Kane Community Living Centers resume visitation

The Kane Community Living Centers in Allegheny County will resume family visitations for patients, Director Dennis Biondo announced Monday.

Visitation has been restricted since early in the pandemic. But, last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released updated guidance for nursing home visitation, prompting many states and individual facilities to reopen to family members, with restrictions.

The no visitor policy went into place on March 13, 2020.

Kane is run by the county, and has facilities in Ross, Scott, Glen Hazel and McKeesport.

State officials last Friday encouraged long-term care facilities to update their guidelines accordingly.

“This tumultuous year has been full of challenges and grief — feelings that are only amplified by physical distance that can be necessary to keep our loved ones and our communities as a whole safe,” Teresa Miller, human services secretary, said in a statement. “This new guidance is an important moment of progress in our fight against covid-19, and we are grateful to all who continue to respect mitigation and safety recommendations and are getting vaccinated so we can keep our most vulnerable safe.”

At the Kane centers, the ability to allow visitation at the centers is based on having no positive covid-19 cases in the building or unit where visitation would occur, as well as low positivity rates in the county in surrounding communities. In total, Kane has 750 residents.

Visits must be scheduled in advance and will be limited to two family members at a time. Information about scheduling has been provided to families directly, according to a news release.

Visitors will be subject to screening questions and temperature checks, and will be required to wear a mask and asked to “perform hand hygiene.” Any clothing or laundry brought into the building should be bagged and labeled, to be left at the screening table. Only prepackaged or restaurant food is permitted — nothing homemade, the release said.