Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor. (File Photo)
Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor has identified seven new cases and confirmed three rapid point-of-care tests in COVID-19 testing this week, according to a news release from the Manor.
In addition, another health care resident tested positive for the virus with a rapid test administered at the campus.
On Oct. 20, the Manor announced a resident died of the virus in what is so far the 10th death attributed to COVID-19 in Cowley County since the pandemic began.
Friday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported cases in Cowley County jumped by 103 cases since its Monday report.
Cases in Cowley County now number 711 since a national emergency proclamation was issued by the White House on March 13.
The campus tested 149 staff and health care residents on Tuesday.
Of the new cases, four are employees and two are health care residents. The three confirmations are all health care residents who were administered rapid tests after exhibiting signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
The last new case is a health care resident who was tested after exhibiting signs and symptoms Friday.
These positive test results bring the Manor’s seven-day total to four staff and eight residents. The campus continues to be considered a cluster. A cluster is defined as two or more non-household cases associated with a location during a specific period of time.
“We continue to focus on the health and safety of our residents and employees,” said Jeanne Gerstenkorn, PMMA’s vice president for health and wellness and chief infection preventionist.
The Cowley County Health Department has been notified. Another round of testing will be conducted for health care residents next week. Employee surveillance testing will continue as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
CMS mandated surveillance testing of staff, including all employees, agency employees, volunteers, hospice, lab and therapy providers on a frequency determined by our county’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate. Based on Cowley County’s positivity rate for COVID-19 tests, the Manor is testing staff once a week.
The residents who tested positive are in isolation.
“We will follow CDC and KDHE guidelines for when the resident may come out of isolation,” the news release stated.
Under the current guidelines, symptomatic residents may come out of isolation when at least 72 hours have passed since resolution of the resident’s fever without the use of fever- reducing medications and the resident’s symptoms have improved and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
If asymptomatic, the resident will remain in isolation for 14 days.
The employees who tested positive will remain in isolation until cleared to work by the health department.
“We follow CDC and KDHE guidelines for when an employee may return to work,” the news release said. “Under the current guidelines, symptomatic employees may return to work when at least 72 hours have passed since resolution of the employee’s fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and the employee’s symptoms have improved and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. Asymptomatic positive employees will quarantine for 14 days.
“Upon the employee’s return to work, we will follow CDC recommendations related to work practices and restrictions.”
All team members are encouraged to follow CDC guidelines and best practices as these are continually updated. The community regularly reinforces with all staff that an individual should not report to work if he or she is experiencing symptoms of a respiratory illness or no feeling well.
For more information about Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor’s response, go to PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s) website, Presbyterianmanors.org/Media-room.
