FALMOUTH, Maine — Sedgewood Commons, a nursing home for people with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak.
Spokesperson Lori Mayer says the first case started Tuesday, and now, on Friday, 23 residents and 13 employees are affected.
Maine CDC Spokesperson Robert Long told NEWS CENTER Maine, "During the second week of June, Maine CDC confirmed an outbreak involving three Sedgewood Commons staff members who tested positive. The facility had been doing regular universal testing of staff since mid-May or before. Universal testing has continued, and earlier this week, new cases among residents and other staff were confirmed."
"We are doing everything in our power – and everything medical experts know as of at this time – to protect our residents and employees," Sedgewood Commons Chief Medical Officer Dr. Richard Feifer wrote in a press release Friday,
In the release, Dr. Feifer said the facility has been taking the following precautions:
-Screening residents and patients for symptoms - three times daily
-Actively screening and taking temperatures of all staff upon building entry
-Requiring all staff to wear personal protective equipment
-Visitation restrictions, except for exceptional circumstances, such as end-of-life situations
-Cancellation of all outside medical appointments except for medically necessary, time-sensitive and life-saving treatments, such as dialysis and chemotherapy
-To make things easier for families, we have implemented the ability for families and loved ones to perform video conferencing calls using Zoom technology
After we learned of the first case, Dr. Feifer said the facility notified patients, residents and families immediately, after learning about the first case and continue to update their community via video conference calls.
This story will be updated.
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