A Pottawattamie County memory care facility has reported a COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
On Friday, the Pottawattamie County Public Health (PCPH) reported that Country House in Council Bluffs was experiencing the outbreak. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) defines an outbreak as three or more residents in a long-term care facility testing positive for COVID-19.
Although the Country House is not classified as a long-term care facility by the state of Iowa, PCPH says they're responding to the outbreak in the same way they would respond to an outbreak in a long-term care facility.
PCPH says Country House has conducted COVID-19 testing on all residents and staff members at the facility. As of May 15, ten residents and one employee have tested positive for COVID-19.
“Country House adapted several COVID-19 mitigation measures early on, including restricting visitors, use of PPE, and screening staff at all shifts,” said Matt Wyant with PCPH. “Despite their precautionary efforts, the virus has regrettably been introduced to Country House.”
“First and foremost, our concern is the health and safety of our residents and our staff,” said Marty Hug, Chief Operating Officer for Agemark. “As an organization, we took very proactive measures to protect all of our people – residents and staff alike. Right now, we have activated our emergency response procedures and our dedicated team of health care professionals is doing everything in their power to contain additional spread and is providing exceptional care for our residents.”