Two essential health care workers test positive at Wichita PMMA
After a week with no new cases detected during employee surveillance testing, Wichita Presbyterian Manor had two employees test positive during surveillance testing November 30.
The campus tested 194 residents and employees November 30. All resident tests were negative for COVID-19. One essential health care worker and one non-direct resident care employee have tested positive for COVID-19.
The essential health care worker last worked November 15 in assisted living, and tested negative in surveillance testing November 23 and 24. On November 26, the employee reported a close contact had tested positive for COVID-19 and was told to quarantine.
The non-direct resident care employee last worked December 1. The employee passed pre-shift screening and wore personal protective equipment as required.
Through contact tracing, one independent living resident has been identified as a possible close contact. The resident will be asked to self-isolate and we will test the resident next week.
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.
