Country Villa Assisted Living confirms 1 case of COVID-19

PULASKI, Wis. (WBAY) — Chad Reader, the President of Country Villa Assisted Living in Pulaski, issued a statement late Saturday morning confirming there has been one case of COVID-19 at the facility.

According to Reader, the case was confirmed on Monday, April 27, and the facility then immediately started their emergency protocol, with Reader saying all residents were isolated to their rooms in order to contain further spread.

The statement didn’t say if the person who was confirmed to have the virus was an employee or a resident.

The following day, all residents and employees received COVID-19 tests, and Reader says they also worked with Prevea Health and PRN Health to get help for any staff members who were sick.

Reader says any employees who tested positive fro COVID-19 were immediately sent home, and employees who tested negative but weren’t feeling well were asked to stay there until a replacement for them could be secured before going home so care could still be provided for the residents.

The statement didn’t say how many employees were sent home, or how many went home because they weren’t feeling well.

Reader says Country Villa Assisted Living in Pulaski has been closed to the public since March 12, and deliveries into the building were also stopped on that date. Deliveries were then taken to a separate area, where packages and boxes were sanitized before being brought into the building.

He adds the health of each staff member was monitored before their shift, which included screening to determine their temperatures and any other symptoms they experienced.

The daughter of a current employee who spoke on anonymity tells WBAY says she believes the coronavirus was there before workers knew what was going on, saying a resident who had passed away in December had complaints of nothing tasting good, or not being able to taste, and it was hard to breathe, saying it felt like someone was sitting on her chest.

The employee’s daughter tells us the woman who died in December was in her late 70’s or maybe early 80’s.

She adds she believes there are additional cases of COVID-19 that haven’t been disclosed by the facility yet.

In addition, the worker’s’ daughter tells WBAY her mother had been around her kids before the facility had its first confirmed case, and claims the facility was withholding results, saying results were held for a day before employees were told if they were negative or positive.

Reader’s full statement, as sent to WBAY, can be found below:

As president of Country Villa Assisted Living Pulaski, I wanted to issue this statement in response to the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak being experienced in Brown County, Wisconsin, and the world.
Throughout this entire process, our top priority is the health and safety of our residents and staff. We have been working with state and local partners in order to effectively communicate our situation given the sensitive nature of our work in long-term health care. I am providing a timeline of events in order to maintain transparency during this trying time.
Country Villa Assisted Living in Pulaski has been closed to the public since March 12, 2020. This decision was made in order to protect the health and well-being of our residents and staff, along with the doctors and nurses we work with, by avoiding any potential spread of COVID-19 within our facility. We are extremely diligent about following all guidance and recommendations from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Deliveries into the building were also stopped on March 12, 2020. At that time, arrangements were made to take deliveries from a separate delivery area where all packages/boxes were sanitized prior to being brought into the building.
We closely monitored the health of each staff member prior to their work shift, including screening our employees to determine their temperature and any symptoms they communicate to us prior to entering the facility. Any information provided by the employees or symptoms monitored during every shift was immediately addressed.
Inside our building, we continually monitored the symptoms and health of our residents. We implemented separation during dining times and activities were scaled down in order to maintain compliance with DHS and CDC protocols.
Despite our best efforts, Country Villa Assisted Living Pulaski had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on Monday, April 27, 2020. We immediately mobilized our emergency protocol. At that time, all residents were isolated to their rooms in order to contain further spread. Our staff started working one-on-one with our residents primarily to ensure their health and safety would not be compromised.
On Tuesday, April 28, 2020, all residents and employees received COVID-19 tests. We also worked with Prevea Health and PRN Health to acquire assistance in order to fill-in for any staff members who were ill. If an employee tested positive for COVID-19, they were immediately sent home. Employees who tested negative for COVID-19, but were still not feeling well, were asked to remain until a replacement for them could be secured before going home so that we could continue to deliver the services our residents require and that their loved ones expect from us.
Once again, I reiterate that our top priority is and always will be the health, safety, and well-being of our residents and staff.
Country Villa Assisted Living Pulaski wants to thank the quick response from Prevea Health, PRN Health, and all the other agencies who have come together during these difficult times in order to assist our residents and workforce.

This is a developing story – check back for more details as they become available.