Wichita residents, employee test positive for COVID-19

One essential health care worker and two residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at Wichita Presbyterian Manor.

Two health care residents have tested positive for COVID-19 with rapid point-of-care (POC) tests Wednesday, September 8. The first resident was tested after exhibiting signs and symptoms of the virus.

As a precaution, all health care residents were administered POC tests, and one additional positive resident was identified. Staff working in health care were also POC tested as a precaution and all were negative.

One employee tested positive following surveillance testing September 7. Results were received September 9.

The employee last worked Tuesday, September 7, passing pre-shift screening and wearing personal protective equipment as required. All other surveillance tests were negative. The last positive case at Wichita Presbyterian Manor was August 24, when an essential health care worker who last worked August 19, tested positive.

The Sedgwick County Health Department and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Epidemiology Hotline have been notified. Visitation has been suspended for residents in health care and the Post-Acute-To-Home® (PATH) program as a precaution. Visitation continues for residents in assisted living and memory care.

Our focus remains on ensuring the well-being of our residents and employees. We continue to follow all guidance related to patient care, employee safety, and efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are working closely with Jeanne Gerstenkorn, PMMA’s infection preventionist and vice president for health and wellness, in implementing our Emergent Infectious Disease (EID) Outbreak Management Plan.  

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.

PMMA strongly encourages our families, employees and residents to carefully consider obtaining a vaccine for themselves as well as their loved ones. Every person who receives the vaccine will strengthen the protection for all residents, staff and the community at-large.

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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