Third resident at Village Pointe Commons in Grafton dies from coronavirus
Updated: 11:22 a.m. on March 27, 2020
OZAUKEE/WASHINGTON COUNTIES (CBS 58) -- The Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department reported Friday, March 27, an additional two residents that tested positive for COVID-19 at Village Pointe Commons in Grafton, have died.
“The health department sends our deepest condolences to family and loved ones. This isprecisely why we have ordered long-term-care facilities and first responders to use PPE andordered limitations on providers going into these facilities. We continue to urge the communityto please stay home. We do not want other families to lose loved ones,” said Kirsten Johnson, Health Officer of the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department.
This marks the third death at Village Point Commons due to the virus.
The health department said they continue to monitor the outbreak at Village Pointe Commons, and have also been monitoring cases at five additional long-term care facilities.
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Published: 8:11 p.m. on March 26, 2020
OZAUKEE/WASHINGTON COUNTIES (CBS 58) -- The director health officer of the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department says they have a number of long-term care facilities that have coronavirus outbreaks.
"We have five facilities total between the two counties that have more than two people who are positive and we have upwards of eleven facilities that have one person that is positive," said Kirsten Johnson.
Johnson said after the first outbreak at Village Pointe Commons last week, they've been doing contact tracing of all the positive cases and anyone they have had contact with.
"Through the tracing that we've done, we've identified one of the risks is that individuals who are often caregivers in long-term care facilities or through hospice companies, they will work in one facility, potentially even multiple facilities in one day," said Johnson, "And that introduces risk into each one of those facilities where they work."
On Wednesday, she issued an order prohibiting people from working in multiple facilities during the emergency, and ordered that employees should disclose to their employers if they are working in more than one long-term care facility in Washington and Ozaukee counties.
"We did it as soon as we realized that this was a potential risk so I think we did it was soon as we knew. I think it should be done throughout the state," Johnson said.
She expects other counties to see similar situations.
"I know that this is likely happening in every other long-term care facility in our state and probably our country, it's just that, we at the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department, have the resources to do some intensive contact tracing and have been able to put this all together, so I think that's why we're seeing this before anyone else, I don't think it's unique to Washington, Ozaukee County," said Johnson.
CBS 58 reached out to health departments around southeastern Wisconsin to see if there are outbreaks in long-term care facilities in other counties and heard from officials in Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha Counties. All said they haven't yet seen outbreaks at long-term care facilities.
At VMP Healthcare and Community Living, they haven't had a positive case, but they are accepting donations in response to the pandemic.
They are seeking the following items:
· Any face masks (N95, Surgical, Homemade)
· Gloves
· Gowns
· Hand Sanitizer that is at least 70% alcohol
· Sanitizing Wipes
· Toilet Paper
· Paper Towels
· Bleach
· Gloves
· Cash Donations
"Everything that helps our residents from the spread of the coronavirus and other viruses as well our employees that are on the front lines providing care to those residents," said Dylan Mann, VMP Healthcare & Community Living's Chief Financial Officer.
Donations can be brought to VMP Healthcare & Community Living located at 3023 S. 84th Street, West Allis.