by Kate Evans
The Stonerise Healthcare Berkeley Springs Center has had a total of nine COVID-19 associated deaths as of Friday, October 1, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) COVID-19 dashboard.
Three COVID-19 associated deaths were listed previously as of Monday, September 20 from the outbreak. There were 18 actively positive residents and no actively positive staff members at the Berkeley Springs Stonerise facility as of last Friday per the DHHR website.
According to the Stonerise Healthcare website the number of positive COVID-19 cases at their Berkeley Springs Center on Monday, October 4 was one case, with 78 patients negative or recovered out of 79 total patients.
Some 27 residents and eight staff members had recovered from COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the DHHR. A total of 45 residents and 13 staff have had the virus at the facility, with five of the staff members stricken in an earlier COVID outbreak that did not spread to residents. The DHHR COVID-19 dashboard is updated weekly on Friday mornings for long-term care facilities.
One positive case now
“As of October 4, Stonerise Berkeley Springs has one patient in the center who has tested positive for COVID-19. Forty-one patients have recovered from the virus,” said Stonerise Healthcare CEO Larry Pack in a press release from Stonerise Marketing Director Kristin Anderson.
“As we have seen throughout the pandemic, when the COVID-19 virus is present in our communities, it can make its way into our centers. We are taking all necessary precautions to prevent further spread of the virus and coordinating closely with local and state health officials, including the Morgan County Health Department,” Pack said.
Safety measures
“We are supporting aggressive safety measures to contain the spread of the virus, including restriction of in-person visitation, use of personal protective equipment, temporary suspension of patient gatherings, conducting ongoing center-wide testing and continuing to follow all infection control policies and CDC guidelines,” he added.
Pack noted that 96 % of patients and 86% of staff team members at Stonerise Berkeley Springs have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Our ultimate goal is the safety and health of our patients and employees, and we are working vigilantly to continue to provide quality care while keeping everyone safe. We are very proud of our team members who are working as vigilantly as possible to provide a safe and loving environment for all patients,” Pack stressed.
“We urge the local community to join us and our hospital partners in the fight against COVID-19 by embracing the vaccine, social distancing and wearing masks,” Laura Barker, Stonerise Healthcare Vice President of Communications and Strategic Planning, said previously.
