The long-term care facility The Willows in Marshalltown has an outbreak of COVID-19, which began Dec. 8.

Cases of COVID-19 are labeled as an outbreak if there are three or more concurrent cases. The majority of the cases at The Willows have few or no symptoms.

Executive Director Jennifer Stanley said the facility has a comprehensive plan in place for handling COVID cases, and an aggressive approach to mitigating risk.

“From the early days of the pandemic, our focus in the beginning was on keeping the virus out of our community,” she said. “More than two weeks before the first reported case in Marshall County, we began collecting adequate PPE and mandating that all staff and visitors wear masks inside our building, after screening for temperatures and symptoms. We never let up on that, and we have never run out of PPE.”

Residents of The Willows who are COVID-19 positive are isolated safely in their apartments and cared for by nursing and culinary staff.

“They are monitored closely and can order from the restaurant any time of day and have every comfort brought to them,” Stanley said. “We also have fantastic families that are very involved with our residents and bring them wonderful gifts and treats and can visit remotely with assistance from our staff. Our focus right now is 100 percent dedicated to keeping our residents and staff safe.”

During the summer The Willows infection control plan was reviewed by the state and the facility received excellent marks for thoroughness.

This is the first outbreak for The Willows since the pandemic began in March.

“That we have avoided an outbreak up to this point is a testament to the diligence of our staff, the preparedness of our organization and the cooperation of our residents and their family members,” Stanley said.

The Willows has had several staff test positive: and all those staff members remain at home in isolation until they are well, even though Stanley said the majority have had either mild or no symptoms.

“We are extremely proud of our team,” she said. “They are continuing to take excellent care of our residents under very difficult circumstances. They are true heroes. Our Willows family is in excellent hands. We are scheduled to receive the vaccine for our residents and staff with the other senior living facilities very soon.”