MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Inspections are underway at a Kansas City, Kansas, rehabilitation facility where 25 people have died of COVID-19 and another 91 have contracted the disease.
The outbreak at the Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation started after a staff member who wasn’t wearing appropriate personal protective equipment worked two shifts last month with a fever and cough before being diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a report that local health officials released last week.
State and federal inspectors are now looking into infection control measures that are being implemented at the facility, said Cara Sloan, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
The deaths at Riverbend, which provides short-term rehabilitation for people recovering from medical issues as well as long-term care, account for nearly a quarter of Kansas’ 107 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Wyandotte County, where the facility is based, is the hardest hit in the state, accounting for 433 of the state’s 2,025 cases.
Eight of the sickened Riverbend residents remained hospitalized Tuesday, the Kansas City-Wyandotte County health agency said. Riverbend said on its website this week that there were signs of improvement, noting that 90% of the sickened residents were medically stable.
Nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities have been particularly hard-hit nationwide. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
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