Long term care facilities, like nursing homes, care for Mississippians who are the most at risk for the Coronavirus. Recently, the health department tested every resident and worker in these facilities. Since then, the number of outbreaks shrank below 75, but now, Mississippi has over 200 facilities with outbreaks of the virus. Tony Hamrick, President of the Mississippi Healthcare Association, says "I think since then we have relaxed, since we opened up more, and people are allowed to do more. And there again I say if it goes up in the community, it's gonna go up in the facilities."
State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers says people must wear masks in public to prevent the virus from entering facilities. He says containing this virus is difficult, especially in nursing homes. He says "We've dealt with outbreaks of respiratory viral illness in nursing homes and other settings before during flu seasons, but not to this extent. And so we still need to continue to do those measures to protect those folks in those most vulnerable settings."
Tony Hamrick says workers in these facilities are screened before they enter the building and trained to report to their supervisor if they feel ill. But he says some employees may not report new symptoms because they know they will be sent home early. "And so many people will finish out a shift running a low-grade fever, or running a fever of above what we would normally accept, therefore they may have been asymptomatic, come in and developed a temperature and we not know it," says Hamrick. "Education is still very important, and following all of the rules is still very important."
Hamrick says the added stress of the pandemic has weighed on long term care workers, and some have already resigned. “They just can’t do it anymore and have decided to just step away from it now. So it’s been going on since March and it’s a daily, 24-hour task to keep your residents and your employees safe. And anything for any individual that long and that much stress has a negative effect on you.” He says shifts are being filled, but staffing shortages are only straining employees further.
Hamrick says he is supportive of another statewide initiative to test employees and residents in nursing homes so people can be reminded of how serious and widespread the virus is.
