WILLMAR — It was confirmed on Monday that a former resident of Bethesda Grand, the skilled nursing facility in Willmar, has tested positive for COVID-19. This comes following the confirmed positive case of a staff member over the weekend.
In a news release, Bethesda, which operates senior living facilities in Willmar and Olivia, said the resident who tested positive no longer lives at Bethesda Grand. Due to privacy laws, no other information about the former resident will be released.
The resident case was uncovered following continued testing of residents and staff who came in contact with the previous staff positive case. The news release said several negative test results have also come back, along with the one positive case.
The facility is putting a comprehensive COVID response procedure in place, which will include a secure location for confirmed cases among residents. This area will have a specialized workforce, decontamination areas for staff and room depressurization capabilities to assist with respiratory recovery, the news release said.
“We have all been working around the clock to get ready for COVID-19, and we are ready, now that the day is here,” said Michelle Haefner, CEO of Bethesda, in the news release. “Our intense preparations and training have prepared us for this situation. Although we wished it would have never come, we are here, and we are equipped to do everything possible to prevent the spread within our system of care.”
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COVID testing will continue at Bethesda.
“We know that the number one resource we have in this fight is knowledge. That is why we will continue to pursue proper testing for our residents and staff,” Haefner said. “The sooner we are able to know who has been affected, the sooner we can contain this virus and keep our community safe. Our residents and our team members deserve to have access to asymptomatic testing, and we are heavily pursuing that. Testing will be the strongest resource we will have in combating this disease.”
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