30 people at Edmond senior living center test positive for COVID-19

EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) – Thirty people at Touchmark at Coffee Creek, a senior living center in Edmond, have tested positive for COVID-19.

Those 30 people include 21 residents and nine staff members, according to a Touchmark letter written by Michael Stockman, Touchmark Executive Director, and sent to residents, resident families and staff members on Friday.

“All are isolating in their homes with symptoms ranging from none and mild to moderate. We have completed contact tracing, and all individuals who may have been exposed have been notified, and they are taking appropriate precautions,” the news release states.

The state’s COVID-19 Alert System recently classified Oklahoma County as a Red Zone. In response, Touchmark administrators are making the following changes effective for two weeks after all tests are negative:

• There will be no communal dining; meals will be delivered to residents’ homes.
• All group activities are canceled. Life Enrichment/Wellness activities will be provided individually to residents in their homes.
• All in-person family visits must be postponed until it is safe. Based on availability, team members will be available to help arrange virtual visits. Please call the Life Enrichment/Wellness team if you need help with this. (Compassionate, end-of-life and other potential situations are an exception and will be determined by the Health Services Director.)
• The salons and Health & Fitness Studio are closed.
• Residents who visit the emergency room or are hospitalized will need to quarantine in their homes for 14 days upon returning to Touchmark.
• Only medically necessary appointments should be made, and residents must isolate in their homes after an outpatient visit. All nonemergency appointments should be postponed.
• All independent living residents in the Grandview and Parkview are quarantined in their homes for five days if they leave the community to visit or eat with families, go to restaurants or bars, etc. At the end of the five-day quarantine, they will be tested and released from quarantine if the test is negative.

All residents and staff members are scheduled to be tested Wednesday, Nov. 18, according to Stockman.

“We are in daily communication with Touchmark’s COVID-19 task force members and are regularly communicating with staff from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. We also welcome the on site help from Touchmark’s broader family. A nurse and caregiver from Touchmark’s Meridian, Idaho, community will arrive this weekend. Clinical Operations Manager Azure James, RN, from the company headquarters will be here next Tuesday, and Executive Associate Steven Nistler from Bend, Oregon, will arrive later next week,” Stockman said.