GREAT FALLS – The Goldstone Assisted Living facility at 5200 9th Avenue South in Great Falls said today it was recently notified of “multiple” positive COVID-19 cases among its residents and staff. The news release did not indicate how many cases have been confirmed.
On Aug. 4, the City-County Health Department said it had identified one outbreak of six COVID-19 cases in connection with a longer term facility in Cascade County, but due to privacy regulations the name or location of the facility has not been released. MTN News has asked Goldstone if it is the facility involved in the August 4 announcement, but we have not yet received a response.
To date, there have been 167 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cascade County; of those, 55 are currently active, 108 have recovered, and four have died. One of those dead, according to the CCHD, was linked after the outbreak of the care setting. The CCHD said on Wednesday that three people are currently hospitalized in Cascade County.
Goldstone said in a news release that staff and residents participated in Governor Steve Bullock’s sentinel test event on June 29, and all test results were negative for the virus. On July 28, a resident was admitted to hospital and tested positive for COVID-19 the next day.
Goldstone implemented quarantine measures for all staff and residents and conducted tests for all staff and residents. The tests were conducted on July 30 at the Goldstone. Additional group testing took place on August 3 and 6, and another round of testing is scheduled for Thursday, August 13th.
The Goldstone, which has 14 private rooms according to its website, has informed family members of residents about the situation and is communicating with families to answer questions.
Facilitated assisted living facility in Great Falls confirms COVID cases
Goldstone’s news release also includes the following information:
Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Goldstone manual has been monitored and implemented for long-term care settings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We have been in regular contact with the Montana State Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS) Communicable Disease Program and the City-County Health Department, and work with a local infectious disease consultant.
Access to the Goldstone has been restricted since early spring. Only staff and health care professionals are allowed to enter the building. All observed health care professionals and personnel were checked at entry – including temperature controls, required to wear masks, and hand sanitization protocols. These precautionary measures continue. The source of the infection has not been determined, and the Goldstone is working with CCHD on contact tracing. Residents and staff will continue to test weekly in advance. Staff wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) and all residents remain in their rooms to prevent potential transmission. Any resident or staff with symptoms is immediately isolated and tested.
We are grateful for the support of the community, staff and families of residents. Protecting the well-being of our residents and staff remains our top priority. To honor the privacy of our residents and their families, no further comment will be issued at this time. Please keep us in your prayers and do everything you can to protect the vulnerable people in your life.
Montana added 175 new cases to the total on the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map on Wednesday morning. Yellowstone County reported the most recent cases with 75, followed by Rosebud County with 24. Big Horn County reported 16 new cases, Phillips County reported 15, and Gallatin County reported 12 new cases. The following data is from the official Montana website on August 12:
- TOTAL CASES & RECOVERIES: Montana now reports 5,268 cumulative cases statewide, with 3,598 people leaned back.
- HOSPITALIZATIONS: There are currently 97 patients hospitalized, an increase of 20 from Tuesday. There have been 301 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
- DEATHS: The cumulative number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Montana is now 80, an increase of three since Tuesday.
- ACTIVE CASES: The state reports that there are currently 1,590 active COVID-19 cases in Montana.
- TESTING: The number of tests increased by 1,624 in the previous 24-hour reporting, for a new cumulative state-total of 196,036.
Numbers reported by the state each day differ at times from those reported by public health departments due to periodic delays in reporting data to the state. We encourage people to check the official website and / or Facebook page of their respective Department of Health Care for any updates that have not yet been included in the state’s daily updates.
