2nd worker at Westmoreland Manor tests positive for covid-19
At least one worker at Westmoreland Manor has tested positive for the coronavirus as state-mandated testing at the county-owned nursing home started this week.
Officials said the employee, who was not identified, does not provide direct care of residents at the Hempfield facility.
Westmoreland Manor management “immediately implemented steps to keep all residents and employees healthy and safe,” according to a statement issued Tuesday by Amanda Bernard, Westmoreland County’s human resources director.
The employee is working remotely and has been asked to quarantine per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bernard said. The employee’s workspace and other areas at the Manor have been cleaned and disinfected.
Additional testing of the 375 residents and more than 400 employees who work at the facility is ongoing and is expected to be completed this week.
It is the second confirmed covid-19 case connected to the Manor. In late April, a private contractor tested positive for the disease after contact tracing determined that person had been exposed at another facility. That worker had not been at the Manor in the days prior to the positive test result, officials said.
“We are actively monitoring our residents each shift as well as screening staff at the beginning and end of their shift for signs and symptoms of covid-19,” Bernard said.
This month, state health officials ordered all nursing homes and long-term care facilities to test residents and employees for the virus. Congregant living facilities such as nursing homes have been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 15 facilities in Westmoreland County have had coronavirus infections. The state reported that 143 residents and 40 staffers have tested positive for the virus in those facilities. Of the 32 virus-related deaths in Westmoreland, 28 were in nursing homes, state officials said.
Nursing homes have accounted for about a third of the 552 coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County, Coroner Ken Bacha said.
Follow-up testing of residents and employees at the nursing home who are found to be infected will continue weekly until 14 days have passed with negative results, Bernard said.
The county will pay about $128,000 for the testing, which is being conducted Excela Health Physician Practices Inc.
“We have until mid-July to get everyone tested,” county Commissioner Gina Cerilli said.
Testing will be paid for using a $1.8 million federal grant the county received to cover coronavirus-related expenses at the Manor, officials said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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