Second resident in Topeka loses battle with COVID-19

A second resident who previously tested positive for COVID-19 has died at Topeka Presbyterian Manor.

“Every resident is a member of our family at Topeka Presbyterian Manor,” said Heather Pilkinton, executive director. “When we lose a resident, we mourn their loss. We are broken hearted for the resident’s family.”

The resident had been cared for by designed staff in a special area designated for COVID-19 positive residents. COVID-positive residents are cared for according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for transmission-based infection prevention protocols and physician’s orders.

The campus continues to conduct routine surveillance testing of employees and weekly outbreak testing for residents in health care and assisted living. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires surveillance testing of all employees, agency employees, volunteers, hospice, lab and therapy providers at our campus to be tested for COVID-19 on a frequency determined by our county’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate. A round of testing was completed Monday, November 9, and those test results are forthcoming.

Topeka Presbyterian Manor will continue to work with the Shawnee County Health Department and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to stop the outbreak.

All employees, residents, and visitors 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.  The community educates all residents and their families regarding preventive measures to slow the spread to COVID-19 including social distancing, practicing good hand hygiene, wearing an appropriate face covering, and sheltering in place within the community to the greatest extent possible.

For more information about Topeka Presbyterian Manor’s response, go to PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s) website, presbyterianmanors.org/media-room.

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