First Employee at OLA in Joliet Tests Positive For COVID-19

Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home in Joliet reports an employee has tested positive for coronavirus.  Administrator Judy Hoffman and director of nursing Mary Ann Peircy confirmed to WJOL that an employee notified OLA on Wednesday, April 29th that he or she had tested positive for coronavirus. The employee was not working at the time of the positive test. Due to HIPAA privacy rules, OLA would not confirm the gender nor the department in which the employee worked. A letter was sent out to residents on April 29th informing them of the positive test. Hoffman says the employee “has not been to work for the last 8 days,” which would make the employee’s last day of work Monday, April 27.

The employee was asymptomatic when they were tested and was off work when the test was performed. Our Lady of Angels up until now had been coronavirus free. Residents have been confined to their rooms since March and only allowed to go out for medical emergencies. No family, or visitors are allowed into the building. But Hoffman says, “residents are allowed to walk the grounds with a staff member and wear face masks when they are out of their rooms.” They also, “have a lot of ones to ones with families, facetime and window time to see their loved ones.” Plus they do car parades for birthdays all in an effort to keep everyone safe.

COVID-19 test kits have yet to arrive from the state of Illinois as a result no residents have been tested yet.

The temperature of staff and residents is taken every 4 hours. Hoffman says the Will County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public has given them everything they have asked for but tests have yet to arrive.