The coronavirus pandemic has impacted The Pennsburg Manor. Thirty-four residents and 13 employees of the facility, located at 530 Macoby Street, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Dr. Richard A. Feifer, the executive vice president and chief medical officer of Genesis HealthCare, one of the nation's largest skilled nursing and long-term care providers.

            The first case at the facility – which includes 120 licensed beds – was confirmed on May 28, according to an email message from Lori Mayer, the vice president of investor relations, brand management and marketing communications for the business, based in Kennett Square. She wrote that all cases were reported to state and federal governments.

            "COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation that many families are dealing with right now, regardless of the facility their loved one may be in across the country," wrote Feifer in an email message from Mayer, received June 26. "No one ever thought that their elders would ever have to deal with a worldwide pandemic."

            In the statement, Feifer described the pandemic as a rapidly evolving situation that is being played out in communities, hospitals and nursing homes across the country and the world.
"I have never witnessed anything like this," he wrote.

            Pennsburg Manor – one of more than 350 affiliated skilled nursing and assisted living facilities operated by Genesis HealthCare across 25 states – called its first case into the Montgomery County Office of Public Health on June 16, according to Janet Panning, the office's interim administrator.

           Its Communicable Disease staff assessed their need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and provided verbal and written guidance through email, according to a statement from Panning in an email received Monday afternoon from Teresa Harris, the county's public affairs manager. Representatives from the facility told county officials that PPE were not needed, according to Panning.

            According to Feifer, the severity of the pandemic has led the company to adopt protocols and restrictions stricter than what was recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the time.

            "We also continue to follow the direction of the Pennsylvania Department of Health in an effort to contain and minimize the spread of the virus," the doctor wrote in the statement.

            After learning of the first case, officials from the facility notified patients, residents and families immediately, according to the Feifer. He wrote that families are updated regularly via video conference calls.

            Employees have been very receptive to the family members of residents, according to one woman, who requested anonymity. She said one of her parents, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, was moved to a second-floor wing.

            "I can call any time for an update," said the woman, who added that the facility director has hosted at least one Zoom meeting with family members during the last two weeks.

            She expressed confidence that her parent, who she described as asymptomatic, is safe and being properly cared for. According to the woman, the facility is maintaining the proper safety protocols, including the staff's use of personal protective equipment.

            The email message lists some of the steps the facility has taken to deal with the pandemic.

            The steps include: screening residents and patients for symptoms three times a day; actively screening and taking temperatures of all staff upon building entry; requiring all staff to wear personal protective equipment; implementing visitation restrictions, except for exceptional circumstances, such as end-of-life situations; the cancellation of all outside medical appointments except for medically necessary, time-sensitive and life-saving treatments, such as dialysis and chemotherapy.

            To make things easier for families, the facility has implemented the ability for families and loved ones to engage in video conferencing calls using Zoom technology, according to the message.

            Feifer and Mayer did not respond specifically to a series of questions, which included inquires related to the condition of the infected residents and employees, isolation procedures for the infected, the frequency of testing and the types of PPE that are available to the staff.

            According to Harris, data for cases for individual long-term care facilities is congregated on press releases posted on the county's website at www.montcopa.org/covid-19. She wrote that the numbers are not tied to individual facilities.