COVID hits New Milford nursing home
Facility reports 11 deaths since November
NEW MILFORD — A local nursing home in town has reported 11 COVIDrelated resident deaths over the last two months, according to state data.
Candlewood Valley Health and Rehabilitation reported two deaths linked to COVID and two positive cases in April 2020, but had not reported further deaths until November 2021.
COVID has hit the facility hard since then, with an initial outbreak at Candlewood Valley midway through the month that led to 36 positive cases among residents and five deaths over just two weeks. Eight staff members tested positive during that same period.
During that span, only 12 total COVID-related deaths were reported at long-term care facilities across the state. The outbreak prompted a public response from New Milford Mayor Pete Bass.
Two weeks later, four more COVIDrelated deaths and six positive cases were recorded in the state data release. Another two deaths were reported between Dec. 8 and Dec. 23, bringing the total COVID-related death count during the pandemic to 13.
Data for the rest of December won’t be reported until Jan. 6.
DPH spokesman Christopher Boyle confirmed via text on Monday that the department is “aware of the situation at Candlewood Valley Health and our team is working with them on infection prevention practices.”
“We offer 5-star care and have been a staple in senior care and living for over 40 years in New Milford,” wrote Melissa Marici, corporate director of community relations for Candlewood Valley in an email to Hearst Connecticut. “Although our heart breaks for every loss of life, we have been fortunate that our loss has been comparatively very low throughout the life of
this pandemic.”
The nursing home has been working with the state Department of Public Health to “ensure that all necessary precautions are being taken,” Marici added.
The nursing home also had an on-site visit with members of the state Department of Public Health Epidemiology and Emerging Infections Program who were satisfied with their mitigation efforts, according to Marici.
“Candlewood Valley will continue to collaborate with DPH to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep our residents safe,” she said.
New Milford Health Director Lisa Morrissey echoed this information, and said that Candlewood Valley has been “very communicative” with her department and the state.
According to Morrissey, the facility was found to have appropriate mitigation strategies in place. Few families have reached out to her department with concerns about loved ones at the nursing home.
“It is very unfortunate and my heart is broken and saddened for the families,” she said.
Lower census numbers
As COVID continues to sweep through Connecticut, officials are trying to make sure the state’s most vulnerable residents are protected. On Tuesday, the state reported a positivity rate of just under 15 percent — the highest number since the state began reporting positivity data.
On Tuesday, the facility reported that 76 residents are boosted — roughly 78 percent, based on census numbers. Another 20 other residents are not yet eligible because they received a monoclonal antibody treatment. These residents are expected to receive their boosters in February, Marici said.
Candlewood Valley did not provide information on the percentage of staff who have been boosted.
However, after the outbreak in November, Marici initially reported that all staff, except for two with medical exemptions, had been vaccinated. Neither had been a carrier of COVID-19 during that outbreak, she said at the time.
A report from the Connecticut Mirror suggests that less than 30 percent of long-term care staff across the state have been boosted. In mid-December, about 80 percent of long-term care residents across the state had been boosted, the state said at the time.
Along with the increase in positive cases and jump in deaths, Candlewood Valley’s overall census has dipped slightly. Generally, the nursing home has somewhere between 100 to 130 residents at any given time. As of Dec. 23, there were just 97 residents at the facility, state data show. Candlewood Valley is licensed for 148 beds.
“There have been times throughout this pandemic when we have stopped taking new admissions for the overall safety of our existing residents and staff. That has certainly resulted in a lower census than we would typically see,” said Marici.
“What’s more, when we are dealing with a breakout at our facility, we need to take the proper precautions and separate residents and patients. That’s another contributing factor.”
Bass said the town was sending prayers to those affected and was ready to assist the nursing home should it need help.
“They’re residents of New Milford,” Bass said. “And we’re here to help in any way we can.”