TERRELL, Texas — Multiple cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among patients and employees at Terrell State Hospital, although state officials won’t reveal exactly how big the pandemic has affected the campus.
TERRELL, Texas — Multiple cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among patients and employees at Terrell State Hospital, although state officials won’t reveal exactly how big the pandemic has affected the campus.
“We have received consent from an individual or guardian to acknowledge at least one positive case at Terrell State Hospital,” Christine Mann, Chief Press Officer for the Texas Health & Human Services Commission (HHS) tells inForney.com The HHS overseas state hospitals across Texas.
Officials with the Texas State Employees Union (TSEU) say they are baffled by the state’s lack of transparency in COVID-19 cases at Terrell State and the shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) to safely combat the disease while protecting employees.
TSEU says that they have confirmed at least 5 cases of COVID-19 cases among both employees and staff since the beginning of April.
“We have confirmed 3 employees and at least 2 patients have confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of today,” says Joe Montemayor, Organizing Coordinator for TSEU on Tuesday.
Montemayor says that TSEU members have reported a lack of PPE across all state agencies and that Terrell State Hospital employees are supplementing scarce resources on their own.
“Outside of the units with confirmed cases, TSH employees are not being provided with enough PPE to wear to do their job safely,” Montemayor says. “Our members are being creative doing what they can to protect themselves and supplement the lack of supplies.”
“Staff working with COVID-19 positive patients are dedicated to treating only those patients, using the appropriate personal protective equipment, and are following all CDC guidelines to protect their safety and prevent spread. This includes masks, face shield masks, N95 masks, gloves, and gowns. Additionally, we are continuing to educate and train staff on infection control procedures,” the state says.
The Terrell State Hospital Volunteer Services Council put out a call last week on social media looking for face mask donations for TSH employees.
Mann says that HHS will continue to screen all employees for fever and respiratory illness prior to entrance into the facility.
“Temperature checks on staff and essential visitors before entry to Terrell State Hospital began on March 16 and remain in place,“ Mann says.
inForney.com found that the state’s admittance protocol had been suspended on Tuesday morning, as visitors were being admitted on hospital grounds without being stopped or questioned and without having their temperature taken.
Any person with a fever or unexplained signs of respiratory illness is not allowed entrance to the hospital, according to the state.
“We are extremely grateful for the commitment and dedication of our staff to caring for our patients, especially during this challenging time. They are providing an outstanding service to Texas,” Mann tells inForney.com
“Our commitment to patients and staff is to provide the best care possible and the safest possible working environment, at all times under any circumstances. This is a rapidly evolving situation and we will continue adapting our policies and procedures as necessary,” she says. “We are working closely with the Department of State Health Services and taking precautions to mitigate any spread of disease.”
TSEU says that while the state’s initial response to COVID-19 was slow, he said state employees are starting to see improvements.
“TSH employee tell us things continue to improve over the past week,” Montemayor says. “We will continue to monitor the state’s response as we move forward.”
Terrell State Hospital currently has 883 employees and 241 patients according to HHS.
