Update at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation

Update at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation

April 10, 2020

 

To the Community and Members of the Media:

We understand and appreciate that there have been questions regarding the current status of the COVID-19 situation at Riverbend Post Acute. While we have been attempting to proactively communicate with families and loved ones individually, and respond to press inquiries as received, we have decided that we will communicate more globally (like we are doing here) on a daily basis, going forward. This allows us to both share what we are seeing and experiencing in the moment in a more streamlined manner, while allowing us to remain focused on the continued delivery of care and treatment to our patients without distraction or interruption.

In terms of what is taking place at Riverbend today, here is what we can share with you:

• The Facility continues to work closely with the Wyandotte County and, specifically, its lead epidemiologist Dr. Allen Greiner, Chief Medical Officer for Wyandotte County, with respect to the way in which the COVID-19 virus is evolving in the building. Given the number of patients and employees who have tested positive for the virus, it has been determined that the Facility will be considered as fully COVID-19 positive moving forward. This approach allows us to focus on clinical interventions rather than testing and resident movement within the building. We can deliver recovery-oriented care, with the goal of facilitating our patients’ return to baseline in a shorter period of time. We are beyond grateful to Dr. Greiner and the members of his team for their expert assistance and timely response to our reports and questions; their guidance has been essential in our management of these unprecedented circumstances.
• We are very pleased to report that a significant percentage of our residents who tested positive for COVID-19 early in the timeline are now showing signs of recovery. We are seeing an excellent response to our clinical interventions, which were developed in collaboration with and delivered under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Fields and Dr. Ryan Sears, the Facility’s Medical Directors. Seeing these improvements is uplifting to all of us, and we are thankful to Dr. Fields and Dr. Sears for their diligence and their commitment to beating this virus.
• We also wish to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the many community members who surprised us by surrounding the facility yesterday afternoon to pray for our facility staff and residents. To unite in prayer and come together for the common good is a powerful thing – we felt it, our staff and our residents felt it, and we are better because of it. We will not allow this virus to divide or defeat us, and will overcome it together.
• Finally, we want to reiterate the depths of our appreciation for those on the front line – our nurses, CNAs, and every single team member that shows up every single day because they care deeply about our patients and each other. There are no words to adequately express how we feel about the Riverbend family – you all truly are heroes without capes.

It is our intention that this communication will be distributed at 4pm CST on a daily basis, and posted on our Facility website thereafter. We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to our patients, their families, and the Kansas City community, and we thank you in advance for your continued support of the dedicated, passionate and amazing Riverbend team.

 

With gratitude,

Cory Schulte                                                Maureen Purvis, RN
Administrator                                              Director of Nursing