GERMANTOWN, Tennessee —
Rebecca DeRousse, Vice President of Healthcare at The Village at Germantown, said the five residents and two staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 were a part of the skilled nursing part of the facility. The residents were presumably exposed to the virus when they left to go to off-residence doctors' appointments.
"Several of them have been out to the hospital and a couple of them have been out for medical visits and to their physicians as well," DeRousse said.
Those infected are now in isolation. DeRousse said the facility has been proactive since early March to limit exposure for its residents. They have restricted visitations, all staff members are wearing masks, and they follow all recommendations of health experts.
"We have screened all staff every time they come into the building," DeRousse said. "We have a screening form and we take their temperature."
The facility has also eliminated private caregivers to limit the number of people coming in and out of the building. DeRousse said as health care providers they have taken this pandemic seriously. They ask the public to comply with social distancing to limit the spread, especially so senior citizens don't contract the virus.
"We knew this population that we have living with us is very vulnerable and we have been preparing for that," DeRousse said.
"There are no plans to test all residents of The Village of Germantown since there is no indication of the virus being spread resident-to-resident within the community," a spokesperson for The Village at Germantown said.
“We are seeking the ability to test residents and/or front-line employees within the area that has been impacted by COVID-19,” said Michael K. Craft, Chief Executive Officer of The Village, “but do not yet know about the availability of such tests.”