Coronavirus: Worker At Franciscan Village Facility Tests Positive

LEMONT, IL — An employee at Franciscan Village's Mother Theresa Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has tested positive for the coronavirus, Franciscan Ministries shared on Franciscan Village's Facebook page.

"Even with our best efforts to prevent the virus from entering our community, we find ourselves in another situation of containment at this time," President and CEO Judy Amiano writes in a letter to Franciscan Village residents and family members, which was shared on Facebook.

Amiano writes that the employee only worked in the Mother Theresa Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and has not worked in the building for the past seven days. The employee was out of the building March 16 to March 23.

"Due to our guidelines, the associate wore a mask 100 percent of the time they were working on 3/24/20, 3/25/20 and 3/26/20," Amiano writes. The employee reported to work March 27, and was found to have a fever and was sent home.

Amiano writes the employee went to the doctor on March 30 and was tested for the coronavirus. Franciscan Village was made aware of the positive results Thursday.

This is the second positive case at Franciscan Village, specifically at the Mother Theresa Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

The first positive case of coronavirus at the Franciscan Village facility was a 65-year-old woman. The woman died March 26 at University of Chicago Medical Center as a result of septic shock due to the coronavirus infection with high blood pressure, psoriatic arthritis and complications of right knee surgery as contributing factors.

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In a March 30 letter to Franciscan Village associates, Vice President of Clinical Services at Franciscan Ministries Kathy Kelly and stated the woman had first been admitted to Mother Theresa Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Feb. 21. At a March 2 doctor's appointment, it was found the woman needed to be readmitted to the hospital for wound issues. The woman stayed at the hospital until March 18, when she was readmitted back to Mother Theresa, a facility within Franciscan Village. She stayed in a private room, which Patch reported earlier this month.

On March 22, the woman was sent back to the hospital due to a fever, Kelly said in the letter.

"Given the patient was out of the facility from 3/2/20 to 3/18/20, we do not believe the patient contracted the virus at the facility," Kelly writes.

Amiano writes in her April 2 letter that the second case appears unrelated to the first case as the two people were never on the campus at the same time.

"Because of the infection control measures that had already been in place during the time the staff member was in the facility, there was limited exposure and/or contact with other staff and residents," Amiano wrote.

Patrick Schuerer, vice president of communications and brand strategy, said residents in skilled units are being monitored every eight hours for temperatures or signs and symptoms of illness. In the assisted living facility, residents are monitored twice daily and have been educated to report any symptoms.

"We have increased our cleaning and disinfection of high touch areas," Schuerer said. "Residents are served meals in their rooms and we have increased our use of 1:1 leisure activities as well as our technology system to broadcast entertainment and spiritual services in alignment with the social distancing guidelines."

In addition to resident screening, Schuerer said staff is also being screen before the start of shift for temperature and must not pass screening for signs of symptoms of illness. If there are any symptoms or fever, they are sent home and are referred to their doctor.

"Based upon recommendations from IDPH that came out [April 2], we are implementing 100 percent staff use of face masks while working – no matter the level of care," Schuerer said.

Amiano states that recommendations at this time are to monitor all residents and staff, but there is no recommendation to test anyone.

"We have no additional residents or staff members who are exhibiting any signs of infection at this time," Amiano writes.