Parsons Presbyterian reports 4 additional positive COVID-19 tests

Three residents and one employee tested positive for COVID-19 in the latest round of COVID-19 testing December 3 at Parsons Presbyterian Manor.

“We continue to keep resident and employee health and safety as our No. 1 priority,” said Jeanne Gerstenkorn, PMMA’s infection preventionist and vice president for health and wellness. “It is vitally important that the entire Parsons community follow basic prevention practices to help bring the county positivity rate down.”

The employee is an essential health care worker who last worked December 3. The employee passed pre-shift screening and wore personal protective equipment as required. At this time, the employee is asymptomatic.

Two health care residents and one assisted living resident have been moved to the designated COVID-19 isolation area to be cared for designated staff following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for infection prevention and control and physician’s orders.

We have notified the Labette County Health Department and will continue with mass testing this week. This brings our total cases to 12 – 5 employees and 7 residents. Due to the number of cases, Parsons Presbyterian Manor is considered a COVID-19 cluster, which means the senior living community has two or more non-household cases 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 employee 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 and residents 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.