Coronavirus outbreak reported at Falmouth nursing home

A nursing home for people living with dementia in Falmouth is working to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus.

At Sedgewood Commons, 23 residents and 13 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Richard Feifer released a list of steps they’re taking to protect residents and employees.

"I can assure you that we are working round the clock to keep our residents healthy and as safe as possible. We are doing everything in our power – and everything medical experts know as of at this time – to protect our residents and employees," Feifer said.

The company released the following measures they say they've taken in an effort to prevent the spread:

-Screening residents and patients for symptoms - three times daily

-Actively screening and taking temperatures of all staff upon building entry

-Requiring all staff to wear personal protective equipment

-Visitation restrictions, except for exceptional circumstances, such as end-of-life situations

-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, we have implemented the ability for families and loved ones to perform video conferencing calls using Zoom technology

-After we learned of the first case, we notified patients, residents and families immediately, and update them via regular video conference calls