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COVID-19 cases emerge at a South Portland facility for people with developmental, cognitive disabilities

Port Resources has had 30 cases of the new coronavirus with an increase since the weekend, according to its executive director.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A facility supporting people with developmental, cognitive, and behavioral challenges reports having 30 COVID-19 cases, and staff is working to manage separate outbreaks with guidance from the Maine Center for Disease Control.

Executive Director Karen MacDonald tells NEWS CENTER Maine of the 30 cases across six programs, six individuals and nine employees have contracted the new coronavirus since the weekend. Eight clients and six staff have already recovered, according to MacDonald.

Port Resources houses 67 people in apartments or group homes across 19 different locations. It employs 230 staff, 185 are director support professionals.

MacDonald says keeping employees safely outfitted has been one of the biggest challenges.

We’re in this together.

We believe that in the hardest of times people should come together and act in a helping way. We want to thank our staff, as they are essential healthcare professionals, the ones that support our clients every moment of the day during these challenging times and our clients for being the amazing people they are. It’s a mutual bond that grows stronger every day. Please help support our initiative by donating, as much as you can, so we can put smiles on their faces while they enjoy each other’s company, and a good slice of pizza. You can join us by donating using the link bellow, or visit www.portresources.org and click Donate at the top of the page. https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=e2e429%20

Posted by Port Resources on Monday, April 6, 2020

"We owe a debt of thanks to Mercy Hospital for providing us with 30 reusable gowns when we were without other options this past weekend," said MacDonald. "We struggle to keep supplies of PPE (personal protective equipment) at adequate levels as there are shortages across the country. We are in dire need of N95 masks, face shields, and disposable or reusable gowns.

The National Guard is expected to support nurses at the facility this week.

At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus

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