Officials with the Pottawattamie County Public Health Department (PCPH) said today (Friday), “Country House,” a memory care facility in Council Bluffs, is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak which the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) defines as three or more residents in a long-term care facility testing positive for COVID-19. Although the Country House is not classified as a long-term care facility by the state of Iowa, PCPH is responding to the outbreak in the same way we would respond to an outbreak in a long-term care facility. PCPH is working closely with local partners, IDPH, and Country House to monitor the situation and provide guidance on containment and mitigation strategies.

Country House has conducted COVID-19 testing on all residents and staff members at the facility. As of May 15, ten residents and one employee have tested positive for COVID-19. PCPH will release additional details as they become available. Matt Wyant, with Pott. County Public Health, says “Country House adapted several COVID-19 mitigation measures early on, including restricting visitors, use of PPE, and screening staff at all shifts. Despite their precautionary efforts, the virus has regrettably been introduced to Country House.”

Marty Hug, Chief Operating Officer for Agemark says “First and foremost, our concern is the health and safety of our residents and our staff. As an organization, we took very proactive measures to protect all of our people – residents and staff alike. Right now, we have activated our emergency response procedures and our dedicated team of health care professionals is doing everything in their power to contain additional spread and is providing exceptional care for our residents.”

You can find more information regarding Country House’s COVID-19 response at https://www.agemark.com/covid-19/.