This 2014 photo shows the South Peninsula Hospital campus in Homer. (Photo courtesy South Peninsula Hospital)

This 2014 photo shows the South Peninsula Hospital campus in Homer. (Photo courtesy South Peninsula Hospital)

South peninsula nursing home requests no visitors after COVID outbreak

The resident who tested positive Friday is the first resident to test positive since the pandemic began.

This story has been updated.

The long-term care facility at South Peninsula Hospital in Homer is requesting no visitors after a resident and multiple staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release from SPH.

Rachael Kincaid, the long-term care director of the skilled nursing facility at SPH, said in the press release that the resident who tested positive Friday is the first resident to test positive since the pandemic began.

All of the residents at the facility are vaccinated, the release stated.

“Our protocols and mitigation measures have been working quite effectively,” she said. “This facility is our residents’ home, and we’re a tight-knit group. Most of our elders are unable to mask. When you consider the intimate care we provide day after day, it’s pretty remarkable we’ve made it this long without a resident case.”

According to the release, the resident who tested positive was isolated to a private room. After everyone else in the facility underwent testing, six staff members tested positive. No other long-term residents tested positive for COVID. The positive results among the staff occurred in both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees.

Staff who tested negative are working overtime as needed, the release stated.

Kincaid said in the release that safety measures were changed last year to allow visitors and outdoor outings for the residents.

“While we are committed to keeping our residents safe from physical risk, social, emotional and mental wellbeing are an important part of their overall health,” she said. “This pandemic does not appear to be going anywhere, and we must adjust along with it.”

The south peninsula’s seven-day average was 393 new COVID cases per 100,000 people as of Friday, according to data from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District website.

Because many omicron cases have reportedly been less symptomatic and because of the increasing availability of at-home COVID test kits, state officials with the Department of Health and Social Services are encouraging people to use hospitalizations and death metrics to determine the severity of the variant.

Hospitalizations in Alaska are currently trending downward, although the metric tends to be a lagging indicator.

The long-term skilled nursing facility at SPH, starting Saturday, will not allow visitation for seven days. Additionally, all residents and staff will be tested daily despite vaccination status.

Clarification: South Peninsula Hospital spokesperson Derotha Ferraro clarified on Jan. 10 that the long-term care facility “requests no visitors at this time.”

Reach reporter Camille Botello at camille.botello@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

The Kenai Peninsula College main entrance on Aug. 18, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Chiappone and Dunstan to speak at the KPC Showcase

Kenai Peninsula College continues its showcase with two new speakers this week and next

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, talks about issues of concern regarding the proposed merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons during a floor speech in the House chamber on Wednesday. (Screenshot from official U.S. House of Representatives video feed)
Begich leads in early results, but Alaska’s U.S. House race won’t be immediately decided

About 245,000 ballots had been counted by 11:32 p.m., and Peltola trailed by about 5 percentage points

The Alaska governor’s mansion on Wednesday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is considered a contender for a post in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Election summary: Trump wins, GOP takes over U.S. Senate, Alaska may get new governor

Begich and repeal of ranked choice voting narrowly lead; GOP may lose control of state House.

Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage on Oct. 7, 2024. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Voters line up at the polling site at Anchorage City Hall on Nov. 4, 2024. City Hall was one of the designated early voting sites in Alaska’s largest city. It is not a designated site for Election Day voting. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska Republicans lose two seats in state House, increasing odds of leadership switch

Rural Alaska precincts had reported few results by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Donald Trump won or was leading as of Wednesday morning in all seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. (Doug Mills / The New York Times)
Donald Trump returns to power, ushering in new era of uncertainty

He played on fears of immigrants and economic worries to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

A voter is handed as ballot at Woodworth School in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. One of the most consequential presidential elections in the nation’s modern history is well underway, as voters flocked to churches, schools and community centers to shape the future of American democracy. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
Trump verges on victory, picking up Pennsylvania

Donald Trump has captured Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of the seven battleground… Continue reading

Signs and supporters line the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Unofficial results for the 2024 general election

Preliminary, unofficial election results as of 9:55 p.m.

Poll worker Carol Louthan helps voters submit ballots at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Bjorkman, Ruffridge, Elam and Vance lead in election night results

Several residents said that they came out to vote because they knew this election was “a big one.”

Most Read