City to test workers at nursing homes
STAMFORD — Like the state and the nation, the city is focusing on nursing homes in its effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Among coronavirus clusters identified across the U.S., nursing homes are increasingly at the center.
Mayor David Martin said last week it’s one of the reasons his administration is arranging to test asymptomatic health-care workers first at the city’s five nursing homes, then at its five assisted-living facilities.
Testing is key to protecting people from catching the potentially deadly virus, Martin said during a press conference at The
Villa at Stamford, once the cityowned Smith House. Scientists have determined that people who have no cough, fever, shortness of breath or other symptoms can be infected with the virus and pass it to others.
“We want to test people before they have symptoms,” the mayor said. “By doing that, we take at least a week off the time in which they may spread the disease.”
A positive result alerts workers to seek care and to isolate from not only family members but the vulnerable nursing home residents in their care, the mayor said.
Reports estimate that nursing home residents account for a quarter to a half of all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. But there is no hard data because the federal government does not track COVID-19 deaths or outbreaks in nursing homes. Some states do not disclose the information and, in many states, testing is very limited.
In Connecticut, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill said this week that not all nursing homes report confirmed or suspected COVID-19 deaths to his office. But Gov. Ned Lamont has pledged to make the numbers public. His office posted the first of them a week ago and updated them Friday.
The Friday data shows 568 laboratory-confirmed nursing home deaths statewide, with another 200 probable fatalities associated with COVID-19. Counting only the confirmed deaths, those that occurred in nursing homes accounted for 32 percent of the 1,764 statewide deaths reported as of Friday. With the probable cases, the proportion is nearly 44 percent.
Among Stamford’s five nursing homes, there were 22 confirmed deaths as of Friday, with six probable cases. Broken down by nursing home, there were two confirmed deaths and four probable ones at Cassena Care of Stamford; six confirmed deaths and one probable at Edgehill Health Center; two confirmed deaths and one probable at Long Ridge Post-Acute Care; eight confirmed deaths at St. Camillus Center; and four confirmed deaths at The Villa of Stamford.
Counting only confirmed deaths, it means that nearly 20 percent of the total 111 Stamford deaths reported as of Friday occurred in nursing homes. With the probable cases, the proportion is 25 percent.
Martin said that when he crunched last week’s numbers, he found that people age 70 and older account for 15 percent of the reported COVID-19 cases in Stamford but 78 percent of the deaths.
It’s more reason to test asymptomatic nursing home employees, he said.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep the fatality rate down,” Martin said.
Nursing home employees will take nasal swab tests provided by DOCS Urgent Care and Murphy Medical Associates, Martin’s office said. The tests will be processed by Sema4 Labs, a Stamford company, and Quest Diagnostics. Results will be returned within 48 hours.
Each nursing home will manage testing of its employees and report results to the city, Martin’s office said.
About 1,400 people work at the city’s nursing homes and assistedliving facilities, the mayor said. He doesn’t know how many have been tested or what the outcomes may have been, he said.
“Nursing homes are regulated by the state, so I can’t speak to the challenges they have,” Martin said. “I know there are some health care workers who have been positive, who were showing symptoms and went to get a test.”
Peter Showstead, administrator for 128-bed The Villa at Stamford, said staffing levels have been affected by the virus.
“We’re challenged,” Showstead said. “We’re using staffing agencies, double shifts and staff incentives, so we have a stable staffing presence. We’re waiting to see if the governor will give us the ability to use out-of-state certified nursing assistants.”
Jay Russell, managing partner and CEO of Cassena Care at Stamford, said the situation is similar at that 156-bed facility.
Carol Iacovone, director of admissions at Long Ridge Post-Acute Care, said that facility has been fortunate.
“A low number of the staff has been affected,” Iacovone said of Long Ridge, which has 120 beds. “Some were quarantined and have returned to work.”
Martin said that in most cases the health care workers’ insurance companies pay for the tests. If not, the city will put them in contact with organizations that can help. The city also buys tests when it can, Martin said.
Testing the nursing home employees is part of “a larger initiative to provide testing for essential workers on the frontlines fighting this virus,” Martin said. The city similarly is in the process of testing 600 first responders.
He said that by accelerating testing at nursing homes, the city is aggressively attacking the virus in Stamford, which has had more deaths attributed to the coronavirus than any municipality in Connecticut.
“The city is struggling now financially,” Martin said. “But this saves lives.”