An eighty-nine-year-old woman in Vancouver, Wash. is being listed as yet another fatal victim of norovirus. The woman, Mina Allen, was a resident of The Cascade Inn, a retirement home that suffered a norovirus outbreak in early March.

Allen was initially hospitalized for symptoms of norovirus in April.  She was then sent to another retirement home, to a hospice, and, finally, back to the hospice following her release.  She died last Wednesday.

It seems as if norovirus’ grip on the northwest coast is not loosening up any time soon.  The Cascade Inn has suffered more than most senior living facilities, with several deaths occurring  since the outbreak.

Like The Wilsonville, another northwest assisted living home adversely affected by norovirus, the Goldman Mature Market Report will be monitoring this situation closely.

For more information visit http://www.kptv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4958773.

The media has confirmed yet another case of norovirus at The Wilsonville Senior Living Facility in Clark County, Oregon . According to The Oregonian, the latest outbreak has included 56 residents and 25 staff members. Two family members of staff persons, one health care worker and one visitor have also fallen ill from the latest outbreak. While no deaths have been reported, several residents have been hospitalized.

Since April, The Wilsonville has been plagued with several outbreaks of the gastrointestinal illness commonly known as norovirus. The wave of sickness has also been steadily reported on by the local print media as well as local news stations. In response to the coverage, its executive director, Linda Swanson, has written letters to the local media explaining how her community is dealing with the virus and how others can try to prevent it in their own facilities. However, with more outbreaks, the Goldman Mature Market Report asks its publisher, Dean Goldman,

What step should Swanson take next to continue to protect the image of her community?

According to Goldman, despite the setbacks the community is experiencing, Swanson is still headed in the right direction.

“Linda Swanson in her letter to The Oregonian stated that the norovirus is difficult to eradicate, can be 'quite stubborn,' and can come back at any time. This new incident is not unexpected; however, with all the steps that The Wilson Senior Living Facility has undertaken to eradiate the virus, its recurrence must be a huge disappointment.”

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Updated on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 at 04:22PM by Goldman

Last week, Linda Swanson, executive director of The Wilsonville Senior Living Community, took what the Goldman Mature Market Report would consider a very bold and proactive step in protecting the name of her company. Swanson, following a norovirus outbreak that affected about 60 people in her community, wrote a letter to The Oregonian and several other news outlets detailing the outbreak at her facility. (View The Wilsonville Senior Living Community letter to The Oregonian: Variations of norovirus have been around for years )

In the letter, after commenting on the commonness of norovirus and acknowledging the seriousness of the event, she outlines how norovirus infected The Wilsonville Senior Living Community, how it possibly entered the community and steps that other communities, as well as her own, could take to prevent further outbreaks.

One of the very interesting things about this letter, aside from the facts and information, is that it is what we believe to be one of the first of its kind amid the recent outbreaks on the west coast. Swanson, obviously familiar with public relations in some facet, took a very forward step in talking about the outbreak at her facility. This was a bonus for her because not only was she able to educate others about the virus and her experience, but also she was able to do it on her terms and control the message. By writing letters to local papers, Swanson was able to develop and express an exact message to the community. The ability to do this, especially in the midst of controversy, is key to maintaining a company’s image and is fundamental to any public relations initiatives in place.

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