Employee at skilled nursing facility in Templeton contracts coronavirus

April 25, 2020

An employee at Vineyard Hill’s Health Center in Templeton tested positive Friday for the coronavirus, which has prompted testing of all staff and employees at the rehabilitation facility, according to San Luis Obipos County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein. This is the first case of the virus at a nursing home or rehabilitation facility in SLO County.

The employee believes they contracted the virus while visiting a relative on Easter who later tested positive for the coronavirus.

At this time, no patients or other employees at the health center have tested positive for the virus. The infected employee was primarily asymptomatic while working at the Compass Heath facility.

The CEO of Compass Health, Darren Smith, announced plans to test everyone exposed at the facility for the coronavirus while continuing to implement best practices.

“Since early March, Vineyard Hills and the other six Compass Health skilled nursing facilities have implemented best practices for the skilled nursing facility industry in light of this global pandemic,” according to a Compass Health Press Release. “These practices include: restricted access from visitors and vendors, daily testing of employees and patients for signs and symptoms, required masking of employees, no employees working at multiple locations, designated on site infection preventionists and has separated all residents into smaller units limiting chances for cross contamination in the event of a confirmed case of the virus,”