Tag: COVID-19

KU Medical Center chosen as training center for interactive network for COVID-19 safety in nursing homes

Wyandotte County reported 85 additional COVID-19 cases on Saturday, for a cumulative total of 8,401, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 165. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)

The University of Kansas Medical Center has announced that it has been chosen as a training center in Kansas for a nationwide interactive virtual initiative that will share best practices to improve COVID-19 infection control, safety and preparedness in skilled-nursing facilities.

This effort will leverage the existing KU Medical Center Project ECHO program and staff to lead this 16-session program using an “all-teach, all-learn” approach that has proven successful in dealing with multiple health issues, according to the announcement from KU Medical Center.

A $360,000 grant to KU Medical Center’s Project Echo supports the project in Kansas. The new network is being created under an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality contract worth up to $237 million that is part of the nearly $5 billion Provider Relief Fund authorized earlier this year under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“Nursing-home workers are front-line workers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shawna Wright, licensed psychologist, principal investigator for the KU Medical Center site of the Nursing Home ECHO Project and associate director of the KU Medical Center for Telemedicine and Telehealth. “They have risen to the occasion, and they are under stress. Project ECHO is the ideal training and support approach to provide the most up-to-date information for preventing and treating COVID-19 in the nursing-home setting. Live COVID-19 safety training will be delivered directly to the nursing homes at times that are most convenient for them.”

Nearly 70 institutions have registered to participate in Kansas, though the goal is to have at least 100 statewide. All skilled-nursing facilities are encouraged to participate in this free training, and Medicare- or Medicaid-certified facilities are eligible to receive a $6,000 incentive to participate. Nursing homes have until Nov. 9 to register, though the program begins delivery Nov. 4.

“The pandemic has wreaked havoc in skilled-nursing facilities across the nation,” said Rebeka Jones, licensed nursing home administrator, Hutchinson Health and Rehab. “Our skilled nursing facility will continue its efforts to provide the highest quality care, and ECHO will assist us in assuring we are totally prepared to face this new challenge. We are incredibly excited to participate in this program.”

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, have experienced a disproportionate share of deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recently available data show long-term care facilities account for 8% of all coronavirus cases but more than 40% of all COVID-19 deaths.

In Kansas, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), there have been 2,011 total cases of COVID-19 among nursing-home residents with 364 deaths, as of Oct. 18.

Wyandotte County currently has one long-term care facility on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s active outbreak list, with 12 cases in the past 14 days, at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas. In all, there were 76 cases at that location with 14 deaths, according to the Unified Government’s outbreak map on the COVID-19 hub at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.

Another nursing home in Wyandotte County earlier this year had a total of 132 COVID-19 cases, with 36 deaths, and is no longer on the active outbreak list.

KU Medical Center’s Project ECHO team has assembled three specialty teams to facilitate the ECHO (one for each group, or cohort of facilities participating). Each specialty team includes a geriatrician, an advanced-practice provider, a pharmacist and a behavioral health specialist – all with experience in skilled nursing and/or long-term care.

“The Kansas Health Care Association (KHCA) is pleased to be a part of the recruiting effort for the ECHO program,” said Linda MowBray, KHCA president and CEO. “This valuable method of mentoring, instructing and guiding long-term care to help improve their practices for infection control is well worth the 60- to 90-minute time commitment required to participate. KHCA is strongly encouraging Kansas long-term care facilities to sign up and be part of the solution.”

For more information on the AHRQ ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network, see details online at https://hsc.unm.edu/echo/institute-programs/nursing-home/pages/.

Cases in Wyandotte County increase by 85

Wyandotte County reported 85 additional COVID-19 cases on Saturday, for a cumulative total of 8,401, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 165. (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8781f01908d8403e9273d78e66e6219b)

The MARC Kansas City Region COVID-19 hub reported 57,346 total cumulative COVID-19 cases and 832 total deaths on Saturday for the nine-county Greater Kansas City area. The average daily number of cases was 481, up from 382 last week. The average daily deaths this week were 6.7, up from 4.9 last week. The average daily number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital was 425, up from 381 last week. (https://marc2.org/covidhub/)

Second Hutchinson inmate dies

A second Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident who had COVID-19 has died, according to a statement from the Kansas Department of Corrections.

The resident died Thursday, Oct. 19. His was the eighth KDOC resident death related to COVID-19, according to the statement.

The resident tested positive for the virus on Oct. 16 and was transferred to a hospital on Oct. 19. He was a 50-year-old male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition, according to the statement. He was serving a 195-month sentence for aggravated criminal sodomy and had been imprisoned since September 2015, according to the statement.

His name was not released.

The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

For more information about the new Health Department testing site at the former Kmart location, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10092020_newtestingsitewyco.pdf.

The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.

The Unified Government COVID-19 hub outbreak map is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.

To see an NEA list of schools that have had COVID-19 cases, visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=aa3f2ede7cb2415db943fdaf45866d2f.


The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.

The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

UG Health Department offers saliva COVID-19 tests

Wyandotte County reported an additional 76 COVID-19 cases on Friday, for a cumulative total of 8,316, according to the UG Health Department COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths, for a cumulative total of 165. (From the UG COVID-19 webpage)

The Unified Government Health Department started offering saliva COVID-19 testing on Friday at the new testing facility at 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

The new test method will replace the previous type of test used, a nasopharyngeal swab, or swabbing at the back of the nose and throat.

“We are excited to have this new testing method available at the testing site at 78th and State Avenue,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the Unified Government Health Department. “We feel people will find this to be a more comfortable, less intimidating way to get tested for COVID-19, and this will encourage even more Wyandotte County residents to come get tested for the virus.”

How saliva testing works

In this new testing method, the swab is held under the tongue for 60 seconds to collect the sample. There are other guidelines to know about before you come to get tested, according to Van Liew. These include:
• Do not eat or drink for 15 minutes before arriving to get tested
• Do not smoke for at least 30 minutes before getting tested

“It’s very important to follow these guidelines before you come to get tested, otherwise, your sample won’t give an accurate result,” Van Liew said.

The turnaround time for results of the saliva test is the same as for the previous nasopharyngeal test – approximately 48 hours from the time of testing to getting results. Both the saliva and nasopharyngeal test conducted by the UGPHD are what is known as polymerase chain reaction (or PCR) tests. PCR tests detect the molecular makeup of the virus.

Saliva testing coming to Wyandotte County schools

Saliva-based testing will soon be coming to Wyandotte County schools as well, according to Van Liew.

“We’ve been working in very close partnership with school leaders and nurses to establish COVID-19 saliva testing in schools,” Van Liew said. “This means that students who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 can be tested right away, in their school, versus being sent to another testing facility and potentially exposing more people to the virus. This new capability wouldn’t have been possible without the support and partnership of school leaders and nurses throughout Wyandotte County. It’s a big step forward in identifying positive COVID-19 cases in schools, which allows us to take the steps needed to isolate those students and protect the health and wellbeing of other students, teachers and school staff.”

Testing supplies were delivered to schools Friday. The UGPHD chief epidemiologist, Elizabeth Groenweghe, will be doing training with school nurses early next week, making saliva testing for students available by midweek. The school-based testing will only be available for students who develop symptoms of COVID-19, allowing the testing to be done at the school versus sending the student to another testing site. Couriers will collect testing samples from schools throughout the county each day and deliver them to the lab for analysis.

The next step forward will be to make a combination flu – COVID-19 saliva test available. The UGPHD is working with Sinochips, a diagnostic laboratory which operates on the University of Kansas Medical Center campus, to provide a saliva test that combines three tests in one – simultaneously testing patients for COVID-19, influenza A and influenza B. These combination tests are expected to be available by late November.

For more information about COVID-19 in Wyandotte County visit wycokck.org/COVID-19 or call 3-1-1.

Wyandotte County reported an additional 76 COVID-19 cases on Friday, for a cumulative total of 8,316, according to the UG Health Department COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths, for a cumulative total of 165.

Kansas reported 3,136 additional COVID-19 cases from Wednesday to Friday, for a cumulative total of 85,181, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment COVID-19 website. There were an additional 22 deaths, for a cumulative total of 1,029.

The University of Kansas Health System reported 37 active COVID-19 patients hospitalized on Friday morning, down from 40 on Thursday morning, with 14 patients in the intensive care unit, down from 18 on Thursday, and five on ventilators, down from six on Thursday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were 31 more COVID-19 patients who were no longer in the acute infection phase but were still in the hospital. HaysMed at Hays, Kansas, reported 19 total COVID-19 patients, compared to 21 on Thursday, and one of the patients in the recovery phase.

At the KU doctors’ news conference on Friday morning, doctors discussed if the curve could be bent and brought down if children return to school and bars remain open.

Dr. Hawkinson said school and bars were two distinct things. Research shows that if outbreaks happen in schools, they are pretty isolated, he said. If children get COVID-19, it’s usually somewhere other than the school.

When people get together in bars and restaurants with friends and family, they are more at risk, he said.

Mitigation strategies such as wearing masks work, and when children are in school, they are wearing masks and distancing. But when people go to restaurants and bars, they are often not wearing masks because they are eating and drinking. He said this is a behavioral issue.

Amanda Gartner, director of quality and safety at the health system, said the ability to control the spread of the virus depends on the bar layout, in some cases. Some are not adequately spaced, and are extremely high-risk especially when people are eating or drinking, she said. There is not as much control over the environment as a school, she added.

On another question, the doctors said that they thought it was safe to vote in person at the polls, if people wear masks. Dr. Stites said he felt that his polling place in Missouri was very good, with cleaning and spacing, and Dr. Hawkinson thought his polling place in Kansas was safe, and masking was good.

Gartner thought the polling places were extremely safe.

Dr. Stites said if you see a line at the polls where no one is wearing a mask, try to wait until you can get in the line where people in front of you and in back of you are wearing masks.

Gartner said if you think it’s too risky, take a step back, wait for people to leave, and then go ahead.

The polls in Kansas offer options such as mail-in ballots and early voting, in addition to Election Day voting. There will be advance voting on Saturday at three voting centers in Wyandotte County, listed at https://wyandotteonline.com/category/election-2020/.

Free flu shots available on Saturday

Two hundred free flu shots are being given away during the Warm Up Wyandotte event from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 31, at Mercy and Truth Clinic, 721 N. 31st St., Kansas City, Kansas. This event, which also includes 200 free turkey sand 200 hoodies, is first-come, first-served, and participants will stay in their cars.

Sponsoring the event are Mercy and Truth Medical Missions, Rotary, AdventHealth, UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross – Blue Shield of Kansas City. For more information see https://wyandotteonline.com/warm-up-wyandotte-on-saturday-to-give-away-turkeys-flu-shots-and-hoodies/.

For more information about the new testing site at the former Kmart location, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10092020_newtestingsitewyco.pdf.

The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/738100880115191.

The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.


The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.


The Unified Government COVID-19 hub outbreak map is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.


To see an NEA list of schools that have had COVID-19 cases, visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=aa3f2ede7cb2415db943fdaf45866d2f.

The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.


The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

UG Health Department strongly recommends against winter sports and activities in schools

The Unified Government Health Department on Friday sent a letter to the school districts in Wyandotte County strongly recommending that schools not allow winter indoor sports or activities.

The sports would include basketball and wrestling, and other indoor winter sports, according to the Health Department.

The letter stated that it is a recommendation and not an order, and the school board for each district would make the decision on whether to allow winter sports.

The UG Health Department recommendation follows on the heels of a similar recommendation by the Johnson County Health Department against playing winter sports.

The indoor setting of winter sports is important, according to the health experts. The UG Health Department also expects to see a larger increase in the spread of the virus related to indoor gatherings around the upcoming holidays.

“One place where we have the best chance to control the increased spread of the virus is within our schools,” the UG Health Department letter stated. “Our overarching goal has always been to protect the health and well-being of students, teachers, school staff and families by carefully considering all risks and weighing them against the benefits of social interactions and learning modes.”

Janell Friesen, a spokesman for the UG Health Department, said there is a concern about a higher risk of spread of COVID-19 in the winter months.

With so many of the winter activities and sports being indoors, there’s a greater risk of spread of COVID-19 in schools, and it could potentially result in making it hard to keep kids in classrooms, she said.

The UG Health Department also outlined guidance for schools and sports and activities clubs that choose not to follow the recommendation against winter sports.

Those recommendations included carefully cohorting participating students; quickly identifying infections and taking steps to prevent spread of the virus to others; limiting spectator attendance to immediate family only; and regularly monitoring for symptoms among students, coaches and staff.

The Health Department has had ongoing communication with the schools, Friesen said, including regular communication with superintendents in the area about COVID-19. The Health Department’s epidemiology team also works very closely with school nurses, she said. They are now working on providing testing and supplies for schools.

The similarity to Johnson County’s sports announcement is not by accident. Friesen said there were some leaders involved in trying to align school sports policy a little in the metropolitan area, and that it should reduce confusion.

Friesen said the fall sports order, prohibiting fall sports in school that are close contact sports, will not apply any more. The mask mandate is still in place in Wyandotte County, she added.

No new orders are in place now, although there is one amendment to an order that will allow flexibility for how many students are in a classroom, she said. Previously 50 percent of capacity was allowed, now the number will be based on square footage, with 36 square feet required per student.

Friesen said the Health Department is trying to work closely with the schools and offer support, and will continue to provide guidance and work with them on it.

In the Turner Public Schools, Lauren Aiello, community liaison, said that the Turner Board of Education would consider the recommendation at its upcoming meeting on Tuesday.

Janey Humphries, a Kansas City, Kansas, school board member, said that the KCK school board has not discussed winter sports yet and she had not had a chance to see the Health Department’s recommendation yet. A KCK district spokesman could not be reached.

The Piper school district could not be reached.

Students lobby for sports

Earlier this year, students in Wyandotte County held a rally and protest against the ban on fall sports. Students have started a petition stating they want to play sports, with more than 150 signatures.

Several students in the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools sent messages and letters to the KCK school board that were read at the Oct. 27 school board meeting, and were published in the KCK board agenda.

Several of the messages were the same sentence: “We want to play!”

Anderson Jones wrote, “We want to play!!! Please give everybody our respectable seasons so we can make it out and be the future!!!”

Randall Johnson wrote, “I’m a student at Wyandotte high school that plays football and I seen a post from someone I know from Washington would you mind looking at these stats to determine if we can play sports again mind you Johnson county has more cases than us now keep that in mind would you thank you.”

Michael Reed wrote, “We want to play! We’ve fought long and hard to keep cautions while playing the sport we love, we deserve this. Sincerely, a player from Harmon High School in KCK.”

Kyren Angelo wrote, “My name is Kyren Angelo I am a senior at Washington high school, and I took it upon myself to start a petition about sports same as the surrounding school districts who are playing sports right now. So far every we have 164 responses from athletes and parents all saying “yes” they would like sports to start again in USD500 if this petition could be showed at the board meeting tomorrow it would be greatly appreciated! You know from experience you only get one senior year please help us live our full high school experience ! For me basketball is all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life and as of right now I have no college scholarships offers but I know for a fact if we get the chance to play this season I’ll be playing at the next level ! That’s just not for me these sports are outlets for some of us, some kids have trouble at home so they use sports as their source of happiness. Some kids are also wanting to make a career in their sport to provide for their families ! We promise follow all protocols and policies for Covid-19 to keep everyone safe same as we did at the football workouts we have over the course of the summer at Washington high school and ended with ZERO CASES ! Please don’t let fear affect you all’s judgment for our last chance to do what we love with our life ! PLEASE ! I plan to keep the petition active to show our efforts and how much this means to us…
Sincerely
A kid who wants a fair chance”

To see a previous story on the Health Department’s recommendations on winter sports, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/changes-coming-for-wyandotte-county-schools-and-covid-19-rules/.

The letter to the school districts is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/wintersportsrecommendationletter.pdf.

More information about the Health Department’s recommendations for winter sports is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10302020-ugphdwintersportsguidancenr.pdf.