Emporia PMMA resident passes away; employee tests positive for COVID

An independent living resident of Emporia Presbyterian Manor who previously tested positive for COVID-19 has passed away.

It is never easy to say goodbye to a beloved resident. It’s even more difficult during this awful pandemic. The entire Emporia Presbyterian Manor family is in mourning at this time.

While we strive for transparency in what we do, please know that we are bound by federal guidelines under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects the privacy rights of our residents even into death. Our medical director follows all established federal laws in notifying families of any change in the medical condition of their loved ones.

At this time, Emporia Presbyterian Manor continues its focus on ensuring the well-being of our residents and employees. We will continue to monitor residents for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 on each shift, and care for those residents who are positive in the COVID-19 isolation area.

Additionally, we have an update to share.

An essential health care worker has tested positive for the virus via rapid point-of-care (POC) testing. The employee last worked on January 3, screening in in prior to their shift and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) while working.

We have notified the Flint Hills Community Health Department and will continue with surveillance testing next week.

We will follow CDC and KDHE guidelines for when an employee may return to work. Under the current guidelines, symptomatic employees 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 will quarantine for at least 10 days. Upon their return to work, we will follow CDC recommendations related to work practices and restrictions.

“We remain committed to the safety of our residents and employees at this time,” said Susan Siepelmeier, executive director.

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.