Employee at Columbia nursing home tests positive for COVID-19

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Residents of The Neighborhoods by TigerPlace in Columbia are under quarantine after an employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

According to a spokesperson with the Americare nursing facility, they were notified of the positive test result Saturday. The employee last worked on May 4 and reported a family member testing positive on May 5.

According to a news release from The Neighborhoods by TigerPlace, the entire community living in the facility is now under an in-room quarantine until May 19. Staff members are also wearing personal protective equipment.

The self-contained "care neighborhood" of the nursing home, where the employee worked, had already gone under quarantine on May 5 pending the employee's test results.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure we stop the spread of this within our facility,” said Patricia Cokingtin, a senior vice president for Americare Senior Living. “We are in very close communication with local and state health officials to ensure we are taking the appropriate steps at this time."

The facility said it notified its 65 residents, their emergency contacts and its 90 employees Saturday night about the case of COVID-19 in the nursing home.

“So what happens when we have an employee that tests positive, we place the community, the residents in the community, on what we call "in room quarantine" that means that they receive all of their care, including meal services one on one activities in their own room,” Cokingtin said.

Cokingtin said Americare put out pandemic policy in mid-march at recommendation of the CDC.

"It's really a building set up of five separate neighborhoods, so those neighborhoods are self contained they have their own dining space, their own activities living room, and staff so this particular employee worked on one of those neighborhoods," Cokingtin said. "So it was somewhat limited, the exposure, which is very fortunate."

Americare Senior Living has a total of 6 communities across Boone County but The Neighborhoods by TigerPlace is the only location with a positive case of COVID-19.

Americare communities in Boone County:

• The Neighborhoods by TigerPlace
• TigerPlace
• Bluff Creek Terrace and The Arbors of Bluff Creek Terrace
• Colony Pointe and The Arbors of Colony Pointe
• Mill Creek Village and The Arbors of Mill Creek Village
• Ashland Villa

The release stated that no other workers or residents are symptomatic as of Sunday. All residents are being checked every 4 hours during the day for symptoms.

Cokingtin said the facility has a limited amount of COVID-19 tests which they will administer to those who are showing symptoms with a physician's order. Those tests will then be sent to Access Lab in Houston, TX.

Cokington said the Columbia/Boone County Health Department has not recommended COVID-19 tests for all residents and employees of The Neighborhoods by TigerPlace.

ABC 17 News reached out to the health department but has yet to hear back.