By Shereen Siewert

An employee at Mount View Care Center in Wausau has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a news release issued Monday by North Central Health Care.

NCHC oversees operations at Mount View.

The staff member is currently in isolation and receiving medical guidance, officials said.

“We have notified public health officials as required and are following procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention,” said Michael Loy, CEO of NCHC. “We are taking every step as recommended by authorities to contain the spread and working closely with our partners at the Marathon County Health Department. We want to make residents, their families, our dedicated staff, and our community aware of this situation and reassure everyone that we are taking appropriate steps to contain the spread of illness.”

On March 22, the employee was asymptomatic upon arrival to Mount View Care Center, but developed symptoms while at work during their scheduled shift. As part of employee screening and reporting procedures, the employee followed the required protocol and self-reported the change in condition to management and was immediately removed from any contact with residents, sent home to self-quarantine and advised to seek medical guidance for further testing.

North Central Health Care officials were informed on March 28 of the employee’s positive Covid-19 test result.

All staff, residents and families have been advised of any potential exposure to the diagnosed employee and NCHC officials are continuing to monitor residents and staff for changes in health.

To prevent further spread of illness, North Central Health Care has immediately implemented additional healthcare precautions as advised by local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those precautions, according to the release, are:

  • Personal protective face masks will be worn at all times by all employees within Restricted Areas of NCHC facilities which include nursing homes, behavioral health, crisis services and inpatient psychiatric hospital.
  • All nursing home residents will wear a mask any time they exit their rooms.
  • Measurement frequency of residents’ vital signs will be further increased.
  • Cleaning frequency of high-touch surfaces will be further enhanced.
  • All visitation will be further restricted at this time to include hospice visitation. Management will work with families individually on a case-by-case basis for special circumstances.

On March 12, North Central Health Care issued a no-visitation policy in effect for Mount View Care Center, Pine Crest Nursing Home and all NCHC Community-Based Residential Facilities in the community. This was followed by an emergency zone implementation throughout the Wausau Campus, including Mount View Care Center, to limit exposure to residents and patients in the 24/7 care areas. All staff entering skilled nursing, behavioral health and crisis areas have been required to complete Covid-19 screening which includes temperature monitoring.

Social workers will be available for residents and families of Mount View Care Center to answer any questions they may have and will be closely monitoring the well-being of all residents during this time.

“We encourage families to reach out to their social worker for assistance or contact the Mount View Care Center Nursing Home Administrator with any questions,” the release states.