BY SYDNEY HOOVER
Medicalodges Eudora reported 16 new positive cases of the coronavirus last week — 11 among residents and 5 among staff.
That’s according to the Medicalodges website, which says the Eudora Medicalodges has reported 42 total cases of the coronavirus among residents and 13 among staff.
Medicalodges has 74 beds, and 52 were filled as of Nov. 15, according to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
The Eudora Times reached out to several Medicalodges employees Tuesday, but most declined to comment or did not respond by the time of publication. Senior Regional Vice President Staci Cardenas said via email she could not release any further information outside what is on the website for privacy reasons.
Cardenas said Medicalodges reports coronavirus cases through an online portal to the health department and the National Healthcare Safety Network, which sends data to the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
According to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, Medicalodges Eudora had no reported positive cases since mid-May through its most recently updated data from Nov. 15. The Center is an agency through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that monitors coronavirus cases in long-term care facilities nationally.
As of Tuesday, Medicalodges Eudora was not listed as a cluster location by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The state defines clusters as any location linked to five or more positive cases with symptom onset dates within 14 days of each other. The list is updated each Wednesday.
Other assisted living facilities listed as clusters include Medicalodges of Wichita, which reported 22 resident cases and two staff cases last week, according to the Medicalodges website. Sixteen of those were recorded by the state Health Department as of Wednesday.
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health does not release names of locations linked to outbreaks unless it believes it has not successfully identified all close contacts, spokesman George Diepenbrock said in an email.
Medicalodges Eudora’s last positive staff member was reported last Tuesday, and the most recent resident to test positive was Friday. It’s unclear when other cases were reported. Medicalodges Eudora tests all staff and residents twice weekly, according to the Medicalodges website.
The website does not list how many deaths due to the coronavirus have been reported. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services listed eight deaths at the facility since January 2020, but none were listed as related to the coronavirus.
Piles of biohazard bags could be seen outside Medicalodges Eudora Tuesday sitting next to the staff parking lot, across 14th Street from Paschal Fish Park.
Facilities producing medical waste should dispose of waste regularly to avoid accumulation and should store waste in leak-proof, puncture-resistant containers that are labeled, according to the CDC. It should be stored somewhere well ventilated that is “inaccessible to pests.”
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has similar guidelines, specifying the container must be closable and constructed to avoid leaks. It should be labeled with “BIOHAZARD” or through the color red.
Cardenas did not provide further details about the bags, but said she would address it with the facility directly.
Medicalodges Eudora also had eight empty bed frames sitting in the same parking lot as the biohazard bags. A Medicalodges employee advertised in a Eudora Community Facebook page the facility was getting rid of the beds and they were free for anyone to take.
Cardenas did not give further information when asked about the beds.
Cardenas said Medicalodges locations, including the facility in Eudora, have been closely following CDC guidelines regarding the coronavirus.
According to its website, Medicalodges strongly recommended residents not be taken out of the facility during Thanksgiving, but would accommodate depending on its ability to isolate residents in their rooms for 14-days after the outing. All holiday parties at Medicalodges facilities were canceled.
A June 1 message to residents and families said Medicalodges facilities would continue to restrict visitors, except in “compassionate and end of life situations.” As of November, the facilities were still following these guidelines. The June message also outlined precautions including wearing face masks, practicing social distancing as much as possible and regularly monitoring staff and residents for symptoms.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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