Nursing home comments amid coronavirus outbreak
Atoah – Though every possible precaution was taken, COVID-19 worked its way into Graham Healthcare & Rehabilitation.
Though the entity that owns the long-term care facility – Granite Falls LTC, based in Kinston – recently turned down help from a “state strike-force,” local staff have worked tirelessly to control the virus since the first confirmed cases were reported on Aug. 24.
An official statement submitted to The Graham Star on Sept. 17 touted the nursing home’s efforts.
“Ensuring our residents and staff are in a safe and healthy environment has been our primary concern since the onset of this unprecedented pandemic,” the statement begins. “For the past seven months, Graham Healthcare & Rehabilitation has been committed to infection control, surveillance, and testing. We were able to procure personal protective equipment that was not widely available, and we continue to have an adequate supply.
“We thoroughly screen residents and staff for signs and symptoms of the virus, and in early March, we began testing for COVID-19 before test kits were widely available. Testing is key to the identification of the virus because many individuals are positive for COVID-19 without any symptoms. To date, we have implemented nearly 70 guidelines that help us to respond to the ever-changing nature of this virus.”
What started as two staff members and one resident being infected has spiraled into 43 residents, 21 staff (seven who live outside Graham County) and one confirmed death, according to numbers released by the Graham County Department of Public Health on Monday.
“Although this is an unparalleled challenge, each day, we learn more about the virus and apply those lessons to the delivery of care,” reads another portion of the Sept. 17 statement from the facility. “We have isolation units created throughout our company and now have expanded our isolation unit here at Graham, which allows us to provide focused care for our residents with the virus. We want to thank the Graham County Department of Public Health for their support and assistance in guiding us through this difficult time.
“We are confident that we will overcome this situation. Ultimately, though, nursing homes like Graham will continue to remain at high risk for outbreaks, until a vaccine or therapeutic treatment is developed.”
The full statement can be read online for free here.
As of Tuesday, Graham County’s 133 cases – at the state level – ranked ahead of Gates (128), Hyde (124), Yancey (120), Tyrrell (113), Clay (112), Camden (111), Mitchell (105) and Madison (91) counties. Swain County had 139 confirmed on Tuesday.
According to the state’s Department of Health & Human Services, 61 percent of Graham County’s cases have affected women, a spike from the 45 percent attributed to women on Sept. 12.
Both the 25-49 and 75-plus age groups account for 28 percent of positive cases.
Those ages 75 and older were only 18 percent when the Sept. 12 data was reported.