Wait over, visits at Westmoreland Manor to resume

After more than a year of meeting through windows or via video chats, Westmoreland Manor residents will have an opportunity to meet in person with family and friends starting Saturday.

Officials announced Friday that outside visits for the nearly 300 nursing home residents at the county-owned facility in Hempfield will resume under tents in front of the building. Indoor visits are still on hold after another employee tested positive for coronavirus this week.

“It’s been over a year for residents and their families. Getting back to normal in-person visits is the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, the rules state that we can only provide outside visits. I’m sure the residents and families are still so excited to see each other for outside visits,” county Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said.

Vaccinated residents will be allowed to hug and have contact with family members during the outdoor visits, according to Manor administrator Abby Testa. As of earlier this month, about 85% of manor residents have been vaccinated.

The hour-long visits will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. under six tents, weather permitting. Testa said inclement weather such as high heat, excessive cold temperatures or poor air quality could result in canceled visits. Donations of tents are being sought to allow for additional visits, Testa said.

Visit appointments will be scheduled by calling the manor at 724-830-4000. An online scheduling system is in the works for future visits, Testa said.

Outdoor visits initially were expected to begin in September, but those plans were abandoned almost immediately when a coronavirus outbreak hit the manor. According to statistics from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 183 residents and another 105 employees tested positive for the virus. Seventeen manor resident deaths were attributed to the virus, according to the state.

Officials earlier this month said they planned on resuming in-person visits indoors under revised national guidelines. Those plans were nixed after three residents and an employee tested positive for the virus.

The manor conducts weekly testing of residents and staff. Indoor visitation won’t be allowed until the manor has 14 straight days in which no one tests positive. The most recent positive test was reported Monday, Testa said.

Still, the opportunity to resume in-person visits, even outside, is one residents have long anticipated.

“Our residents and families have lost time together that they can’t get back. We are hoping the ability to visit brings joy and comfort to them both,” Testa said.