CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Lexington nursing home with dozens of fatalities has three new COVID-19 deaths

Lexington Herald-Leader - 9/10/2020

Sep. 10--Lexington reported three new deaths Thursday morning in a nursing home with a string of COVID-19 fatalities.

While the city's death toll climbed to 66, there were also 123 new COVID-19 infections reported, increasing the city's total to 6,684. Less than half of the new cases -- 57 -- were University of Kentucky students who have had more than 1,000 infections since early August.

All the new deaths were nursing home residents at Pine Meadows, a long-term care facility that has now lost 25 residents to COVID-19. The toll is among the highest for Kentucky nursing homes, according to the state Department for Public Health. Currently, the facility has about 14 active cases among residents and eight among staff out of about 158 who have tested positive for the virus.

Pine Meadows was in compliance with COVID-19 regulations as of July, according to a COVID-19 survey taken by the Office of the Inspector General. Those regulations said Pine Meadows had to have an infection prevention and control program in place. The program had to include surveillance systems for communicable diseases, precautions to prevent disease spread and set isolation periods for those infected, according to public health regulations.

But Pine Meadows was rated poorly in 2019 by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which gave the nursing home an "average" health inspection rating, a "below average" staffing rating, and a "much below average" quality measures rating, which analyzes patient care and outcomes in a number of areas.

Pine Meadows didn't respond to requests for comment.

Pine Meadows has also been sued twice this year by plaintiffs acting on behalf of former residents who have since died, according to court records. One lawsuit filed in Fayette Circuit Court last month alleged that Pine Meadows couldn't "provide the minimum standard of care to the weak and vulnerable residents," according to a petition filed in circuit court.

The lawsuit was filed by Leland Craig Cross, administrator of the will of a former Pine Meadows resident. The lawsuit alleged that "wrongful conduct" from Pine Meadows caused the resident to suffer a rib fracture and subdural hematoma, septic shock and ultimately death, according to court records. The lawsuit accused Pine Meadows of negligence and violation of long term care resident rights, according to court records.

Pine Meadows hadn't yet filed a response to Cross' allegations.

Another lawsuit filed in March accused the nursing home of wrongful death, assault and negligence, according to court records. The lawsuit was filed by Bobby Fay Isaacs as the executrix for a former Pine Meadows resident, according to court records.

The lawsuit alleged that the nursing home's failure to care for a resident resulted in falls, urinary tract infections, skin brusing and breakdowns, infections, hygiene issues, bilateral foot drop, sepsis and more, , according to court records.

In its response to the March lawsuit, Pine Meadows denied the allegations and said those being sued didn't own the facility when the resident moved in to Pine Meadows in 2013, according to court records. The resident lived at Pine Meadows until January 2019, and died in March 2019, according to court records.

The Office of the Inspector general is responsible for ensuring enforcement and compliance on COVID-19 regulations for long-term care facilities, according to Kevin Hall, spokesman for the local health department, so the health department hasn't been very involved with Pine Meadows aside from reporting cases and deaths.

Lexington officials ask residents to get a flu shot amid the pandemic

Since COVID-19 first reached Lexington in March, 66 people have died and 463 have been hospitalized, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. Five deaths occurred this week.

Comparisons between coronavirus and the flu made national headlines again Wednesday after multiple reports that President Donald Trump admitted to journalist Bob Woodward that he knew COVID-19 would be more deadly than a "strenuous flu."

Hall made the same point during Mayor Linda Gorton's bi-weekly COVID-19 update on Wednesday. He also said COVID-19 is possibly more contagious than the flu.

In the first six months of the local COVID-19 outbreak, Fayette County has had more than 6,500 people test positive and 63 deaths, according to health department data.

Fayette County had 742 flu cases and three deaths from flu-related causes during the 2019-20 flu season, he said.

Gorton said a health provider recently reported the first known patient with positive flu and coronavirus results. Gorton speaks weekly with area hospitals and health care providers, she said.

Both Hall and Gorton urged everyone to get flu shots this year. The health department will hold its first drive-through flu vaccination clinic in early October, Hall said. More details about that clinic -- targeting high-risk categories such as the elderly -- will be released soon.

The health department hopes to have additional flu vaccination clinics in October, he said. Private pharmacies, doctors' offices and health clinics will also soon have the flu shot, he said.

"We don't care where you get it, we just want you to get a flu shot," Hall said.

Hall also said that the health department hadn't cited any restaurants or bars for COVID-19 violations yet. Any time there's been an issue, the city has worked with the business to resolve problems, he said. Hall previously said that the health department's first steps after getting reports of noncompliance would be to educate businesses to get them to follow regulations.

Mobile testing program moves to Yates Elementary

The Mobile Neighborhood Testing Program has moved to the Eastland Parkway and Bryan Station neighborhoods. Testing will be held at Yates Elementary School, 695 East New Circle Road.

Testing at Yates Elementary is available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday. Testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday. No appointment is necessary, according to the city.

Reporter Beth Musgrave contributed to this story.

___

(c)2020 the Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.)

Visit the Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.) at www.kentucky.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Nationwide News