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Aberdeen Village announces more employee tests positive for COVID-19

One additional Aberdeen Village employee has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee is not involved in providing direct resident care. The employee is in isolation and recuperating at home.

The employee last worked August 1, before calling in for their scheduled August 3 shift not feeling well. The employees sought COVID-19 testing August 4 and we were notified of the positive results late on August 5.

“The safety of our residents and employees is our top priority and will continue to be top of mind,” said Jeanne Gerstenkorn, PMMA’s infection preventionist and vice president for health and wellness.

The Johnson County Health Department and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Epidemiology Hotline have been notified, along with all other required federal and state agencies. The Johnson County Health Department recommended contact tracing or testing of other employees who had exposure to the employee who tested positive. Aberdeen Village conducted contact tracing and identified three employees who had direct contact with the positive employee. Those employees are in isolation and will be tested for COVID-19 next week.

Families, residents and employees have been notified regarding the positive employee. The CDC has been notified of the positive test per CMS regulation.

The employee is recuperating at home. We follow CDC and KDHE guidelines in determining when an employee may return to work.  Under the current 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.

Aberdeen Village implemented a strict no visitor policy at the community and discontinued group activities and communal dining for the entire campus per guidelines released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the CDC on March 13.

All employees are encouraged to follow CDC guidelines and best practices as these are continually updated. We have been screening employees as they enter the community building for a shift and before employees have any direct contact with residents.  We educate all staff to stay at home if they are experiencing symptoms of a respiratory illness or not feeling well.

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

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