LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nearly a week after Governor Andy Beshear announced widespread COVID-19 testing at long-term care facilities, residents at one Louisville facility are being transferred to area hospitals after a spike in cases.
Officials began to find symptoms among elders at the Nazareth Home Clifton Campus after testing began on May 20.
During the testing, 34 residents and 19 staff were confirmed as having the virus with many of the cases asymptomatic. Nazareth President and CEO, Mary Haynes, said they learned of the results Friday. Due to many of those who tested positive being asymptomatic, Haynes said that's what makes it so "treacherous" in a long-term care facility.
"With this, there is no playbook and just as we are all learning, there are people who are positive and who are checking themselves but do not have symptoms. And that is something that is very disconcerting," Haynes said.
Haynes said said long-term care facilities in Jefferson Co. are prioritized for the state testing, due to the higher prevalence of COVID-19 in Jefferson Co. She said the facility "fully supported" the widespread testing. About 230 total residents and staff were tested last Wednesday at the Clifton campus.
"Even knowing the outcomes weren't very certain," she said. "We thought it was important, certainly not only for the elders and their families, but for our staff to know where they stood. So we did expect there would be positives. We did not expect there would be this number of positives."
The day testing began, Nazarath posted to its Facebook page, writing:
"At Nazareth Home, we remain focused on taking every precaution to ensure the health and well-being of each elder and staff member. We continue to perform frequent temperature checks and screen and monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 with all elders and staff. Staff members are required to wear masks upon entrance to our campuses, along with other PPE as needed. Elders are also required to wear masks when are outside their room. We are diligent in keeping everything clean and disinfected for everyone's protection. The safety of the elders and staff is our number one priority."
The facility has been monitoring the temperatures of residents and staff daily, since March 10th. It has also eliminated any visitors to the facility the last two months, and stopped all socialization activities and communal dining. Haynes said staff members have also limited their social interactions to remain safe.
"They've made so many sacrifices and are so heroic and now to be on the front-line and to have all of their work appear to not have kept the coronavirus from affecting us, is very heart wrenching for everyone," Haynes said.
Nazareth Home said it began notifying families of the test results Friday, and have tried to stay in communication with them. Staff members who have tested positive are quarantining at home, while other residents who remain at the facility are being divided into "neighborhoods."
"We will have a group of elders and staff who are not positive in one space and those who are positive but without symptoms in another and then today we did make the decision to work with our acute healthcare partners for those who are positive and who do have symptoms and worsening symptoms, for them to be in the hospital.," Haynes said.
Some of the residents with positive cases are being moved to Baptist East, Norton Audubon and Norton Brownsboro Hospitals. Haynes some may also be placed into Jewish Hospital.
Haynes said the home has been in constant communication with the Ky. Dept. of Public Health, the Office of the Inspector General, Emergency Management, and the Louisville Metro Public Health Dept. Nazarath plans to stay in touch with them for guidance moving forward.
WHAS11 News spoke with one family member of a resident who tested positive who said the family was aware of the move. But, she said it has still been "scary" and "overwhelming."
"We certainly know that not only are they nervous, but they must be so disconcerted by the absence of their being able to visit," Haynes said. "Our heart is with you and we're doing all that we can to keep that communication going."
Nazareth has two campuses, filled with varying levels of care. Those who tested positive on the Clifton campus on Payne Rd. were in long-term care and personal care. The campus on Newburg Rd. is expecting to begin it's state testing on June 1st.
►Contact reporter Tyler Emery at temery@WHAS11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@TylerWHAS11) and Facebook.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
MORE ON WHAS11.COM
- White House goal on COVID-19 testing for nursing homes unmet
- Data Deep Dive: Children continue to mark small percentage of COVID patients in Kentucky and Indiana
- Nursing homes should be virus-free for 28 days before opening, feds warn
- Collaborative project underway in Louisville testing health care workers for COVID-19, antibodies
- Kentucky reports two new COVID-19 deaths, lowest number in six weeks