Edmonson Center Administrator Chris Swihart Speaks Out About Positive COVID-19 Case At Facility

Precautions, Current, and Forward Actions Discussed

Edmonson Center Head Administrator Chris Swihart speaks at a 2019 event.

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson Center, Genesis Healthcare facility in Brownsville announced yesterday that one of their residents had tested positive for COVID-19. The Edmonson Voice reached out to local Head Administrator Chris Swihart for further questions regarding this incident and about the facility's plan moving forward.

Mr. Swihart answered our questions earlier today through their corporate office.

We asked Swihart about the timeline in which Edmonson Center began implementing changes and asked him to describe the changes made.

​"We have been so stringent on visitation restrictions and other precautions across all of our centers," he said. "Not only following recommended protocols and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), but also often getting out in front of them."

Some of the steps he provided were as follows:

• Screening residents and patients for symptoms - first daily and now three times daily
• Actively screening and taking temperatures of all staff upon building entry
• Requiring all staff to wear personal protective equipment
• Visitation restrictions, except for exceptional circumstances, such as end-of-life situations
• Cancellation of all outside medical appointments except for medically necessary and time-sensitive treatments, such as dialysis and chemotherapy
• To make things easier for families, the facility has implemented the ability for families and loved ones to perform video conferencing calls using Zoom technology
• For any centers where positive cases arise, the facility notifies patients, residents and families immediately, and update them daily via video conference calls
  
  

We also asked Mr. Swihart how worried should friends and family be with the condition of a resident now that a positive COVID-19 case has been confirmed inside the facility.

"I can assure you that we are working around the clock to keep our patients and residents healthy and as safe as possible," he said. "We are doing everything in our power – and everything medical experts know as of at this time – to protect our patients, residents and employees."

Finally, Mr. Swihart discussed visitation protocol for the facility moving forward.

"For more than a month now, we have instituted visitation restrictions, except for exceptional circumstances such as end-of-life situations. To make things easier for families, we have implemented the ability for families and loved ones to perform video conferencing calls using Zoom technology.  These restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future."

Yesterday's positive case at Edmonson Center brought the county total to 8 cases, 4 of which have been reported as recovered. There have been no deaths reported in Edmonson County as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.