Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs News Release
April 30, 2020
The Spokane Veterans Home proactively re-tested all 47 residents on April 28. Today we received 41 negative results and 6 positive results. The COVID-19 positive residents have been moved to the same area of the building. A team of staff have been assigned to the area so that the same staff are providing direct resident care. Several of the new positive residents are experiencing mild symptoms, such as fever of less than 100.4; however, a number residents who tested positive were asymptomatic at the time of testing.
We also required all staff members to be tested and again found that a number of the 19 staff who have tested positive were also asymptomatic at the time of testing. We know that many carriers of COVID-19, of all ages, have no symptoms but are able to spread the virus without knowing it. That is why we believe the proactive step of testing all residents, even if they are not experiencing symptoms, was an important tool.
We are taking every precaution possible to prevent the spread of this virus in our facility. We are reaching out to the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, MultiCare and Spokane Regional Health District to request additional consultation on our processes and procedures. With the recent transfer of 29 COVID-19 positive residents from the facility, we knew it was possible that additional residents could have been exposed. We continue our rigorous environmental cleaning, use of appropriate PPE, screening of staff and isolation of symptomatic residents.
The Spokane Veterans Home is committed to providing the best possible care to our Veterans and their Families and to ensuring our staff members have the tools and resources they need to provide care.
Information is being shared on our website at www.dva.wa.gov/covid and through a recorded phone line at 509-344-5073.
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Heidi Audette
Communications and Legislative Director
(360) 725-2154 – office
(360) 791-8966 – cell
heidia@dva.wa.gov