Belleville long-term care center reporting new coronavirus outbreak, health officials say
(This story was corrected at 5 p.m. June 8. The original version of the story included incorrect information about the number of deaths in St. Clair County. The information was provided by the St. Clair County Health Department Monday at 3 p.m. and subsequently corrected by the agency Monday at 3:30 p.m.)
The Atrium of Belleville is the latest long-term care center in St. Clair County to report a coronavirus outbreak, health officials announced Monday.
Two people connected to the Atrium are possibly infected with the coronavirus, the minimum amount to be considered an outbreak, according to the health department.
Health officials also reported three new deaths from coronavirus outbreaks, one at each of the following facilities: Four Fountains in Belleville, St. Paul’s Home in Belleville and New Athens Home for the Aged.
A total of 67 people from St. Clair County long-term care centers have died since the coronavirus pandemic began, which is about 61% of the 110 deaths countywide.
The St. Clair County Health Department says it includes residents and staff of the facilities in its data on outbreaks. It does not provide a breakdown of how many residents or employees are affected.
Health officials note that the numbers they report out of residential facilities also include people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and people who have symptoms related to the respiratory disease.
The health department provides daily updates on the coronavirus outbreaks and other developments in the county during afternoon live streams by the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency on Facebook.
Here is the information health officials provided Monday on the number of people from long-term care centers who are known or suspected to have COVID-19, which is caused by the coronavirus:
- 156-bed facility Four Fountains in Belleville — 104 people, including 26 deaths (One more death than what was reported Sunday)
- 90-bed facility Lebanon Care Center — 54 people, including 10 deaths (No change reported since June 1)
- 53-bed facility New Athens Home for the Aged — 52 people, including four deaths (One more death than what was reported Sunday)
- 140-bed facility BRIA of Belleville — 46 people, including four deaths (Four more people than what was reported Sunday)
- 82-bed facility Memorial Care Center in Belleville — 44 people, including five deaths (One more person than what was reported Sunday)
- 108-bed facility St. Paul’s Home in Belleville — 42 people, including 13 deaths (One more death than what was reported Sunday)
- 94-bed facility Swansea Rehab and Care Center — 25 people, including three deaths (No change reported since Sunday)
- 116-bed facility Cedar Ridge of Lebanon — 17 people, including one death (No change reported since Sunday)
- Cedarhurst of Shiloh — 12 people (No change reported since Friday)
- Caritas Family Solutions in Belleville region — 12 people (No change reported since Friday)
- Knollwood Retirement Center in Caseyville — Eight people, including one death (No change reported since May 25)
- 133-bed facility BRIA of Cahokia — Eight people (No change reported since May 11)
- Colonnade Senior Living in O’Fallon — Five people (No change reported since Sunday)
- Help at Home in O’Fallon — Five people (No change reported since May 4)
- TDL Inc. in Belleville — Four people (No change reported since May 6)
- Caseyville Nursing and Rehab — Three people (No change reported since May 28)
- Atrium of Belleville — Two people (Newly reported)
- Help at Home in Belleville — Two people (No change reported since May 23)
The website medicare.gov records the number of beds for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes.
The following increases in the number of people affected by outbreaks were reported over the weekend:
- New Athens Home for the Aged — One more person announced Saturday.
- St. Paul’s Home — One more death announced Saturday.
- Swansea Rehab and Care Center — One more person announced Saturday. One more person and one more death announced Sunday.
- Cedar Ridge of Lebanon — One more person announced Sunday.
- Colonnade Senior Living — One more person announced Sunday.
Are long-term care centers testing for coronavirus?
During the Sunday afternoon St. Clair County briefings each week, county officials take questions from residents. A citizen asked the health department this Sunday whether or not nursing homes and other long-term care centers were actively testing for the coronavirus.
Samantha Bierman, emergency response coordinator for the St. Clair County Health Department, said in response that the facilities are following guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health. A new state rule requires the facilities to conduct testing, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced May 28.
“We are testing all of the long-term care and congregate living facilities within the county,” Bierman said Sunday. “Some of those facilities have chosen to go through a private lab, and they still have to give us their results, but that’s something that they’ve chosen to do. And the testing will continue under the guidance of IDPH until we hear differently from them.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 4:31 PM.
