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An occupational therapist at the San Antonio nursing home at the center of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak had previously warned supervisors that another employee continued to show up to work there after potential exposure to the disease, KSAT 12 reports.
The therapist resigned from Southeast Nursing & Rehabilitation Center on March 20, citing concerns the facility didn’t make her coworker self-quarantine, according to the story. The woman asked to withhold her name because she still wants to work in the industry.
“The betrayal I feel is just enormous! Wow! Knowing how things are going and no one reported this!” the therapist said in text messages obtained by KSAT. The messages were directed to both her supervisor and an official at Rehab Synergies, which contracts with Southeast Nursing to provide services.
The Rehab Synergies official, identified as Beth Walters, texted back with an apology, according to the story. The supervisor didn’t respond.
Local health officials announced the outbreak at Southeast Nursing on March 31, roughly a week and a half after the therapist warned of potential problems, according to KSAT. Authorities haven’t connected the outbreak to the staff member in question, although a probe is ongoing.
Ten residents have died and more than 70 residents and staff members have tested positive the coronavirus, according to local health officials.
Metro Health officials had already documented community spread cases of the disease in San Antonio by the time she warned supervisors about the risk, the therapist told KSAT.
“We had community transmission. We were a hot spot,” she added.
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