GRAFTON — The Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department is calling on the National Guard to help Village Pointe Commons in Grafton after a COVID-19 outbreak at the long-term care facility.
Officials say a man died in the memory care unit on Thursday. He had underlying health conditions and tested positive for COVID-19 post-mortem.
Family identifies the man as 91-year-old Robert Blackbird. His daughter tells TMJ4 News he was a "good man," and had been at the facility for three years where he got "excellent" care.
Health officials say the family was able to say goodbye to him in protective gear.
As of right now, there are three other residents from the same unit who have tested positive for COVID-19 with additional tests pending. One caregiver has also tested positive. They are isolated at home and have not worked in the facility since March 14th.
Dr. Kirsten Johnson heads up the Washington Ozaukee County Health Department and says at least three to four other tests are pending. Dr. Johnson said those cases are residents that also live in the 13-person memory care unit, which is separate from the rest of the residents. Her team is working on notifying about 40 employees who may have come in contact.
Dr. Johnson said this all began when a resident first started showing symptoms on Tuesday, and test results came back positive on Wednesday. Her team has been driving the tests to the lab in Milwaukee multiple times a day.
The concerning test results prompted for local health officials to request the Wisconsin National Guard, however they have not been dispatched to the facility yet.
"The Wisconsin National Guard has not sent any personnel to the Village Pointe Commons facility in Grafton. There have been discussions about potentially dispatching Guard medical personnel, and we continue working closely with our partners in state government to determine how we may be of assistance, if needed. The National Guard always stands ready to assist in any way we can, however at this time, we have not sent any personnel to the facility."
The Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department is closely monitoring the developing situation. They're working closely with Village Pointe Commons leadership to make sure all individuals who came in contact with positive residents and caregivers are notified, excluded from work, and monitoring symptoms.
Jim Tarantino, the CEO of Capri Communities, released a statement that reads in part, quote, "One of our key values is that we don’t provide an apartment to someone, we provide a home, and that means that we have a very large family of residents and care givers in Village Point Commons. And when we lose a family member, we grieve, so we are grieving today, and on behalf of all of our employees and care givers, I want to extend our sincere sympathy and prayers to the family and loved ones of our lost resident. While we grieve, we also must work. Our jobs are to take care of the most vulnerable members of our society. Our residents are all elderly, some have acute and chronic medical conditions, and some are dealing with end of life health issues. Our employees are on the front lines of this battle, and I salute them for their hard work, commitment and compassion. All of them deserve our thanks."
Health workers say they've delivered hundreds of masks and protective gear to the facility.
Dr. Johnson hopes the National Guard would be able to help with staffing and supplies.