Parsons Presbyterian Manor reports positive COVID-19 tests

Four residents and four employees tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend at Parsons Presbyterian Manor.

“As the pandemic continues to impact the area, we’ll keep our focus on resident and employee safety,” said Jeanne Gerstenkorn, PMMA’s infection preventionist and vice president for health and wellness.

Two essential health care workers tested positive on Saturday, November 28, via rapid point-of-care (POC) testing. The employees last worked on Friday, November 27, and Tuesday, November 24, screening in before their shifts and wearing personal protective equipment while at work.

Saturday evening, one health care resident began showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and was also administered a rapid POC test, which was positive. The resident was moved to the designated COVID-19 isolation area to be cared for by designated staff, following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infection prevention protocols and physician’s orders.

The senior living community acted swiftly to test all residents and employees on Sunday, November 29, utilizing rapid POC testing. Through this testing, three additional health care residents and two additional staff members tested positive for COVID-19. No assisted living residents tested positive.

Two of the health care residents were asymptomatic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends confirming a positive rapid POC test when the individual is asymptomatic within 48 hours of the initial rapid test. The two residents were administered standard COVID-19 tests, which confirmed the rapid POC results.

One essential health care worker who last worked November 29, and one non-direct care employee also tested positive via POC testing. Both were administered standard tests, which confirmed the rapid results.

We have notified the Labette County Health Department and will continue with mass testing this week. Due to the number of cases, Parsons Presbyterian Manor is now considered a COVID-19 cluster. A cluster is defined as two or more non-household cases of COVID-19 associated with a location during a specified period of time.

The COVID positive residents will recover in isolation and be cared for by designated staff. We will follow CDC and KDHE guidelines for when the residents may come out of isolation. Under the current guidelines, symptomatic residents may leave 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. Asymptomatic positive residents will quarantine for 10 days. Designated staff members are following doctor’s orders for treatment protocols and following CDC infection prevention protocols.

We will follow CDC and KDHE guidelines for when the employees may return to work. Under the current guidelines, symptomatic employees may return to work when at least 72 hours have passed since resolution of 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 or contractors will quarantine for 10 days. Upon their return to work, we will follow CDC recommendations related to work practices and restrictions.

We will continue to monitor residents for signs and symptoms of respiratory illness and COVID-19 on every shift.

We encourage all staff members to follow CDC guidelines and best practices as these are continually updated.  We have been screening employees as they enter the community building for a shift and before employees have any direct contact with residents.  We educate all staff to stay at home if they are experiencing symptoms of a respiratory illness or not feeling well.

For more information about Parsons Presbyterian Manor’s response, go to PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s) website, presbyterianmanors.org/media-room.