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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Family Visits Resuming at Gracedale

Following the completion of universal testing at Gracedale, at which neither residents nor staff showed positive results for COVID-19, the County is resuming family visits. The facility has been closed to family visits and volunteers since March 12. “While we are beyond thrilled that these visitations will be beginning, we must respectfully ask that, for the health and safety of our residents and staff, all visitors please scrupulously abide by the rules and regulations,” says Executive Lamont McClure. “Lives depend upon it.” , Gracedale has resumed family visitations in Tower 7, which has been converted for this purpose. Infectious control procedures are in place. Anyone entering the facility for a visit will only be allowed in the elevator to travel to and from Tower 7 for a half-an-hour visit with their loved one. Areas will be disinfected per CDC protocols in between visits. Family members who would like to schedule a visit can call the Therapeutic Recreation Department at 610-829-3671.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

“Lives depend upon it.”

After sitting quietly while over 10% of residents died horrible deaths while separated from family - a situation that he let get so bad, the NATIONAL FRICKIN' GUARD had to be deployed there - Lamont has no standing with regard to elderly lives in Northampton County. Lamont chose to hide. Gracedale residents died. This is the same authoritarian ass who stemmed the deadly kids-on-sliding-boards-in-fresh-air holocaust by closing county parks. That ruddy complexion comes from being constantly drunk with power. Time to dry out, Lamont. Perhaps Bernie can be your sponsor?

Anonymous said...

He allows the most vulnerable population to be exposed yet refuses to allow those sentence to work release to work? what sense does this make?? My Son deserves to be allowed to make a living. Sitting in prison makes no sense.

Bernie O'Hare said...

You can make this argument when McClure seeks re-election, as I am sure you will. I believe the actions McClure took actually saved lives. When this pandemic first erupted, test kits were widely unavailable (thanks to Trump). Tests had to be limited to those showing symptoms. McClure banned visitors and even volunteers, scrambled to get PPE, initiated temp checks and masks at the facility, set up an isolation floor. Residents who had Covid-19 were not admitted into Gracedale unless they had two negative Covid-19 tests. He recruited the national guard when some employees stopped coming to work. Once permitted, he began and has continued universal testing. The high death rate at Gracedale is tragic. We know Trump played down the severity of the pandemic and his administration bungled the early testing. We know the state DOH screwed up when it ordered nursing homes to accept Covid-19 residents. But I am hard pressed to determine what McClure did wrong. Any death is tragic. But it seems to me that the actions he took may have actually saved a few lives. But go ahead and try to score a few political points on the bodies of people you never knew or cared about. McClure did. He even arranged periodically to have residents come to Council meetings, although I consider that torture. He cares. You don't.

As for the closure of county parks, I consider that an unnecessary over-reaction, and one he corrected pretty quickly as information emerged about how the virus is spread.

Anonymous said...

I want to say that he handled the evolving situation correctly with compassion and concern for ALL the residents and families. It's sad we have the keyboard wizards to criticize him. I'm disabled, cannot drive and a REPUBLICAN! and recently had a question and problem and Mr. McClure, who I have never personally met called me back and was sincere in wanting to help me as he did with the gracedale folks. It's to criticize however he walks the walk and had my vote come next election. He is compassionate and concerned about every human and he knew by my last name I was not if his party and the guy could not do enough to help me. That's what we need as an elected official! Thank you again Mr.Mclure for caring about people.

Anonymous said...

Lamont chose to hide while Gracedale elderly died. Fact.

Bernie O'Hare said...

False. Not fact at all. McClure has been front and center during this entire pandemic. I am hard out to say what he could have done differently at Gracedale. So are you, so you make a baseless claim.

The person chiefly at fault is Donald Trump, who actually admits to lying. He lied and people died. Next would be Wolf and Rachel Levine, who allowed nursing homes to become killing fields.

Local officials are the only ones who displayed any sort of common sense.

Anonymous said...

The Covid medical response was left up to each STATE ! Some Governors were effective, Gov. Wolf was not.

Maybe someone can explain, by naming specific actions taken that directly prevented those failed Governors, like Wolf, from being more effective in dealing with this. It’s easy to make a damaging accusation against any Federal manager, but without actual evidence, the person making the charge is merely smearing and calling names.