Bradenton nursing centers and retirement homes go on guard against coronavirus
Local assisted living and retirement home facilities are taking the necessary steps to protect what experts say is the population most susceptible to the novel coronavirus.
As of Wednesday, 11 people have died from the virus in the U.S.; at least seven of those cases were among residents at the same nursing center in Washington State. The virus also spread to other residents and a worker at the facility.
Florida now has three cases of coronavirus, and more than 245 people are being monitored for it. State officials have called for extra disease prevention efforts at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. At a news briefing Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the facilities should consider revising visiting guidelines and screening visitors who are possibly sick.
Facilities in the Bradenton area have started implementing those and other safety measures this week.
Westminster Manor, a Bradenton retirement community with about 300 residents, is limiting visitors and checking those who are admitted for symptoms of illness, according to executive director Tracey Rickabaugh. In addition to asking questions, staff is taking visitors’ temperatures.
Activities for residents are continuing, Rickabaugh said, but people from outside of the facility are no longer coming on site to lead them.
Westminster Point Pleasant, a sister facility in Bradenton, has around 500 residents. Similar precautions are being taken there and at all of the parent non-profit’s facilities across the state, according to Wes Meltzer, spokesman for Westminster Communities of Florida.
Measures include temporarily discontinuing large group activities, providing optional grocery shopping and meal delivery services to residents and placing hand sanitizer stations throughout the communities, which offer independent living and varying levels of assisted living for seniors.
Brookdale Senior Living, a national healthcare and housing provider that operates three locations in Bradenton and five in Sarasota, outlined precautions at its facilities in a press release.
“We are acting with an abundance of caution, reinforcing our policies and procedures for contagious illnesses such as influenza with staff,” the company said. “These include reminders about flu vaccines, washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, staying home when sick, and taking flu antivirals as prescribed.”
Brookdale also said that a corporate emergency response team will provide support to local facilities — “especially in the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19.”
Management at Casa Mora Rehabilitation & Extended Care, a nonprofit with a single 240-bed facility in Bradenton, said that staff is “following universal precautions” in reaction to the virus’ spread.
Signature HealthCare, which operates the 120-bed Heritage Park Care & Rehabilitation Center in Bradenton, is asking family members of residents who are experiencing symptoms, including fever, cough, runny nose, runny eyes, or sneezing, to reschedule visits.
All of the facilities say they are taking cues directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With Florida’s significant elderly population, such prevention efforts could save many lives.
An early study of more than 44,000 cases of the disease in China underlines that point. It found that the fatality rate increased from 2.3% among the general population to 14.8% among those 80 and older who contracted COVID-19.
Leadership of senior citizen interest group AARP Florida called on state leaders to react swiftly upon the arrival of the virus in the region.
“With nearly 700 Florida nursing homes and many more assisted living facilities housing about 160,000 older residents, Florida should lead the way in preparing for the spread of this disease,” director Jeff Johnson said in a prepared statement Monday.
The next day, DeSantis was on a call with members of the state’s long-term care industry to issue guidance, according to a News Service of Florida report, and the state legislature was discussing millions of dollars in emergency funding for the Florida Department of Health.
The state’s Agency for Health Care Administration also outlined best practices for nursing homes and residential healthcare facilities in a memo earlier this week, including isolating patients with acute respiratory symptoms and detailed hygiene and safety precautions for staff.
In addition to guidance from the state and the CDC, many of the state’s nursing facilities have another resource in the Florida Health Care Association.
The association represents hundreds of long-term care centers and is holding scheduled calls for nursing homes to communicate the latest information on coronavirus spread and prevention.
Bradenton Herald staff reporter Jessica De Leon contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 7:46 AM.
