Family of infected caregiver blames Missouri City senior citizen facility slow response
MISSOURI CITY - A second family has come forward after, they say, their loved one contracted COVID-19 at Park Manor Quail Valley Nursing Center in Missouri City because the nursing center failed to prevent the virus from spreading.
Mrs. Drake, as her family wants her to be called, has been on a ventilator since last Saturday.
"My mother's been hooked up to a machine for a week and we haven't been able to talk to her, to check on her," said Mrs. Drake's son, who wants to keep his identity private.
Mrs. Drake works as a medical assistant at the facility.
It's the same place where the family of 73-year-old Beatrice Lewis, a resident, says she contracted the virus. Lewis, her says, is also in the care unit at a local hospital.
The CEO of HMG Healthcare, Derek Prince, said in a statement:
"Park Manor Quail Valley learned of the positive COVID -19 patient late Monday, March 30th. Upon learning about the test results, we contacted all staff to make them aware. All symptomatic staff were told to quarantine at home and follow up with their physician."
Mrs. Drake's son disputes that saying a staff member later told his mother, the center knew about the positive patient two days before, on Saturday, March 28th.
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He says his mother had direct contact with the patient.
"So, if they found out on Saturday, then they must have suspected a couple of days before that before she went in to go get tested," he added. "During that time they had time to tell people to be extra precautious."
Mrs. Drake's son also says his mother was told not to wear her face mask.
"They told her to take the mask off because it was alarming the patients," he recalled.
In response, Prince stated:
"HMG strictly adheres to Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)."
In a previous statement, Prince says the center was unable to get test kits from the local health authorities. On April 7th, he wrote, they obtained test kits from a private contractor. As of Wednesday, the center reports 16 patients and 12 employees tested positive.
Mrs. Drake's son also believes the staff failed to respond to his concerns about having his mother tested after she began showing symptoms.
TIMELINE: Texas’ continued response to COVID-19 pandemic
FOX 26 contacted Fort Bend County about the availability of testing kits for Park Manor Quail Valley. We received the following statement:
"Outbreaks of disease are especially concerning and upsetting for families who have loved ones and staff who work at long term care facilities. Fort Bend County Health & Human Services (HHS) places a high priority on protecting those most vulnerable to complications from COVID-19. Fort Bend County HHS follows theTexas Department of State Health Services’ guidance in the investigation of reported COVID-19 cases. We have and will continue to actively assist and advocate for all long-term care facilities in Fort Bend County during this global pandemic." - Dr. Jacquelyn Minter, Local Health Authority and Director of Fort Bend County Health and Human Services (HHS)