Four Corners Health Care Center said this week it is complying with public health guidelines in response to doubt cast by staff members, as the nursing home battles a severe COVID-19 outbreak.
Four Corners spokeswoman Annaliese Impink said the facility’s COVID-19 response has been inspected and approved in response to concerns raised by a member of the nursing staff about the effectiveness of the quarantine unit and personal protective equipment.
“We have reviewed our cohorting plans, our physical layout and our overall operations with the public health department,” she said, referring to San Juan Basin Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Both agencies have provided assistance with the facility’s response to the outbreak.
As of Thursday, 92 residents and 55 staff members were reported to have the disease, and 12 residents have died since the outbreak was first reported in November, according to SJBPH.
An outbreak is defined as two or more cases, transmitted within a workplace, in a 14-day period. The nursing home is La Plata County’s largest COVID-19 outbreak since March.
Some data related to the Four Corners outbreak has been unclear. For example, CDPHE reported 54 staff members and eight deaths as of Wednesday, which SJBPH says is caused by a lag in information reporting. The nursing home reported 45 staff members with the virus as of Thursday. Efforts to resolve the discrepancies were not immediately successful Thursday.
Impink said Four Corners has three distinct units for residents who test positive for COVID-19. The residents who have tested negative or recovered are in another section of the center and do not mix with COVID-19-positive residents.
The center is licensed for 133 beds so “there is ample space to separate residents who are COVID-19-positive from those who are not,” she said.
Staff members assigned to work in the COVID-19 unit stay on that unit until the end of their shift, entering and exiting the building through a separate doorway. They are required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment and maintain infection control practices while in the unit, Impink said.
A Four Corners nurse, who spoke last week to The Durango Herald on the condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media and was fearful of losing her job, said the PPE she received was inadequate. The quarantine unit appeared to be full and shared airflow with the rest of the building, she said.
The air system is appropriate for the center and the current situation, Impink said in an interview this week. CDPHE did a virtual tour of the unit and has approved the unit and how it is structured, she said.
“There is no requirement that mandates a separate airflow system in centers nor is there any evidence that demonstrates that separate airflow units prevent the spread of the virus,” Impink said. “(The health departments) have not required any physical plant upgrades nor a change in our airflow system at this time.”
SJBPH declined to comment on several questions about the COVID-19 precautions at Four Corners Health Care Center. SJBPH referred the Herald to CDPHE, which did not respond this week to a request for comment.
smullane@durangoherald.comA previous version of this story misstated the lead public health agency assisting with the outbreak. The lead agency is the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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