TCI, Marshall workers test positive

Posted on July 15, 2020

Taylor Correctional Institute (TCI) and Marshall Health and Rehabilitation have recorded their first positive coronavirus cases after three state prison employees and two nursing home employees tested positive over the weekend.

According to the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), three TCI staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. The staff members will not be allowed to return to work until a “full recovery is documented by a medical professional and DOH and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines are followed.”

While no inmates have tested positive, eight inmates — 0.6% of the total 1,301 inmate population — have tested negative and another 88 inmates (6.7% of total inmate population) are in medical quarantine). These percentages do not include the 1,409 inmates housed at the TCI Annex.

According to FDOC, medical quarantine is when inmates are separated because they may have had close contact with a person who has tested positive or exhibited symptoms of an infectious illness.

All inmates in medical quarantine are monitored by health services staff and receive temperature inmate begins experiencing symptoms indicative of COVID-19, the inmate will be placed in medical isolation and will be tested for COVID-19.

At this time, voluntary COVID-19 testing is not available to all inmates and staff members at TCI, however, sample testing of asymptomatic elderly or immunocompromised inmates in medical quarantine are being conducted.

While TCI has only three reported coronavirus cases (all employees), Taylor County has six cases linked to correctional facilities.

According to the DOH-Taylor Public Information Officer Martine Young, the correctional institute-related cases not corroborated by the local correctional department reflect individuals that reside in Taylor County but who are employed at a correctional facility in a different county.

Similarly, Taylor County reported eight positive cases connected to total long-term care facilities — two of which reflect the positive test results of Marshall Health and Rehabilitation staff members.

Officials with Consulate Health Care and Marshall Health and Rehabilitation did not respond to requests for comment as of press time Tuesday.

Since Taylor County’s first reported case on April 6 until this past week, both TCI and Marshall had successfully avoided having to report a positive COVID-19 care at both of the local facilities, conducting testing on staff and residents, screening all employees before each shift and prohibiting visitation.

“The DOH has been working with these facilities since the beginning to ensure they have a plan that includes rapid identification and management of those that are ill, considerations for visitors and staff, adequate supplies and resources, education and training on how to handle cases when they received them. Now that there are positive cases, we are working with them to ensure that all needs are being met in order to limit the spread,” DOH-Taylor Public Information Officer Martine Young said.

“Our concern comes due to the facility’s congregant living arrangements. Spread can happen very quickly in these situations. In addition, those living in these facilities, more specifically Marshall, are in our “high risk” category,” Young continued.

The five new cases were reflected on the DOH’S 11 a.m. update Tuesday, contributing to Taylor County’s total 149 positive test results.

Of the 149 positives, 147 are Florida residents.

To date, Taylor County has reported 10 hospitalizations (7% of the total positive tests) and one death (1% of those who tested positive).

Eight of Taylor County’s cases are between 75-84 years of age. Two of those eight have been hospitalized, accounting for 20% of the county’s hospitalization.

Four individuals between 35-44 years of age have also been hospitalized, making up 40% of the county’s hospitalization rate.

Additionally, one person between the age of 25-34 and three people between 55-64 have been hospitalized, which totals 40% of the hospitalization rate.

JoAnn Glascoe, 78, died on June 30 after a near month-long battle with the upper respiratory virus, according to DOH-Taylor.

According to Young, people aged 65 years and older and people who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility are considered “high-risk.”

“Other high risk conditions include people with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma, people with serious heart conditions, people who are immunocompromised including cancer treatments, people of any age with sever obesity (BMI >40) or certain underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled such as diabetes, renal failure, or liver disease,” Young said.

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