Mitchellville senior community reports 16 coronavirus cases
A Bowie-area community for older adults reported 16 positive coronavirus cases Wednesday in its latest update to staff and residents amid a pandemic that has killed more than 2,300 seniors and older adults living incongregate facilities statewide sinceMarch.
The state reports that Collington, a private community offering independent and assisted living and nursing care to senior citizens, has had 37 COVID-19 cases among staff members and 30 among residents since the pandemic began, despite extensive measures to keep the virus at bay. Six residents have died, according to state data.
In a Wednesday update to residents and their families, health services administrator Hope Nevins, CEO Ann Gillespie and chief operating officer Megan Barbour reported an employee of Assisted Rehab, an occupational therapy provider in Maryland, tested positive as well but hadn’t had contact with any of the infected residents.
The Collington community adopted precautions early in April and announced a “hard closure” of its campus, restricting most travel to and from the neighborhoods.
Collington staff and leadership partnered with health groups and the National Guard to provide residents with testing, remote medical care, prevention education and protective equipment. Also, community staff was paid “hero” bonuses for their work and converted one of the resident neighborhoods into a COVID-positive quarantine community.
After awave of cases in the spring, the community reported no new infections among residents or staff on June 30. But the reprieve was short-lived after a staff member again tested positive on July 22.
In an update posted to the Collington website on Nov. 27, Nevins, Gillespie and Barbour told residents and their family members of 11 active cases among residents and one additional case among staff.
“Sadly, two residents who recently passed away had also tested positive for the virus,” the update reads.
“During this difficult time, our hearts are with the families of those residents and those individuals who are recovering.”
When reached by email Wednesday, Barbour said staff is “extremely busy with contact tracing, on-goingCOVID-19 testing, and communicating with our residents and team members to ensure continued vigilance with practices that will help mitigate the spread of the virus in our community.”
The Mitchellville neighborhood isn’t alone in grappling with the virus in the Bowie area.
At least four other facilities providing housing or care for older adults have reported COVID-19 infections or related deaths since the pandemic began.
Maryland Department of Health data for congregate living facilities shows Brookdale Woodward Estates, Heartland of Bowie and the Larkin Chase Center in Bowie; and the Doctor’s Community and Rehab in Lanham have all reported cases.
Among the four facilities, 83 staff members and 143 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus. One staff member and 27 residents have died, according to the state data.
Heather Hunter, communications manager for Brookdale Senior Living, confirmed the Bowie location hadn’t reported a positive case since August.
Prince George’s County, along with the rest of Maryland, experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases headed into the fall months that experts expect to worsen following the Thanksgiving holiday.
The county reported more than 42,000 casesWednesday, the most of any county in the state, and 913 deaths, bumping the positive case rate per 100,000 residents to about 40, 10 higher than the state average.