IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
A skilled nursing facility in Riverside has reopened three months after it was shut down in an emergency.
The Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center’s 84 patients were evacuated April 8 by city and county first responders, according to a statement on the county’s website.
Officials worked with the state and county for several months on a reopening plan, including providing additional employee training and personal protective equipment. The center reopened July 17, after passing an inspection by the California Department of Public Health.
“This is a facility where long-time employees formed bonds with patients for many years,” said Dr. Frank Flowers, spokesman for the Riverside University Health System, in the statement. “Back in April, many of those employees tested positive for the coronavirus and did not go to work to protect those people. It was heartbreaking for these workers to not be with their patients.”
The evacuation took place when only one certified nurse was able to work out of 13 that were scheduled. The patients were sent to other county medical facilities, according to the statement.
