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 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
NEWS CENTER Maine Coronavirus Coverage
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