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An employee at Emporia Presbyterian Manor has tested positive for COVID-19

An Emporia Presbyterian Manor employee has tested for COVID-19. The employee, a direct care employee in health care, is in isolation and quarantining at home.

“As the virus continues to impact our area, we remain committed to doing all we can to ensure the safety of our residents and employees,” said Jeanne Gerstenkorn, PMMA’s infection preventionist and vice president for health and wellness.

The employee last worked on Friday morning, August 21. They began noticing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and sought testing, which yielded a positive result.

We have been in contact with Flint Hills Community Health Department and will follow their guidance. Per their direction, we will be contact tracing and will test all residents and employees who had contact with the positive employee. That testing will take place next week.  

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

Presbyterian Manor will follow any additional guidance from Flint Hills Community Health Department, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment epidemiology hotline and the CDC.

Presbyterian Manor 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. 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 Emporia Presbyterian Manor’s response, go to PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s) website, presbyterianmanors.org/media-room.

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