By By Dan Hounsell

Healthcare facilities developed and implemented strategies upon strategies to protect patient and employee health in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out across the country. So what’s the secret to not just controlling the spread of the coronavirus but remaining affection-free?

The leader of a Wichita, Kan., assisted living community says achieving that goal during a global pandemic took a group effort of strict adherence to infection prevention protocols, according to McKnight’s Senior Living.

Prairie Homestead Assisted Living credits the community’s zero COVID-19 cases over the past year to staff members and residents meticulously wearing masks and following social distancing and sanitization best practices, as well as sticking to quarantine measures for new residents or anyone who left the community and came back.

With 17 residents, the community kept up many of its activities to try to maintain everyone’s physical, mental and spiritual health. Skyping and courtyard visits with family members were added as community spread decreased, and scheduled indoor visits now are available.