Seven nursing homes in southern Illinois have had clusters of coronavirus, data shows
Seven nursing homes in southern Illinois have had coronavirus clusters, state data showed Sunday.
Those affected are BRIA of Belleville, Colonnade and Memorial Care Center in St. Clair County; Edwardsville Care Center and Stearns Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Madison County; Carlyle HealthCare Center in Clinton County; and Garden Place Independent & Assisted Living in Monroe County.
The Illinois Department of Public Health released the information on long term care facilities with COVID-19 outbreaks on Sunday. However, some of the initial data conflicted with information provided by the nursing homes. The state had not responded to emails or phone calls about the discrepancies by mid-afternoon Sunday.
According to the data, St. Clair County has had two coronavirus deaths associated with outbreaks at nursing homes: one at BRIA of Belleville and one at Memorial Care Center. BRIA of Belleville had 11 positive cases as of Sunday afternoon and Colonnade had two.
The state’s data showed Memorial Care Center to have 54 cases, but Anne Thomure, the facility’s director of marketing and communications, said the total number of cases was 13 as of Sunday afternoon.
The state’s data showed that Garden Place in Monroe County had 49 cases and two deaths associated with COVID-19 clusters at nursing homes. However, Garden Place has previously reported six deaths associated with an outbreak there.
In Madison County, Edwardsville Care Center has had one coronavirus death and two cases. Stearns Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has had one case, according to the state data.
In Clinton County, Carlyle HealthCare Center has had four cases.
The long term care facility data can be found at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/long-term-care-facility-outbreaks-covid-19.
Obtaining information about nursing home cases has proved difficult for families, residents and journalists statewide during the pandemic. Some facilities declined to cooperate, citing privacy laws restricting release of medical information. Others did not respond to phone calls.
The BND sought records from the state after Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, mentioned a cluster of cases in Belleville at a press briefing in Chicago on March 30. Questions about the cluster to the governor’s office went unanswered.
On Wednesday, the governor’s office partially denied the BND’s public records request, stating it would be “unduly burdensome.” Some records were provided, but none that addressed a cluster of cases.
Reporter Kelsey Landis contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 1:37 PM.
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