Federal team visits Kings Mountain nursing home following COVID outbreak

Federal health officials recently did a walk through at a Kings Mountain nursing home after the number of COVID-19 cases among both staff and residents skyrocketed.

For the second week in a row, White Oak Manor has had the highest number of cases in the state and recorded the second highest deaths.

DeShay Oliver, deputy health director of the Cleveland County Public Health Center, said a federal team made up of representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services joined the county's environmental health and communicable disease staff last week for a site visit.

"This was not regulatory or punitive in nature, but rather an opportunity for them to visit with staff and administration to learn about their processes and procedures and to walk through the facility to determine if there were any opportunities for improvement," Oliver said.

The visit was very educational, she said, and they are awaiting the report that will offer recommendations for improvement.

"We have not received the final report for White Oak Manor as of yet," Oliver said. "We look forward to receiving the results so we can share with other long-term care facilities for educational purposes."

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released updated numbers of coronavirus cases in health care facilities across the state. The report is updated twice a week.

White Oak Manor Kings Mountain continues to see numbers climb and has had 172 cases and 22 deaths. Out of the total cases, 62 were staff and 110 were residents.

It continues to see the highest number of cases in nursing homes across the state, although Silver Bluff Village in Haywood County had more deaths than White Oak with 27.

A week ago the Kings Mountain facility had 168 cases and 20 deaths.

Oliver previously told The Star that despite the high numbers, administrators have been following proper protocols and safety measures.

"White Oak Manor Kings Mountain has been very diligent about following CDC and NC DHHS guidance, and we have not determined any areas in which they are not complying with guidance and mitigation procedures," she said.

Oliver said staff at the health department communicates daily with White Oak Manor.

Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at 704-669-3339 or rsitzes@shelbystar.com.

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