Three more from KCK facility die of COVID-19; 10 deaths, 92 cases linked to Riverbend
Three more residents of a rehabilitation center and nursing home who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, according to information released Friday by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
That brings the total number of deaths linked to Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation center to 10. Friday’s numbers also show that 92 people connected to the facility — 84 residents and eight staff members — have tested positive for the coronavirus. Four residents are still hospitalized.
Wyandotte County reported a total of four new COVID-19 deaths early Friday afternoon, bringing the county’s total death count to 20. There are now 300 positive cases in the county, up 40 from Thursday’s report.
Riverbend has become Kansas’ biggest outbreak for COVID-19. The first death from the facility occurred April 5, health officials have said. The unified government was notified of the outbreak one week ago, on April 3, after several residents tested positive.
Janell Friesen, a spokeswoman for the Unified Government’s Public Health Department, said Friday that after receiving additional test results, “we have learned that the large majority of the residents have COVID-19.”
Riverbend has roughly 130 residents and nearly 100 employees.
In a release late Friday afternoon, the center’s administrator and director of nursing said because of the number of patients and employees who have tested positive, “it has been determined that the Facility will be considered as fully COVID-19 positive moving forward. This approach allows us to focus on clinical interventions rather than testing and resident movement within the building.”
Friesen, in an email to The Star, said the health department was providing guidance to the staff.
“This includes discussions on PPE (personal protective equipment), as well as guidance on when employees who are currently under quarantine or isolation are okay to come back to work,” she wrote.
“Riverbend is experiencing low staffing at this time, so we have reached out to area organizations for volunteer nursing help and additional staffing help.”
Riverbend was last inspected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Jan. 9, which was 11 days before the first reported coronavirus case in the United States.
The report gave Riverbend two stars for staffing levels. It found that registered nurse hours per patient per day were 15 minutes, well below the national average of 41 minutes.
Unified Government health officials said earlier this week that they were working with Riverbend to identify others who have been exposed to stop the spread.
The facility has “cooperated completely,” said Elizabeth Groenweghe, the chief epidemiologist for the unified government
The county health department learned of the outbreak last Friday, Groenweghe said, after residents tested positive.
It’s still unclear when residents first experienced symptoms, when they were tested and how long it took for those tests to come back.
In response to questions from The Star, Friesen said Friday that it was generally taking 24 to 48 hours to learn test results.
Cory Schulte, the center’s administrator, and Maureen Purvis, director of nursing, said they were pleased that a “significant percentage” of residents who tested positive early on are now showing signs of recovery.
The names of those who died have not been released.
But the family of Mary Cooper, 74, said she was rushed to the hospital on April 3 after experiencing respiratory problems. Her family was told that day that she had tested positive for the virus.
“We were just hoping she was strong enough to recover,” her son, Ronald Brandon told The Star.
Two days later, at 10:27 Sunday night, she died. A physician told Brandon that when she passed away, two nurses were holding her hand.
Brandon’s stepfather — Steve Cooper — still resides at Riverbend. He’s been diagnosed with COVID-19 and the family has been told he’s recovering.
This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 1:16 PM.
