Employees Frustrated Over Rise Of COVID-19 Cases At Nursing Home

ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI)- A nursing home in Aberdeen is witnessing a rapid spread of the coronavirus within its facility.

Now employees are voicing their frustrations after testing positive for the virus.

Staff members at Care Center of Aberdeen said the virus is spreading because employees are still having to come into work despite showing symptoms and being exposed to the virus.

“We the ones passing it, the employees,” said Bernice Walker, who’s in her second stint working at the center.

“They’re short of help now so they’re really not bothered by how you are feeling or if you still got it, they just need somebody there to help, they are shorthanded,” said Taquisha Randle, who’s worked at the center for 15 years.

Last week, Walker said she started showing symptoms of the coronavirus so she went to get tested.

She said she notified her administrators that she needed to stay home, but they still asked her to come in anyway.

“Their policy over there was you come back to work until you get your results, and I told her well, I already have a bunch of the symptoms, but she still said their policy was for me to come back, so I did get a chance to work one of those days,” said Walker.

The Mississippi Department of Health said it is essential to remain at home if you have symptoms while waiting on results.

However, Walker said she was threatened to be written up if she didn’t come back into work.

Despite wearing her gloves and mask when she returned to work, deep down the longtime employee said she said she knows she exposed more people to the virus.

“Since I’ve went back I’ve had at least three (people test positive), and most were on my hall,” Walker expressed. “Mostly everybody was on the 100 side, they tested positive for that stuff, so yeah, I had it and some more aides had it, so we had to have passed it on to them because some of those people don’t even go out nowhere, so where are they going to get it from?”

She blames the spread of the COVID-19 cases on what she calls the center’s poor leadership.

“Ain’t nobody cleaning anything,” said Walker.

According to the state department of health, since July 2, 2020, a total of 32 staff members have tested positive for CIVUD-19 at the Care Center of Aberdeen, 18 residents have tested positive for the virus, and there have been two deaths due to the coronavirus at the facility.

Along with Walker and Randle, Debra Glaspie, also tested positive for the virus. Randle is now waiting on the results from her third test.

“I’m at the point now I’m scared,” said Randle. “I’m lucky that I made it through this, I don’t know if I can get it again because if I do I might not be as lucky.”

“I think it’s all about money for them,” said Glaspie, who’s worked at the facility for three years. “They’re coming in and they’re making sure that staff is there, and they are not caring who has it and who don’t have it, as long as you’re not completely broke down they want you at work.”

All three employees are currently at home in self-isolation.

Walker and Randle are considering whether to turn in their two weeks notice because they no longer feel safe working at the facility.

WCBI reached out to Care Center of Aberdeen, they said they are following all guidelines given by the Centers for Disease Control, and they have measures in place to keep everyone safe.

They declined to give an on-camera comment.