Nursing home in Brenham, Texas, sees several coronavirus deaths

The Eagle:

A rapid response team with the Texas Division of Emergency Management was deployed to Brenham on Friday at the behest of state Sen. Lois W. Kolkhorst, R-Brenham. Kolkhorst expressed great concern that more than half of Washington County’s now 113 coronavirus cases have been generated from one central location: the Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

As of Saturday evening, Washington County’s COVID-19 case count had reached 113, with 12 deaths and 14 recoveries, according to the county Office of Emergency Management website. On Friday, the site confirmed that at least 67 of these cases had been reported from the Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. This update noted that Washington County leaders are expecting more COVID-19 cases to be reported by the care facility over the coming days.

Brooke C. Ladner, who represents Regency Integrated Health Services, which manages Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, issued a statement Saturday night: “Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, our dedicated staff members at the Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center have worked diligently to protect its residents from infection, by adhering to recommendations and guidelines set by local, state, and federal agencies.

“Our supply of Personal Protection Equipment has been fortified and staff members undergo regular training to keep up with the rapid changes in protocols. There is a designated area where staff members are screened daily for symptoms and specific instructions for donning and doffing personal protective equipment. In addition, there is an isolation unit at BNRC for COVID-19 positive patients and a protocol for staff assigned to the unit which prohibits those staff members from caring for non-COVID 19 positive residents at the same time.

“A response team dispatched by the Texas Division of Emergency Management was on site late [Friday] to provide testing for all staff in the facility. Due to federal and state privacy laws, we are unable to release this health information, however, it is shared with all appropriate health authorities.”

Ladner said families of residents of the facility have been notified of recent developments.

“Although there is a spike in positive cases due to a single source, the community spread cases are slowing,” said Dr. William Loesch, Washington County Local Health Authority, quoted on the Office of Emergency Management website.
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One of the things that seem most clear about this virus is that elderly patients in nursing homes are the most vulnerable to tragic consequences.   This was first noticed in Washington State and has also been shown to have occurred in New York where government officials forced nursing homes to take patients with the virus.  As governments begin to allow people to return to work, they will need to find a way to protect these vulnerable patients in nursing homes.  They can start by not forcing these homes to take patients with existing coronavirus conditions.