Newton County COVID-19 patient
succumbed in Barry County
April 22, 2020
Sheila Harris
Newton County Coroner, Dale Owen, confirmed Tuesday that Newton County’s 10th case of positive COVID-19 died at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, after staying with a friend in Barry County.
“I was not called to Barry County to pronounce the person deceased,” Owen said. “It is my understanding that doctors at Mercy Hospital in Cassville did so.”
Sonya Kullman, Media Relations and Communications Manager for Mercy, stated that a patient, who later tested positive for COVID-19, was pronounced dead in the Mercy Cassville emergency room.
“The patient was brought in by EMS to Mercy Hospital Cassville,” Kullman said. “Both the EMS and the emergency department staff followed all the appropriate CDC protocols when the patient arrived to eliminate any risk of exposure to co-workers and patients.”
According to Owen’s report, the friend in Barry County with whom the Newton County victim was staying called Barry County emergency personnel when the patient’s condition deteriorated.
“An ambulance was dispatched to take him to Mercy Hospital in Cassville. He died en route, or shortly after arrival at Mercy, of cardiac complications,” Owen stated. “Because the man wished to be an organ donor, his body was transported to an organ donation facility in Kansas City by Chappel Crematory in Webb City. At the Kansas City facility, the deceased person was tested for COVID-19 prior to organ recovery. The results were positive.”
Larry Bergner, Administrator for the Newton County Health Department, said he was unaware of the location of the deceased person at the time of his death, nor was he willing to provide a list of places the individual may have visited.
“Up-to-date, our confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Newton County haven’t traveled much,” he said. “We don’t feel there’s a need to release that kind of information if it’s not necessary.”
Roger Brock, Administrator for Barry County Health Department, indicated that he works closely with the Newton County Health Department (and others) and, if warranted, they follow the epidemiology (epi) trails of persons who may have had contact with residents of other counties.
“Viruses don’t know what locale they’re in,” he said.
Both Brock and Bergner said their offices have reached out to persons who were in contact with the deceased patient. They would like to remind citizens to continue to practice social distancing and sound hygiene.
David Compton, Director of Emergency Management Operations in Barry County, indicated there’s a fine line sometimes between reporting information necessary for public safety and violating the privacy of patients, or creating public alarm.
“HIPPA laws were instituted for patient privacy,” he said. “We always attempt to respect them. Sometimes it’s easier to do that when I think about what I would want revealed if I was the patient.”
“County health departments,” he continued, “are under no obligation to report deaths to any county other than that of the deceased person’s residence. I do want to assure everyone, though, that the health departments always follow up with contacts of the deceased so they can monitor themselves for symptoms, no matter what county they live in.”
Newton County Coroner, Dale Owen, confirmed Tuesday that Newton County’s 10th case of positive COVID-19 died at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, after staying with a friend in Barry County.
“I was not called to Barry County to pronounce the person deceased,” Owen said. “It is my understanding that doctors at Mercy Hospital in Cassville did so.”
Sonya Kullman, Media Relations and Communications Manager for Mercy, stated that a patient, who later tested positive for COVID-19, was pronounced dead in the Mercy Cassville emergency room.
“The patient was brought in by EMS to Mercy Hospital Cassville,” Kullman said. “Both the EMS and the emergency department staff followed all the appropriate CDC protocols when the patient arrived to eliminate any risk of exposure to co-workers and patients.”
According to Owen’s report, the friend in Barry County with whom the Newton County victim was staying called Barry County emergency personnel when the patient’s condition deteriorated.
“An ambulance was dispatched to take him to Mercy Hospital in Cassville. He died en route, or shortly after arrival at Mercy, of cardiac complications,” Owen stated. “Because the man wished to be an organ donor, his body was transported to an organ donation facility in Kansas City by Chappel Crematory in Webb City. At the Kansas City facility, the deceased person was tested for COVID-19 prior to organ recovery. The results were positive.”
Larry Bergner, Administrator for the Newton County Health Department, said he was unaware of the location of the deceased person at the time of his death, nor was he willing to provide a list of places the individual may have visited.
“Up-to-date, our confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Newton County haven’t traveled much,” he said. “We don’t feel there’s a need to release that kind of information if it’s not necessary.”
Roger Brock, Administrator for Barry County Health Department, indicated that he works closely with the Newton County Health Department (and others) and, if warranted, they follow the epidemiology (epi) trails of persons who may have had contact with residents of other counties.
“Viruses don’t know what locale they’re in,” he said.
Both Brock and Bergner said their offices have reached out to persons who were in contact with the deceased patient. They would like to remind citizens to continue to practice social distancing and sound hygiene.
David Compton, Director of Emergency Management Operations in Barry County, indicated there’s a fine line sometimes between reporting information necessary for public safety and violating the privacy of patients, or creating public alarm.
“HIPPA laws were instituted for patient privacy,” he said. “We always attempt to respect them. Sometimes it’s easier to do that when I think about what I would want revealed if I was the patient.”
“County health departments,” he continued, “are under no obligation to report deaths to any county other than that of the deceased person’s residence. I do want to assure everyone, though, that the health departments always follow up with contacts of the deceased so they can monitor themselves for symptoms, no matter what county they live in.”