed to apply. Application materials can be sent directly to Amanda at:   afalzone@mystanns.com

About St. Ann’s Community

St. Ann’s Community is the seventh largest nonprofit senior living provider in New York State and Rochester’s leading senior housing and health services continuum. With campuses in Irondequoit, Webster and Le Roy, St. Ann’s offers a complete range of care that includes independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, transitional care/rehab, hospice/palliative care, and adult day programs.

One of Greater Rochester’s largest private employers, St. Ann’s has more than 1,200 employees who are Caring for the "Most Important People on Earth." For more information, call (585) 697-6000 or visit www.stannscommunity.com

At about 3 p.m., we're talking with Jennifer Blackchief, VP Housing, St. Ann's Community in Le Roy.  We're going to talk about St. Ann's providing their employees with a generous bonus as well as what they're doing to keep their residents safe.

Press release:

St. Ann’s Community has announced that it will give approximately $400,000 in bonuses to 875 employees this week in a major show of appreciation and support. The organization’s workers are helping to provide around-the-clock care to residents and patients – the most vulnerable and at-risk populations of the rapidly spreading coronavirus COVID-19 global pandemic.

“The extraordinary performance of our employees during these unprecedented times deserves appreciation and recognition,” said St. Ann’s Community President and CEO Michael McRae. “We can only hope that the bonuses, along with other measures, help acknowledge their service and sacrifice. We would not be able to provide care to those most in need without our dedicated and brave healthcare workers.” 

Appreciation bonuses will be paid on Friday, March 27, to all full-time and part-time workers. Full-time workers will receive $500 and part-time workers will receive $250. Senior managers are excluded from the bonus.

In addition to the bonuses, smaller measures are also being implemented to show support for staff members. St. Ann’s is providing complementary food to all workers while on duty, and has also relaxed the uniform and dress code for all employees.

“Our team members are balancing work with the support and care they need to provide to their own families, especially during this anxious and difficult time for all of us,” McRae said. “They are incredible, and we are completely in awe of their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty.”

NOTE: St. Ann's operates in Le Roy what was formerly known as the Greens of Le Roy.