19 coronavirus cases reported at KCK rehab center as Wyandotte County cases rise
Officials in Wyandotte County are reporting a significant increase in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus, including 19 cases found at a Kansas City, Kansas, rehabilitation center.
Seventeen patients and two staff members from Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation at 7850 Freeman Avenue have tested positive for COVID-19, Unified Government officials announced.
Six people have been hospitalized of the 17 patients, which were identified out of 135 total residents of the facility.
In an emailed response to The Star on Friday night, Cory Schulte, executive director of Riverbend, confirmed that some residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Patients who remain at the center are receiving care from the facility’s clinical team, Schulte said.
“I am pleased to report that we are seeing improvements in several of these patients, and are so grateful to our talented Facility team for their focused delivery of care,” Schulte wrote, adding that Riverbend is following instruction from federal, state and local health officials.
Schulte said some measures the facility has put into place include universal masking; using full personal protective equipment when interacting with those residents who are COVID-19-positive or suspected to be; frequent hand-washing; and screening and assessing employees and medical personnel prior to entry.
The facility also announced in a March 15 statement that it was limiting visitors to prevent illness, citing direction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“While the Facility has always had a comprehensive infection prevention program in place, we escalated our interventions early in the month of March when news of the Coronavirus began circulating; infection control remains our highest priority in the current environment,” Schulte continued.
“We are fully committed to the health and welfare of the residents, families and staff whom we have the privilege to serve and who comprise the Riverbend community, and will continuously act in a manner consistent with that commitment.”
Over 130 cases, six deaths in Wyandotte County
As of Friday afternoon, a total of 137 COVID-19 cases have been identified and confirmed in Wyandotte County, according to Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer with the Unified Government.
“That’s a 191 percent increase in positive cases since one week ago,” Greiner said in a statement. “We know that Wyandotte County’s population is uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 because of the number of residents with underlying conditions and without health insurance. We have taken aggressive action in the Kansas City region and state of Kansas, but we must be even more diligent to take care of our community in Wyandotte County.”
Greiner said epidemiological models that officials are using show that the number of cases may not reach its peak until at least the end of April. A statewide stay-at-home order is in place for Kansas residents and businesses in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
In Wyandotte County, six people have died from the disease. The latest death was a 64-year-old man who worked for the Unified Government Parks and Recreation Department, according to the Friday news release.
“It’s always tragic to lose a member of our community,” Mayor David Alvey said in a statement. “To lose a member of our Unified Government family hits particularly close to home. Our prayers are with his family at this very sad time.”
Statewide, at least 620 people have tested positive for COVID-19, and 17 have died as of Friday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 8:52 PM.
