‘Horrible unseen monster.’ Butler County nursing home latest to see COVID outbreak
Another Kentucky nursing home is seeing a spike in COVID -19 cases, with 29 residents and 22 employees testing positive at Signature HealthCARE of Morgantown in Butler County.
At least one of the residents, Jewell B. Dockery, was sedated and on a ventilator Monday, receiving intravenous medication to keep his blood pressure regulated, said his son, Shawn Dockery.
“My family and I are very scared, upset and devastated that we cannot be with him at this time of need and have to rely on others to support our dad as he fights for his life,” Shawn Dockery said. “We have been praying and have asked others to continue to pray for his recovery.”
An initial novel coronavirus test on the senior Dockery last Friday was negative. But a second test Monday at The Medical Center in Bowling Green was positive, indicating either a false result the first time or perhaps that the virus spread to him over the weekend, his son said.
In addition to his father, Dockery said, his mother-in-law lives at the nursing home, where she has tested negative and shows no symptoms for the coronavirus. Also, his niece works at the facility, he added.
“This is a small-town, close-knit community where there are several nurses and CNA’s that we have really grown to know as they have cared for my father and mother, who passed four years ago, and my mother-in-law,” he said. “I feel for all the residents, staff and all the families that are dealing with this horrible unseen monster.”
Most residents of the Butler County nursing home have either mild symptoms or are not showing symptoms of the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, the company said in a news release issued Sunday.
The affected employees won’t be allowed back to work without being medically cleared, the company said.
Signature HealthCARE, a large nursing home chain based in Louisville, said it obtained enough kits to test everyone at the facility.
The Butler County facility set up a separate unit inside the facility to separate residents with COVID-19 from the others. That area will have its own entrance and supplies. Employees who work there won’t work in other areas of the building, according to the company news release.
The plan is to care for residents in the facility unless their condition requires taking them to a hospital. The company said it will screen all residents and employees daily for signs of the virus.
“The decision to open this unit has required careful planning and discussion, but there’s a need that we are ready to answer,” said Amy Phelps, chief executive officer of the facility.
There have been surges in COVID-19 cases at several nursing homes in Kentucky in recent days, including 40 cases at a Signature HealthCARE facility in Jackson County. The company announced Monday evening that one resident from the Jackson County facility had died.
And an update issued late Sunday from the Lake Cumberland District Health Department said 37 residents and seven employees have tested positive at a Signature nursing home in Adair County, up from a total of 33 cases announced Friday.
Health officials have expressed particular concern over outbreaks in long-term care facilities because residents’ other health problems can make them more vulnerable.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 10:04 AM.
