Accordius Health confirms COVID-19 outbreaks at 2 local assisted living facilities

CONCORD, N.C. — Accordius Health confirmed there are COVID-19 outbreaks at two of its assisted living facilities.

The company said 16 residents and three staff members at its Concord location have tested positive for the virus.

Another 17 residents and 18 staff members have COVID-19 at its Mooresville location.

Accordius Health said it is limiting visits and resident activities, and has increased disinfection of its facilities. Leaders are also increasing how often they clean the facilities.

The company sent Channel 9 a statement saying, “Our infection prevention team continues providing frequent education and guidance to all staff and residents. Both centers have ample supplies and personal protective equipment and is monitored on a daily basis.”

A lot of people agree that health care workers should be among the first to get any FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine. That includes a woman who has the virus and lives in a Mooresville nursing home that has other active cases.

“I’m still kind of nervous about my own health. I’m nervous what’s going to happen next,” said Stephanie Bowman.

Bowman tested positive for COVID-19 last week while staying at the Accordius Health at Mooresville. She said some of the other people who tested positive worked with her.

“Five of them worked with me constantly, so I knew it was probably inevitable that I get it,” Bowman said.

Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer are closer to getting FDA emergency authorization for COVID-19 vaccines, but Bowman said she’s not even thinking about it for herself. She said the staff members need the vaccine more.

“If it can help them from getting it, they won’t give it to us because we don’t get (any) visitors,” Bowman said.

She worries that the outbreak at her facility will affect patient care, and put a bigger strain on the staff. Bowman said she already feels like residents aren’t getting the attention they need right now.

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Accordius Health told Channel 9 on Monday that housekeeping and nursing departments are well-staffed, and said, “the team is working with great focus and diligence to provide personalized care for their residents.”

Bowman said she hopes to see that.

“I’m not just fighting for me and the patients, the staff, they have all the burden,” she said.

The American Health Care Association said cases in nursing homes are spiking as community spread rises across the country.

It is now reporting more than 12,000 cases in nursing homes every week, which is up 110% from mid-September to the week of Nov. 8.

Nursing home deaths are also rising, with more than 1,700 deaths a week. The comes despite a drop in mortality rates due to a better understanding of the virus.

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Full statement from Accordius Health:

“Accordius Health leadership and staff have remained diligent in efforts to recover from the COVID-19 outbreak that has impacted centers across the country. Ensuring residents are cared for in a safe and healthy environment is our first priority. Cases of COVID-19 have recently been identified, and we remain diligent to mitigate its impact on our community. Leadership teams are working closely with the county health department to ensure all infection prevention practices remain in place and residents continue to receive proper care and treatment.

“Current cases for each center are below:

• Accordius Health at Concord: sixteen (16) residents and three (3) staff who are considered active cases.
• Accordius Health at Mooresville: seventeen (17) residents and eighteen (18) staff who are considered active cases.

“Active and recovered cases are determined through guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and in partnership with our local Health Department. It is important to note that our active cases will vary from the Health Department’s cumulative reporting. The information we share with you is specific to the current environment in our center whereas the Health Department reports total (including recovered). Staff members will return to work after following guidance from the CDC.

“What we are doing, right now:

“To protect our vulnerable residents, we deployed the following aggressive actions to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in our residents and staff:

“We are limiting resident activities within the facility. Group activities remain limited. Residents are receiving personalized in-room visits and enjoying other small group socially distanced activities.

“Frequent environmental disinfection work, especially focused on sanitation of hard and often-touched surfaces. Our infection prevention team continues providing frequent education and guidance to all staff and residents. Both centers have ample supplies and personal protective equipment and is monitored on a daily basis.

“Visitation remains limited. We are following guidance from the CDC as a necessary action to protect the health of our residents. Those who enter the building, for compassionate care visits, will be required to limit their visit to a designated area within the building, wear a facemask, and frequently clean their hands. Outdoor visitation remains preferred by state and federal governing agencies.

“We are monitoring health care personnel and residents for symptoms. Residents, employees, and critical health care staff continue to be screened daily for fever and other signs of illness. Our goal is to quickly identify ill residents and implement additional infection prevention activities. If ill residents are identified, they will be isolated in their rooms, monitored closely, and asked to wear a mask.

“Routine testing. We are conducting routine testing of staff and residents as an added measure to ensure asymptomatic cases are contained.

“We continue following the guidance of the CDC. Our team remains in close contact with the Health Department and we will continue to provide updated information as the situation evolves. In accordance with our commitment to keep residents, families and the community informed, we provide frequent updates through various channels including emails and phone calls.”

Cox Media Group