[UPDATE 8:49 p.m.] Staff Member of Fort Bragg Assisted Living Facility Tests Positive for COVID-19

According to Mendocino County 5th District Supervisor Ted Williams, a staff member of Fort Bragg’s Sherwood Oaks Health Center has tested positive for COVID-19. In response, Mendocino County will supply the testing materials to retest the facility’s staff and residents for the virus.

As the facility provides care to the elderly, the potential for an outbreak is very concerning. According to the AARP’s article Nursing Homes and the Coronavirus, “2 in 5 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, according to tracking by the Kaiser Family Foundation.” The article goes on to describe multiple factors that make these sorts of facilities “potential breeding grounds for viral and bacterial diseases, especially given chronic problems with infection control that predate the pandemic.”

According to Sherwood Oaks Health Center’s website, the facility is “a privately owned nursing facility for over 40 years” that specializes in “short term rehabilitation, respite care, end-of-life, and long term care.” Will Maloney, the administrator of the Sherwood Oaks Health Center could provide no comment on the circumstances. 

According to the AARP article, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires nursing facilities to “ to quickly alert residents, their families or representatives, and the CDC about new COVID-19 cases.”

Dr. Noemi Doohan, Mendocino County’s Public Health Officer, said a press release will be published this evening with further details.

UPDATE 8:49 p.m.: Facebook post from Sherwood Oaks Health Center

Facebook post from Sherwood Oaks Health Center