LTC will not re-open yet

No plans are yet in place to allow visitors back into the hospital and the long term care facility within its walls, said CEO of Crook County Medical Services District Micki Lyons on Friday. Decisions on how to go about this process have been left in the hands of the state, she said, and Wyoming does not yet have guidelines in place.

“We still don’t really know when or how we’re going to open back up,” Lyons told the Board of Trustees.

Lyons was speaking in response to a query from board chairman Mark Erickson, who expressed concern over residents being unable to see their families. He asked how morale is within the nursing home.

“It’s good, it really is,” she replied, acknowledging that some, however, are struggling with not being able to see spouses or other family members, and with not being able to leave the building for the outings usually arranged by nursing home staff.

The staff are trying their best, Lyons said, and are doing activities with residents and otherwise doing their best to keep spirits high.

Beginning this week, and in accordance with state guidelines, Lyons said that the nursing home will be testing 20% of residents and staff for COVID-19 each week to create a baseline. Crook County is not experiencing an outbreak such as the one that has led to several residents’ deaths in Washakie County over the last couple of weeks; should anyone test positive, however, testing will be ramped up to allow early treatment and measures to prevent it from spreading.

Crook County has not seen any hospitalizations from the coronavirus, Lyons said, but the nursing home remains closed and the main hospital is still only accessible from a couple of doors. Partly because things are starting to open back up, Lyons said, there appears to be an increase in infections nearby in Rapid City.

“Right now Rapid City is kind of blowing up, so we’re watching that,” she said. “They are anticipating that there will be a tripling in their numbers over the next few weeks.”

Due to this and the need for the public to remain cautious, Lyons said, CCMSD is still stressing the importance of personal precautions such as regular hand washing and social distancing.