Memo adds to what we know about first COVID-19 case in Warren County

KPC Promise Hospital is a specialized facility for patients who need long-term and rehabilitative care located in the Merit Health River Region facility in Vicksburg. The facility’s parent company, KPC Healthcare, is based in Santa Ana, Calif.

Warren County’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 coronavirus was a Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate at Promise Hospital. He is not a resident of Warren County, although it is not clear at this time where he is from. He has been at the facility for about 60 days, and was tested nine days ago after showing symptoms of the virus.

The test confirmed the illness late on Thursday, March 26.

The following memo was sent by KPC Promise Hospital of Vicksburg CEO Kiley Cedotal to the organization’s physicians, nurses and staff on Friday, March 27:

In the interest of safety and transparency, I am reaching out to inform you that a patient at KPC Promise Hospital of Vicksburg recently tested positive for COVID-19.

As these types of cases will only continue to increase given the nature of this pandemic, I want to reassure you that we are taking every possible measure to keep you and our community safe, following all CDC guidelines related to the treatment of potential and confirmed COVID-19 patients, and implementing additional protocols out of an abundance of precaution.

One of the early steps we took as a facility was to cease virtually all hospital visitations in an effort to prevent potential community-based transmissions. In addition, we have implemented aggressive pre-screening measures for anyone who enters the facility, including staff, patients, vendors, and law enforcement personnel.

As it relates to this particular patient, all CDC guidelines have been followed throughout diagnosis and treatment, and potentially exposed staff have been asked to self-quarantine with pay.

Your health and safety are of paramount importance to our ability to care for our community and successfully overcome this unprecedented public health challenge. To that end, we have made it a top priority to ensure we maintain an adequate supply of personal protective equipment for use in all appropriate circumstances.

We are also conducting rolling assessments of inventory and resources, and are in regular communication with our local, state, and federal partners, and suppliers, to ensure we communicate our needs and maintain an adequate supply, even as demand increases.

As healthcare professionals, you have trained your entire lives for moments like these and now your skills and talents are needed more than ever. I have full confidence in our team’s ability to respond to this crisis and I am proud to work alongside each and every one of you.