Coronavirus Outbreak Leaves 54 Dead At Medford Nursing Home
MEDFORD, MA — Dozens of residents of a single nursing home in Medford have died from the coronavirus. There have been 54 deaths attributed to the virus at the Courtyard Nursing Care Center, and 117 additional residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Forty-two staff members have tested positive as well.
The average age of the residents that died was over 85 years old, said Dr. Richard Feifer, chief medical officer of Genesis Healthcare, which runs the nursing home. Feifer said eight other residents died during this time – four were negative for the coronavirus, three refused testing and one had a test pending.
Two long-term employees died, but it is unknown whether they had the coronavirus, according to Feifer.
The 224-bed facility facility cares for "largely frail, elderly seniors with multiple health conditions," many of whom have dementia, "making precautions and restrictions difficult to enforce," Feifer said.
The National Guard has tested all residents and is working toward testing all staff. The majority of residents that tested positive did not display symptoms.
"I can assure you that we are working around the clock to keep our patients and residents healthy and as safe as possible," Feifer said. "We are doing everything in our power – and everything medical experts know as of at this time – to protect our patients, residents and employees."
As a national organization, Genesis has been able to obtain the necessary personal protective equipment for its facilities, despite shortages in many areas, Feifer said. The staff at the Courtyard Nursing Care Center has been wearing full PPE since March 26, ahead of guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he said.
Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said the number of deaths at nursing homes in Medford and across Massachusetts has been "staggering and devastating."
"At our request the National Guard was brought into these facilities to provide assistance, particularly with testing and staffing," Lungo-Koehn said. "The Board of Health is also in constant communication with the DPH and has reported concerns and advocated for additional needs in these areas, on multiple occasions, and will continue to do so. We are committed to doing everything possible to protect the health and safety of our residents."
"Medford was among the first communities in the state to restrict access to nonessential businesses, pushed hard for amendments to orders around 'essential' services in order to limit the number of non-residents coming into our community, and have worked closely with healthcare partners to increase access to testing," she continued.
City officials remain in daily contact with administrators of the city's three nursing homes to address their ongoing need for resources such as PPE, additional staffing and testing.
This article originally appeared on the Medford Patch
