PORTLAND, Oregon — An outbreak of COVID-19 has hit a Northeast Portland care center.
Gateway Care and Retirement has room for 59 residents. Company leaders confirm that 14 residents and 7 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.
One of those positive cases is Gene Lynch. He is at the facility recovering from spinal surgery.
In his opinion—the place was not ready for COVID-19.
“They were totally unprepared,” said Lynch. “Their response has been slow and inadequate and the people they’ve moved into quarantine – they don’t have enough staff here for them and so I hear people calling for help through the hallway all the time.”
The company insists that is not the case.
In an emailed statement they said, “Since our first case of COVID-19 … We have maintained staffing support at or above required levels. Our leadership team has been on site day and night to ensure staff and resident are fully supported. Our COVID-19 plan was implemented as soon as we had positive test results.”
Dealing with the coronavirus in nursing homes, senior living communities and congregate settings has been tricky in Oregon and across the country.
It's tricky because people typically are close together, advanced in age, have compromised immune systems or all of the above.
It’s a big enough problem that the Oregon Health Authority keeps a running list of outbreaks at those facilities in the state. You can find that list here.
Oregon’s biggest outbreaks in those settings was July with 628 cases and August with 502 cases.
September is down at a relatively low 92 infections, including the Gateway Care outbreak.