Pictured is the team of nurses that took care of the patient. Submitted Photo.

GOWANDA — The Gowanda Rehabilitation Nursing Center announced that their first COVID-19 patient recently went home healthy. The nurses felt fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with them and they hear they are doing great.

The patient arrived at Gowanda Rehab nursing Center on April 3. According to the nurses, the patient is a very sweet 81 year old. The staff worked hard with the patient for two weeks and was finally able to regain independence and return home on April 23.

“We are very blessed to have such an amazing team at Gowanda. Everyday they look forward to coming to work to help these patients recover quickly and return home,” said Heather Juul.

Since the virus, Gowanda has closed down one of its units to be able to help those with COVID-19. Certain staff members have volunteered to work on this unit. They are not permitted in any other part of the facility. There is a therapy team, housekeeping team, as well as the nurses and CNAs who work this unit daily.

The staff has been working extra long shifts and extra days to be sure these residents are receiving the best care. Each staff member has been fitted with the proper personal protective equipment and N95 mask. All the staff has received specialized training on treating the patient with COVID-19. They are updated daily on the new policies and procedures issued from the CDC and Department of Health.