North Central Health Care Statement on Covid-19 Diagnosis in Marathon County

Community Updates

For Immediate Release: March 30, 2020

(March 30, 2020, Wausau, WI) -- A case of COVID-19, the illness resulting from the novel coronavirus, has been diagnosed in an employee of Mount View Care Center in Wausau. “The staff member is currently in isolation and receiving medical guidance. We have notified public health officials as required and are following procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention,” said Michael Loy, CEO of North Central Health Care (NCHC). “We are taking every step as recommended by authorities to contain the spread and working closely with our partners at the Marathon County Health Department. We want to make residents, their families, our dedicated staff, and our community aware of this situation and reassure everyone that we are taking appropriate steps to contain the spread of illness.”

On March 22, the employee in question was asymptomatic upon arrival to Mount View Care Center, however developed symptoms while at work during their scheduled shift. As part of employee screening and reporting procedures, the employee faithfully followed the required protocol and self-reported the change in condition to management and was immediately removed from any contact with residents, sent home to self-quarantine and advised to seek medical guidance for further testing. North Central Health Care officials were informed on March 28 of the employee’s positive Covid-19 test result. North Central Health Care have informed all staff, residents and families of any potential exposure to the diagnosed employee and are continuing to monitor residents and staff for changes in health.

To prevent further spread of illness, North Central Health Care has immediately implemented additional healthcare precautions as advised by local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

  • Personal protective face masks will be worn at all times by all employees within Restricted Areas of NCHC facilities which include nursing homes, behavioral health, crisis services and inpatient psychiatric hospital.
  • All nursing home residents will wear a mask any time they exit their rooms.
  • Measurement frequency of residents’ vital signs will be further increased.
  • Cleaning frequency of high-touch surfaces will be further enhanced.
  • All visitation will be further restricted at this time to include hospice visitation. Management will work with families individually on a case-by-case basis for special circumstances.

Earlier on March 12, 2020 North Central Health Care issued a no-visitation policy in effect for Mount View Care Center, Pine Crest Nursing Home and all NCHC Community-Based Residential Facilities in the community. This was followed by an emergency zone implementation throughout the Wausau Campus, including Mount View Care Center, to limit exposure to residents and patients in the 24/7 care areas. All staff entering skilled nursing, behavioral health and crisis areas have been required to complete Covid-19 screening which includes temperature monitoring.

Social workers will be available for residents and families of Mount View Care Center to answer any questions they may have and will be closely monitoring the well-being of all residents during this time. We encourage families to reach out to their social worker for assistance or contact the Mount View Care Center Nursing Home Administrator with any questions.

North Central Health Care provides compassionate, high-quality care for individuals and families with mental health, recovery and skilled nursing needs in Marathon, Langlade and Lincoln counties. Services are provided for mental health, substance abuse, crisis, developmental disabilities, adult protection, aquatic physical therapy and skilled nursing care. North Central Health Care operates two skilled nursing facilities, Mount View Care Center in Wausau and Pine Crest Nursing Home in Merrill.

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North Central Health Care asks our media partners to respect the privacy of our employees, patients, clients and residents during this time as we continue to focus our efforts on preventing the spread of illness and caring for those we serve.

A press briefing is being planned for the afternoon of March 30. Details on the time and location will be announced in a subsequent media announcement. Please send any desired questions or topics to the email in the media contact by 11:00 am CST.

Media contact:
North Central Health Care

Jessica Meadows, Public Information Officer
Marketing & Communications Director
1100 Lake View Drive • Wausau, WI 54403
715.370.1547 jmeadows@norcen.org www.norcen.org