Update: 51 at Turlock care home test positive for coronavirus; county provides support
A coronavirus outbreak has escalated at a nursing home in Turlock.
In an update Sunday, Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center said 34 of its residents and 17 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center reported the results in an update on its website on Sunday, after initially reporting three staff members and three residents testing positive for COVID-19 last week.
In all, the center said, 124 residents have been tested. Ten residents have tested negative, and 87 tests results are pending. Among staff, 155 people have been tested, with 23 coming back with negative results and the remaining 115 still pending.
A spokesman said the Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services and county public health were in contact with the nursing home and are monitoring the situation.
In the statement posted Sunday, operators of the facility outlined measures being taken to limit the spread of the virus. They include devoting a distinct wing of the facility for the care of residents who have tested positive, isolating those who tested negative, and continued screening of staff and medical personnel.
Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation has also “suspended admissions and discharges for a 14-day quarantine period in accordance with local and state health department guidance,” the statement said.
“We especially wish to commend our staff for their continued commitment to the care of our residents, particularly given the risks to their own health and that of their families,” the statement said.
Jack Wilmeth said his wife was at the nursing home for three weeks of medical rehabilitation this month. The first time they learned of coronavirus infection in the facility was the day after she was discharged home April 20, when a staff member called and said an employee had tested positive.
Wilmeth said he asked how his 78-year-old wife could be tested and did not get an answer until Friday. The facility said she would not be tested, because she was no longer a patient, Wilmeth said.
Wilmeth takes his wife’s temperature daily — it’s normal — and is trying to arrange a coronavirus test through her primary care doctor or the public health agency in Mariposa County, where they live. “I think (the nursing home has) a moral obligation, if not a legal one, to provide her with a test. They need to be held more accountable for post discharge in the middle of this mess,” Wilmeth said.
Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center did not respond immediately to a request for comment Monday.
The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency said it’s monitoring the outbreak and responding with contact tracing of infected individuals and support for Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Royjinder Singh, a spokesman for the county Office of Emergency Services, said the nursing center made some requests for personnel protective equipment and county public health was able to provide the PPE.
The nursing home also asked if the county agencies could provide assistance with staffing if that is needed.
“Our team has identified personnel through different agreements that could assist with staffing,” Singh said. “They have not made that request right now. They are able to manage it within the facility.”
The center has been working with Lani Dickinson, chief executive officer of Emanuel Medical Center, in dealing with the cases.
The three residents who initially tested positive last week were hospitalized. An employee told The Modesto Bee on Friday the facility was sending residents to the hospital as a precaution. Information was not available on how many patients were admitted at Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock.
This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 4:50 AM.
