Westfield outing during lockdown questioned

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  • Westfield Quality Care
    Westfield Quality Care
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Dear Editor:
This letter is written in response to several past articles concerning Westfield Quality Care of Aurora. We as a community have been led to believe that Westfield is taking proper precautions in order to protect its residents from another resurgence of COVID-19, so as to avoid any more deaths in the facility from the virus. Is this really the case?
I am a court-appointed legal guardian for 11 residents who reside in long-term care facilities. One resident resides at Westfield. She was one of many residents who contracted COVID-19 and she was ill with the virus for five weeks during April and May. She was one of the lucky ones who recovered. Recent events have led me to believe that Westfield is not acting in the best interest of my resident.
In September I was notified by the facility that a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19, and the facility would be going back to “lockdown” where the residents were confined to their rooms for meals and 1-on-1 activities and no visitors were allowed. On Oct. 2, on Westfield’s website, a note from the administrator stated the first staff member had recovered, but now a second staff member had tested positive for COVID-19, so the facility would remain on lockdown and no guests would be allowed to visit. All staff would be tested for COVID-19 on Oct. 6 and residents would be tested for COVID-19 on Oct. 7 or 8.
On Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, on Westfield’s Facebook page, a post was shared stating some residents had gone out to visit local farmers. Along with the post were several pictures, one specifically showing a resident in a wheelchair visiting with two gentlemen sitting at a table. I commented on the post that I thought the facility was in lockdown and why were residents allowed to be out visiting people?
Shortly thereafter, my comment was deleted from the Facebook post. Within a few hours, the entire post had been removed from Facebook.
I contacted the administrator for Westfield, and he stated staff told him that the residents did go to visit local farmers. Why were residents allowed to leave a facility on lockdown?
Westfield should protect its’ residents. Westfield needs to prove to me and all caregivers (and the public) that it is a facility that is truly doing everything it can to show they are following proper guidelines for COVID-19.
Beth Johnson,
Aurora

Hubbard needed to help lead NPPD
Dear Editor:
The elections are upon us for the Nebraska Public Power District Board.
Please vote for Sheila Hubbard, my friend for many years, for the NPPD Board. Sheila is a respected member of this area, has an abundant amount of energy and will work to provide an intelligent and practical view to help keep NPPD up to date and our power resources a priority.
As you may know, Sheila has always been a hard worker and has invested herself to help others around her. As a professional mediator, she is a problem solver who understands the power of negotiation and compromise to attain solutions to the issues facing us. Sheila is a hard worker and a voice for affordable, safe, and reliable electricity for our families, farmers and businesses.
Please vote for Sheila for the NPPD Board. She is the kind of leader that we need right now.
Debra Anderson,
Marquette

Vote Hubbard for NPPD Board
Dear Editor:
We are writing to urge you to vote for Sheila Hubbard for the NPPD Board of Directors for Area 7. She is always willing to help others and would be a strong voice for our communities.
Sheila is respected and has devoted her life to many areas of public service. She has served as a volunteer with 4-H, her church, a teacher and counselor for York Public Schools, a member of the York City Council and a professional Mediator. She has a tireless work ethic, integrity, and commitment. Sheila is a problem solver that works hard to attain the best solutions through listening and researching.
Please reject all the smear cards about her that you may have received, they refer to how the entire city council worked together during a difficult financial time for York. The council researched ways to solve issues and raised taxes less than requested by the former mayor. This year no tax increase! The cards in a way smear the entire council which is not right. Sheila is part of the solution to reach the road towards better times for the city, and it is working by pushing for positive economic development and growth.
Sheila Hubbard will fight for us to ensure that we have affordable, reliable, and safe electricity.
Vote Sheila Hubbard for the NPPD Board!.
Dorla and Mike Lindburg
Polk