Helping Hands Annoucement

Due to the lockdown because of the virus, Helping Hands has issued their plans.

Helping Hands has suspended the suppling of equipment to residents until April 30.

Sorry for the inconvenient

Sumter County State of Emergency

State of Emergency Sumter County PDF

Hazardous Waste Collection Canceled

Press Release Amnesty Day

Important Message from Our Chief Medical Officer

An Important Message from Our Chief Medical Officer Regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

In an effort to protect our patients, visitors, physicians and staff, The Villages Health has implemented some safety measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other illnesses. These measures include:

: On the Phone Patient Screening

If a patient calls to book an appointment and complains of fever, cough, or shortness of breath, the Registered Nurses who staff our Nurse Help Line will follow Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines to properly screen patients and to advise the patient how to proceed.

Patients exhibiting symptoms should not enter the care centers. Instead, please Call Our Nurse Help Line at (352) 674-1777.

At the Care Centers In the event a patient does arrive at one of our Care Centers with complaints of fever cough, or shortness of breath, the following will occur per CDC guidelines: The patient will be greeted with a large sign asking them to STOP, DO NOT ENTER and instead please Call Our Nurse Help Line at (352) 674-1777. If a patient does enter the lobby, they will be given a mask and asked to wait in a separate area in order to minimize exposure to others. We are taking extra measures to sanitize our facilities during the day and to remove items that could spread illness (e.g. magazines and newspapers from our care center living rooms). The Villages Commercial Property Management has also enhanced its efforts to align with the recommended standards for the COVID-19 virus cleaning and maintenance practices. They have expanded the scope of their janitorial services to include specific attention to the cleaning and disinfecting of hard surfaces of all common areas of facilities within our community, including The Villages Health Care Centers. For the duration of the CDC’s social distancing recommendation, we've moved our learning center classes to an online format. You may continue to register as normal for the classes that you are interested in and a link will be sent to allow you to join from home. Furthermore, if staff members are sick we are allowing flexible time off policies to allow them to fully recover and to prevent the spread of illness. COVID-19 Testing

Testing kits will be available at The Villages Health Care Centers very soon. Only ten (10) kits per care center will be available at a time, and will be given to patients who exhibit symptoms per CDC guidelines.

How can you protect yourself? Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid large gatherings, including sporting events, church and grocery stores during peak times. When you must be around others in public, keep a 6-foot distance between you. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Please know your safety, and the safety of our physicians and staff, is of the utmost importance. We are in close communication with the CDC, other government agencies and internal teams to remain fully on top of the situation. For additional resources, we will post periodic updates on our website at TheVillagesHealth.com/coronavirus. You are also encouraged to visit www.floridahealth.gov for the latest information related to COVID-19 in Florida. Additionally, the Florida Department of Health has set up a COVID-19 call center available 24/7 at (866) 779-6121. Sincerely,

Jeffrey Lowenkron, MD, MPP Chief Medical Officer The Villages Health