‘Nothing’: Woman says she was not notified of outbreak at mother’s nursing home

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Channel 9 has been reporting on COVID-19 outbreaks at area nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, including three people who tested positive at Pavilion Health Center at Brightmore in Ballantyne.

On Sunday, there were 23 cases at a Hendersonville nursing home in the mountains.

[23 COVID-19 cases linked to residents, staff at Western NC assisted-living facility]

In Burke County, six residents and eight employees tested positive at Grace Heights Health and Rehabilitation.

A resident’s daughter told Channel 9 over the phone that she was not notified about the outbreak.

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“No, nothing,” the woman said. “If I would not have found out on social media and started calling myself, I would have zero information. I don’t feel my mom is safe at all.”

The health department said all the residents at Grace Heights will be tested, along with employees who have had close contact with infected patients.

In a statement released this weekend, Grace Heights said, “For weeks, we have restricted visitors from entering our facility, canceled all group activities and dining, screened staff, residents, healthcare providers and local emergency management.”

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The nursing home said temperature and respiratory assessments are also being done on a daily basis. For now, family members can only see loved ones through windows to their rooms.

They hope the outbreak is contained.

“My concern is more that the staff is the ones who have the virus mainly, so how many of those staff members have worked with my mother?” the woman said. “And I can’t get very many answers from the nursing home, at all.”

Grace Heights said it’s in very close communication with the health department and state and federal health officials to ensure it is taking all the appropriate measures here for both residents and workers here.

North Carolina is actively monitoring eight ongoing outbreaks at nursing homes and three at residential treatment facilities.

Data shows 21 percent of cases are people 65 and older, but they account for 82% percent of deaths in the state.

There are no deaths in the younger age groups.

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