3 more deaths from coronavirus outbreaks at St. Clair County residential facilities
Three more deaths have been connected to coronavirus outbreaks at residential care facilities in St. Clair County, the health department said Thursday.
The St. Clair County Health Department reported that there are two new deaths from New Athens Home for the Aged and one new death from St. Paul’s Home in Belleville.
There have now been a total of 56 deaths connected to outbreaks at seven facilities, which is about 61% of the 92 deaths countywide.
Health officials on Thursday also announced a new location experiencing a coronavirus outbreak: Caseyville Nursing and Rehab.
Here is the information the St. Clair County Health Department provided Thursday on the number of people known or suspected to have COVID-19. Four Fountains in Belleville reports only positive test results since it is offering widespread testing:
- 156-bed facility Four Fountains in Belleville — 104 people, including 23 deaths (No change reported since Wednesday)
- 90-bed facility Lebanon Care Center — 52 people, including 10 deaths (No change reported since Sunday)
- 82-bed facility Memorial Care Center in Belleville — 43 people, including five deaths (No change reported since April 29)
- 53-bed facility New Athens Home for the Aged — 38 people, including three deaths (Two more people and two more deaths than what was reported Wednesday)
- 108-bed facility St. Paul’s Home in Belleville — 37 people, including 11 deaths (One more death than what was reported Wednesday)
- 140-bed facility BRIA of Belleville — 24 people, including three deaths (No change reported since Tuesday)
- Cedarhurst of Shiloh — 11 people (No change reported since Sunday)
- Caritas Family Solutions in Belleville region — 11 people (No change reported since May 21)
- 94-bed facility Swansea Rehab and Care Center — Nine people (One more person than what was reported Wednesday)
- Knollwood Retirement Center in Caseyville — Eight people, including one death (No change reported since Monday)
- 133-bed facility BRIA of Cahokia — Eight people (No change reported since May 11)
- Help at Home in O’Fallon — Five people (No change reported since May 4)
- 116-bed facility Cedar Ridge of Lebanon — Four people (Newly reported)
- Colonnade Senior Living in O’Fallon — Four people (No change reported since May 20)
- TDL Inc. in Belleville — Four people (No change reported since May 6)
- Caseyville Nursing and Rehab — Three people (Newly reported)
- Help at Home in Belleville — Two people (No change reported since Saturday)
The St. Clair County Health Department provides daily updates on the coronavirus outbreaks and other developments in the county during 3:30 p.m. live streams by the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency on Facebook.
The website medicare.gov records the number of beds for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes.
The health department says it includes residents and employees of the facilities in its data on outbreaks and both people who had a positive test result and those with symptoms related to the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday that the state is working to ramp up testing at long-term care facilities, but his administration is getting “some pushback” from privately-owned locations and industry representatives. The governor announced a new rule requiring them to conduct testing.
New rule to require more nursing home testing
The governor said Thursday that nursing home officials will now be required to come up with a plan for coronavirus testing for their facility and to comply with infection control recommendations. If they don’t, the Illinois Department of Public Health could issue a violation.
“It’s typically a fine, but it can involve their licensing,” Pritzker said of the punishment for a violation.
Under the new rule, nursing homes will be required to conduct testing when there is an outbreak or when an outbreak is suspected, as well as “periodic testing” even if there is no sign of an outbreak, according to Pritzker. The Illinois Department of Public Health or a local health department will also be able to direct a nursing home to conduct testing.
Pritzker said during his daily COVID-19 briefing that the “overwhelming majority” of long-term care facilities in the state are privately owned, which meant Illinois could only recommend they follow its lead with visitor restrictions, testing and other safety measures put in place at state-run facilities. The rule gives the Illinois Department of Public Health “additional teeth in securing buy-in from these private entities,” Pritzker said.
“In response to the COVID-19 crisis, some of those facilities have acted proactively, some only reactively,” the governor added. “... Many facilities have been great partners, and they should be applauded, but long-term care residents are some of our most vulnerable Illinoisans. That’s why strong compliance from many isn’t good enough.”
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 4:17 PM.
