A long-term care facility in Council Grove is battling a coronavirus outbreak.
Morris County’s caseload went from 205 a week ago to 299 Monday, and active cases went from 44 to 115. This follows what Morris County Hospital calls a “widespread…outbreak with the majority of its residents and staff testing positive” at Diversicare of Council Grove. Diversicare says it currently has 50 residents infected. The number of ill staffers has not been released. Diversicare says it is doing all it can to stop the virus spread and has taken several precautionary measures at the early stages of the pandemic, including strict visitation limits. KVOE News is reaching out to Diversicare administrators for more information.
Morris County Hospital says it is treating several Diversicare patients in part because Diversicare doesn’t have enough health staff to care for the impacted residents. At this time, no patients have required ICU level of care. The hospital has the Diversicare patients in a “quartered-off wing” and it’s asking anybody with healthcare licensure to call the hospital at 620-767-5172 if they can help.
Overall, Morris County has one death and two pending final information from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Update from Diversicare of Council Grove
We have additional confirmed COVID-19 positive cases. Residents and designated representatives have been notified.
We would like to inform you that Diversicare of Council Grove has residents who have tested positive for COVID-19. We have been in touch with the Kansas Department of Health, as well as officials at the CDC. We are working closely with public health officials to address the situation and are grateful for their assistance. Council Grove is currently caring for 50 COVID-19 positive residents. We have informed residents and designated representatives and are committed to continue to provide updates on a regular basis.
Our Center implemented precautionary and preparedness measures early– all in accordance with CMS and CDC guidelines- including strict limitations on visitation. Limits on visitation will continue, per guidance from the CDC, and we are working hard to make sure residents can still connect with their loved ones by phone, text, or video chat.
We are doing everything we can to ensure we stop the spread of this within our center and our community. Our infection control procedures are in compliance with the CDC and Kansas Dept. of Health guidance. Our nursing staff is educated and understands the healthcare protocols for the COVID-19 quarantine and all emergency situations.
During any emergency situation such as this one, the safety of our patients and residents is our first priority. Our goal is this situation, as in all others, is the provision of exceptional healthcare. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Diversicare Care Line at (888) 508-9774 (choose option Covid19), which is available 24/7 to address your questions.
We are grateful for the support of our wonderful residents and their families, our heroic staff, and our great community. Thank you.
