National Guard deployed to help

Indiana National Guard soldiers have been deployed to a Portland rehabilitation facility.

Persimmon Ridge Rehabilitation Centre administrator Melinda Hodgson confirmed in an email Monday that troops will be at the facility daily, possibly for months, to help contain the spread of COVID-19 weeks after multiple residents died from the virus.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced last week that the state would be deploying more than 1,300 soldiers to Indiana long-term care facilities this month. The first wave of troops — about 400 — were expected to arrive Monday at 133 long-term care facilities, including Persimmon Ridge.

Two weeks have passed since it was reported that three Persimmon Ridge residents died from COVID-19 and 26 residents who tested positive were transferred to a facility in Columbus. Since then, Hodgson said all but seven of those residents recovered from the virus and returned to Persimmon Ridge.

There have been no new deaths or cases among residents, Hodgson said, though there are three new positive cases among the center’s staff. A total of a dozen staff members at Persimmon Ridge have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Hodgson.

She sees the National Guard soldiers, three in total, as much needed relief.

“Having the guard on site will allow more nursing hands to provide the necessary care to our residents,” Hodgson said. “Any such support is welcomed.”

The soldiers are trained to complete tasks that normally would be done by nurses, Hodgson said. She added the soldiers will be on rotating 12-hour shifts and that she has been told to expect National Guard presence at the facility through the rest of the year.

The rest of the state’s 401 long-term care facilities will be staffed with National Guard soldiers by Nov. 16, according to the Indiana Health Care Association. Troops were also deployed to Albany Health Care & Rehabilitation Center and Adams Woodcrest in Decatur.

Dunkirk’s Miller’s Marry Manor, which has yet to have a positive COVID-19 case among its residents according to the latest numbers from the Indiana Department of Health, won’t be staffed with troops until Nov. 16. Long-term care facilities in Randolph County will be staffed with soldiers beginning Nov. 9 while Berne facilities won’t receive troop assistance until Nov. 16.

A full list of which phase each Indiana long-term care facility is receiving Indiana National Guard assistance is available online from the IHCA at bit.ly/3mGV1CY.

Jay County had 28 new cases of COVID-19 reported between Saturday, Sunday and Monday, bringing its cumulative confirmed case total to 431. The county has a 9.7% seven-day positive rate, one of the highest figures in the state.

A new death from COVID-19 was reported Saturday, increasing Jay County’s total in that regard to seven.

Coronavirus is mainly spread through respiratory droplets or small particles from an infected person coughing, sneezing, talking or breathing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that it may be possible those particles and droplets remain suspended in the air for an unknown period of time and travel beyond 6 feet, especially indoors. CDC guidelines encourage wearing a mask and avoiding close contact when around others and frequent hand washing and surface cleaning as ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The virus causes a range of symptoms, which can appear two to 14 days after exposure. Older adults and those with pre-existing health problems are susceptible to more severe illnesses.