Two employees test positive at Wichita Presbyterian Manor

One essential health care worker and one non-direct resident care employee have tested positive for COVID-19 at Wichita Presbyterian Manor.

On Monday, December 7, the campus tested 129 employees and 1 independent living resident who was identified last week as a close contact for a staff member who tested positive.  The independent living resident and 127 employee tests were negative for the virus. The independent living resident will be tested again December 14. A second round of employee surveillance testing December 9 yielded no new cases.

The non-direct resident care employee last worked December 4, passing the pre-shift screening and wearing personal protective equipment as required. The employee reported experiencing signs and symptoms to their supervisor over the weekend. The employee was advised not to report for work Monday, but to come to the campus for drive-through surveillance testing.

The essential health care employee last worked December 8. The employee notified the supervisor after their shift that a close contact had tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was told not to report to work. The employee, who is asymptomatic, passed pre-shift screening and wore PPE as required.

Both employees tested negative in surveillance testing completed November 30 and December 2.

Through contact tracing, three assisted living residents were identified who meet the criteria for being a close contact with potential exposure. The residents have been asked to self-isolate, and they will be tested December 14.

The Sedgwick County Health Department and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Epidemiology Hotline have been notified. We will continue to test weekly residents in health care, PATH and memory care and select assisted living residents who may have been exposed by a previously reported COVID-positive employee.

We also will continue regular surveillance testing of employees. Based on our county positivity rate for COVID-19 tests, our campus is testing employees twice a week. The next round of tests will be conducted December 7.

The employees are quarantining at home and will not be allowed to work until they meet CDC and KDHE guidelines for when an 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 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 at least 10 days. Upon the employee’s return to work, we will follow CDC recommendations related to work practices and restrictions.

All residents and employees are encouraged to follow CDC guidelines and best practices as these are continually updated. The community regularly reinforces with all staff that an employee should not report to work if he or she is experiencing symptoms of a respiratory illness or not feeling well.

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

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