Two more Manor of the Plains employees test positive for COVID-19
As COVID-19 cases continue to be high in Dodge City and the surrounding counties, Manor of the Plains continues twice weekly surveillance testing of all employees.
The senior living community tested 63 employees on Monday, November 2. With 4 tests pending, 2 employees have tested positive. This brings our cumulative 7-day total to five employees.
The first confirms a rapid point-of-care test administered to an employee over the weekend. The employee, who passed pre-shift screening on Saturday, was sent home after beginning to run a fever during their shift. A rapid test administered on Saturday was negative. The employee was administered a second rapid test on Sunday prior to their shift, which was positive. The diagnosis was confirmed with a standard COVID-19 test in Monday’s round of surveillance testing.
The second employee, who provides direct resident care, has not worked since October 15. The employee took a vacation and quarantined for two weeks upon their return. The employee participated in surveillance testing in order to be cleared to return to work. Their test was positive.
Contact tracing revealed the non-direct care employee did not have any direct exposure to residents or other employees.
We have notified the Ford County Health Department and will continue with ongoing twice weekly surveillance testing. Our next scheduled testing date is Monday, November 9. The results of a second round of surveillance testing conducted November 4 are pending.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has mandated surveillance testing of our staff. Surveillance testing requires all employees, agency employees, volunteers, hospice, lab and therapy providers at our campus to be tested on a frequency determined by our county’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate. Based on our county positivity rate for COVID-19 tests, our campus is testing staff twice a week.
We follow CDC and KDHE guidelines in determining when an employee may return to work. Under the current CDC and KDHE guidelines, the employee 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. Upon the employee’s return to work, we will follow CDC recommendations related to work practices and restrictions.
Asymptomatic employees must quarantine for 14 days.
Employees are encouraged to follow CDC guidelines and best practices as these are continually updated. The community regularly reinforces with all employees that an employee should not report to work if he or she is experiencing symptoms of a respiratory illness or is not feeling well.
For more information about Manor of the Plains’ response, go to PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s) website, presbyterianmanors.org/media-room.
