By Tom Tolen/News@whmi.com


Starting Monday, Caretel - a chain of assisted living facilities in Michigan - will be accepting COVID-19 patients for an isolated unit at its Brighton facility, located at 1014 E. Grand River.

A spokeswoman for Caretel said Friday that the Brighton facility is the only one of its four centers - in Bay City, St. Joseph, Linden and Brighton, plus the Applewood Assisted Living facility in Midland County - that will be accepting the patients. That’s because the Brighton facility is the only one in the chain in which the health dept. could guarantee that there would be no contact between that wing and staff or patients in the rest of the facility.

According to Lauryn Allison, Director of Communications for the Symphony Care Network, Brighton was chosen because it “was determined to be an ideal facility for this unit due to a floor plan layout and entry points that allow for total separation from other patients.” In addition, the facility promises "total containment of COVID-19 positive patients and the providers who will care for them.” Allison said Caretel has been working in close collaboration with the Livingston County Health Department, state regulatory bodies and Caretel Inns’ medical director to begin the operation. She said further that Caretel is operating in full compliance with CDC guidelines regarding patient placement and isolation, and with health care professionals “assigned to care only for (CIVID-19) patients during their shift.” Allison said that “having a single, centralized unit for treating COVID-19 patients is the safest option for all involved, and allows for better managing the allocation of PPE supplies.

A dedicated medical response team will work at the center throughout the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. "This approach greatly reduces the risk of cross contamination and offers a higher degree of safety for all staff, patients, and the surrounding community,” Allison stated. Additional medical support services are being provided by Caretel Inns’ medical director, as well as the nation’s largest telehealth platform, to allow for constant medical oversight. And a centralized admission process has been created to work in cooperation with area hospital systems.