An Employee at Emporia Presbyterian Manor tests positive for COVID-19

An essential health care worker at Emporia Presbyterian Manor has tested for COVID-19.

“The safety of our residents and employees remains our highest priority,” said Jeanne Gerstenkorn, PMMA’s infection preventionist and vice president for health and wellness.

Today, we tested 88 staff members via rapid point-of-care (POC) testing. All results came back negative. Additionally, 38 health care residents were tested on Monday. Those results were also negative.

The Flint Hills Community Health Department has been notified and we will follow their lead.

We will follow CDC and KDHE guidelines for when an employee may return to work. Under the current guidelines, symptomatic employees or contractors may return to work when at least 72 hours have passed since resolution of 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 or contractors will quarantine for 14 days. Upon their 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.

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.