Ethylene Oxide/Sterigenics Updates

Articles Posted in Coronavirus

elderly-1461424_1920-thumb-350x233-90117-300x200City View Multicare Center is a for-profit nursing home located in Cicero, Illinois. They participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and have 485 beds. Currently, they are one of many nursing homes in Illinois battling a severe outbreak of COVID-19. As of  May 11, 2020, 262 residents and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and 11 people have died at the nursing home.

Medicare.gov gives them one out of five stars (much below average) based on recent health inspections and staffing levels. Regarding staffing, residents at City View Multicare receive 11 minutes of care from a registered nurse per day, compared to a national average of 41 minutes, and 52 minutes of a nursing aide’s time compared to 2 hours and 18 minutes nationally.

A government health inspection in 2019 found 18 health deficiencies; an inspection in 2018 found 18 as well, and 10 deficiencies were found in 2017. In the last 3 years, City View Multicare has had 17 complaints filed by residents or others that resulted in citations. Health inspections in 2019 found that the facility failed to:

senior-with-mask-5088202_1920-1024x714As the number of people infected with COVID-19 in Illinois continues to rise, new information is revealing how devastating the coronavirus has been in nursing homes in the state. In total, 438 nursing homes around the state have current outbreaks. Recently released data shows that there are more than 14,882 cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes across Illinois and 2400 deaths—about 50% of the COVID-19 deaths in Illinois.  These numbers exploded after the state began stepping up testing of residents and staff at nursing homes.

These facilities have the worst outbreaks of COVID-19 in the state as of May 8:

  • City View Multi-Care Center in Cicero – 216 residents and staff have tested positive for coronavirus and 9 have died.

virus-4931227_1920-1024x683The Illinois Department of Public Health has finally released information about the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths at individual nursing homes in the state. As nursing home neglect and abuse attorneys, we have felt that families with loved ones in a nursing home deserve to know this important health information, and we had been dismayed by the secrecy and lack of transparency in Illinois up until now.

Below is a list of Illinois nursing homes with the worst outbreaks, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. It includes the nursing homes with the highest number of cases/deaths as of April 19. Unfortunately, we expect these numbers to rise in the coming weeks as nursing homes report more cases.

Cook County:

man-hands-waiting-senior-33786-1024x683
Note: These numbers have been updated as of  May 12, 2020.

With elderly residents and close living quarters, nursing homes are extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. As the coronavirus crisis continues to develop in Illinois, numbers are emerging showing that nursing homes account for about 50% of the state’s COVID-19  deaths. That number is not surprising when you consider that 410 nursing homes in the state have been affected by the virus.  Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, recognized that nursing homes would be vulnerable back in a March 12 statement, during which she prioritized restricting visits to nursing homes as a method of limiting the spread of coronavirus.

Despite Illinois banning the majority of visitors at nursing homes, the latest infection reports are still showing coronavirus on the rise in senior facilities. Daily news reports and infection data highlight the widespread problem of COVID-19 infections in Illinois nursing homes. Recently released data from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows that over 14,882 cases of coronavirus and 2400 deaths are linked to nursing homes in the state and the numbers continue to grow.  Hardest hit has been Cook County, which has reported 1350 nursing home-related deaths and multiple nursing homes with serious outbreaks. At least four other Illinois counties–including Will, DuPage, Lake, and Kane– have reported 500 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in long-term assisted care facilities.

covid-19-4961257_1920-300x169As if we needed further proof that COVID-19 does not discriminate in favor of the famous, we learn that one of the National Football League’s record-setting field goal kickers has just died from COVID-19 complications in a New Orleans nursing home.  73-year old Tom Dempsey, who was born without fingers on his right hand and part of his right foot and yet kicked what was in 1970 the longest field goal (63 yards) in NFL history, died April 4 in New Orleans’ Lambeth House retirement home, where he had been a resident since 2012.    

 The State of Louisiana has become notorious for its initial unwillingness to take COVID-19 as seriously as other states, and now, predictably is paying the price, becoming one of the states with the fastest-growing rates of COVID-19 infections and related deaths.  Included among the alarming number of Louisiana deaths are 15 residents of Lambeth House, where Dempsey had been a resident.  50 of its residents have tested positive for the virus, as of the date of Dempsey’s death. 

But, rather than try to recover from its early ignorance, and get ahead of the virus through competence and transparency, the State of Louisiana has instead opted for shameful secrecy.  Specifically, it has just reversed its previous policy and now will no longer make public the names of the nursing homes identified as having “clusters” of COVID-19.  A “cluster” is defined as two or more related COVID-19 cases—information that is extremely valuable not only to public health officials but also to families whose loved ones are in one of the state’s nursing homes.  Now, Louisiana will merely publish a list of the homes where there are confirmed infections and deaths. And it will now provide this information only twice a week, instead of daily, as had been its practice. 

african-American-cdc-aeh1dbI_a7I-unsplash-1024x683Among the many ugly truths of COVID-19’s heartbreak and ruin, these are the ugliest:

  • In Milwaukee, African Americans are 70% of COVID-19’s deaths, but only 26% of the population.
  • In Louisiana, those numbers are 70% and 32%.

ped-300x207While there are fewer cars on the road and fewer car crashes, new data shows that the crashes that are happening are causing more severe injuries than before the pandemic.

According to WGN News, during the first week of March, there were 2,063 reported crashes in Chicago. That number began dropping after March 13, when the federal government declared a national emergency and continued to drop after Illinois’ Stay At Home Order took effect on March 21st.  Last week, the number of crashes in Chicago was down to 803. Despite the drop in crashes, there has been an increase in crash severity.

Data from The Northwestern University Transportation Center shows a small increase in severe car crashes over the last month.

coronavirus4923543_1920-1024x659Over 400 long-term care facilities have been hit with coronavirus, and that number will likely continue to rise. According to a report by NBC News released March 30th, the number of long-term care facilities that have residents infected with coronavirus increased 172% in just one week. Most of these facilities are in New York, New Jersey, Washington, and California, states that make up one-seventh of the national population. But, it’s anticipated that there will be a rapid increase in cases in long-term care facilities throughout the country. Further, the number of cases within each facility continues to rise. For instance, one Maryland facility alone reported 66 cases.

Most concerning, though, is an unwillingness to disclose which facilities have been hit with coronavirus. Even though facilities are releasing data about the number of cases, federal and state officials have not named the facilities. For instance, the Center for Disease Control declined to name the facilities, claiming that the agency does not collect facility names. Additionally, in New York, where the highest number of facilities have been hit, the New York State Department of Health refused to name the 155 affected facilities statewide because of patient confidentiality. Illinois state health officials do not identify facilities with cases for the same reason. The federal government requires long-term care facilities to notify a sick resident’s family of any illness but does not require facilities to provide notification to relatives of other residents. That leaves it up to the facilities themselves whether to communicate with all residents’ families about cases within the facility.

A failure to communicate with the family of potentially affected residents is concerning. Since nursing home and long-term care facility residents tend to be older and suffer from long-term conditions, they are already at a higher risk than the general population. Many facilities also have residents living or interacting in close quarters on a daily basis, compounding the risk to residents. Additionally, coronavirus is already a recognized stressor and a potential cause of anxiety. This failure to disclose which facilities have been affected can add anxiety to the families of residents concerned about their loved ones.

coronavirus-4955367_1920-1024x748 With coronavirus cases on the rise, the need for personal protective equipment, such as face masks, is increasing. Unfortunately, the supplies are drying up.

According to a survey by the United States Conference of Mayors, cities need an estimated 28.5 million face masks and 24.4 million other pieces of personal protective equipment. Healthcare specialists across the country have reported dire shortages of respirators, masks, gowns, and other supplies needed to protect both patients and healthcare workers. According to a survey by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, 37% of health care workers assessing and treating COVID-19 reported that they were almost out of face shields, and 26% said they were almost out of hand sanitizer.

Nursing homes are also facing drastic shortages. A survey of nursing homes and assisted living facilities found that personal protective equipment, as well as disinfecting supplies, are scarce. Approximately two-thirds of the facilities reported having little or no ability to purchase personal protective equipment, including face masks, sterile gowns, face shields, hand sanitizer, wipes, and disinfectant sprays. Almost one-third reported having no N95 masks, which provide a higher level of protection than surgical masks. One Washington facility even had to resort to using plastic garbage bags to make gowns. Considering nursing homes are emerging as a focus of heightened concern during the pandemic, their staff need protective equipment to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

senior-on-phone-and-computer-1024x683COVID-19 has effectively overturned our lives as we knew them. While we are all feeling the effects of this worldwide pandemic, the elderly and those in nursing homes may be feeling the repercussions more intensely than the rest of us. This is because of the extra precautions—like no visitors at nursing homes, even close family—that are being implemented to prevent COVID-19 infections among vulnerable residents. While these measures to protect the health of our loved ones are for the best, they have also left many of those in nursing homes feeling confused, isolated, and lonely.

Why We Need to Make an Effort

Stay-at-home orders are adversely affecting everyone, but the consequences may be much graver for the elderly. Cutting nursing home residents off from their family and friends by not allowing visitors is causing increased stress during an already very stressful time and has left many residents feeling lonely and isolated, not to mention their family members who miss seeing them. This is significant because studies show that people who are lonely and socially isolated are more likely to have heart disease, stroke, depression, and problems with their immune system. Recent research has also found that social isolation, and loneliness boost the chance of premature death at least as much as smoking and obesity. That is why it is absolutely vital to stay as connected as possible to your loved ones while also protecting them from COVID-19. Luckily, we live in an age where there are many tools available to help us stay connected to those who need us most during this tumultuous time.

Contact Information