Floyd County long-term care facilities wage constant battle against COVID-19 infections

Of the 75 residents at Rome Health and Rehabilitation Center who have tested positive for COVID-19, four are still battling the disease and 12 have died.

At Winthrop Health & Rehabilitation on Chateau Drive, 11 residents have died and the other 50 who tested positive have recovered.

Long-term care facilities in Floyd

County have been struggling for almost a year to keep their residents free of the potentially deadly infectious disease. Some are having more success than others.

The Georgia Department of Community Health issues reports tracking how the novel coronavirus is affecting nursing homes, assisted living communities and personal care homes. However, only licensed facilities with 25 or more beds are required to report their status.

Infections among the staff also are charted, although their progress is not tracked. Rome Health and Rehab, for example, reported 59 staffers have tested positive for COVID-19 overall. Winthrop has had 30 infections among its staff, as of Friday afternoon, the latest report posted.

The Renaissance Marquis on Cedartown Highway, on the other hand, has managed to keep COVID-19 at bay, for the most part.

Its retirement village has had one resident test positive and subsequently die, and just eight staffers infected. Its Alzheimer’s care unit, called The Harbor, reported four staffers who tested positive but no residents infected.

Riverwood Senior Living at 511 W. 10th St. in Rome, has had no infections among its residents so far and just one staffer who tested positive.

At its Remembrance Village, eight residents tested positive but none have died. Two have recovered while the other six are still sick. One staffer there tested positive for the disease.

Eight other facilities in Floyd County are required to report to DCH:

♦ Seven Hills Place, 279 Technology Parkway, has had 21 of its 25 residents test positive for COVID-19. There have been no fatalities but just one is listed as recovered. Ten staff members have reported infections.

♦ Winthrop Court on U.S. 411 East has had just two infections among its residents.

They’re both still fighting the disease. Three staff members have tested positive overall.

♦ Pruitthealth Rome on Three Mile Road reported four deaths and 59 recoveries among its residents, and 63 positive tests among its staffers.

♦ The Gardens of Rome, 1168 Chulio Road, reported 14 residents infected, with five deaths and nine recoveries. Thirteen staffers have had positive tests.

♦ Fifth Avenue Healthcare, 505 N. Fifth Ave., had 42 staff members test positive so far. It reported 36 COVID-19 cases among its residents, with 34 recoveries and two deaths.

♦ Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation on Moran Lake Road had 70 of its 88 residents test positive for the coronavirus. Seven of them dies and 63 recovered. A total of 46 staffers had tested positive as of Friday afternoon.

♦ Chulio Hills Health and Rehabilitation, 1170 Chulio Road, reported 37 residents infected, with four fatalities and seven of them still fighting off the disease. Sixty of its staffers have had positive tests.

♦ Brookdale Rome on Woodrow Wilson Way had just two residents infected and they’ve both recovered. Six COVID-19 infections among staff members have been reported.

Visitation is scheduled to resume by Friday at the Floyd County Jail, using the new iwebvisit program.

That will cover both regular video visits and the inperson visits, which are still being conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sgt. Anthony Cromer with the sheriff’s office said people can start setting up accounts as early as Wednesday on the iwebvisit.com website.

“Search for the Floyd County Jail and follow the prompts to schedule a visit,” he said in a release. “There is a small fee to utilize the video visitation. If you do not see our agency listed on Wednesday keep checking back and it should be available by Friday.”

Cromer did not specify the fee, although it will be listed on the site when scheduling capabilities go live. Current pricing ranges from $3 to $6 for a 15-minute video visit, depending on the facility. The four Georgia jails using the service — in Canton, Mcdonough, Helena and Dade County — are at the $6 rate. Registration is free. Visitation was canceled last week so the new video system could be set up. The former remote visitation system depended on Adobe Flash, which was officially canceled at the end of 2020.

The new service is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. An app is available for smartphones and tablets.