ODH reporting shows COVID-19 hits some of Valley’s highest-rated facilities

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Health's list of COVID-19 cases at state long-term care facilities now includes cases at Mahoning Valley facilities.

The state's COVID-19 dashboard is now showing 158 cases among residents and staff at 14 facilities in Mahoning County; 25 cases at six Trumbull County facilities; and 17 cases at one Columbiana County facility:

Mahoning County

• Beeghly Oaks Center for Rehabilitation and Healing in Boardman: 9 residents, 2 staff
• Brookdale Senior Living in Austintown: 1 resident, 1 staff
• Continuing Healthcare of Boardman: 7 residents, 3 staff
• The Inn at Glenellen in North Lima: 6 residents, 2 staff
• Hampton Woods Assisted Living in Poland: 1 resident, 3 staff
• Humility House of Austintown: 12 residents, 6 staff
• Mercy Health Marian Assisted Living Center of North Lima: 4 residents, 2 staff
• Masternick Memorial Health Care Center of New Middletown: 15 residents, 11 staff
• Omni West: 5 residents, 1 staff [This facility is listed by ODH as a nursing home, but is an assisted living facility, according to the Windsor House website.]
• Ohio Living Park Vista of Youngstown: 3 residents, zero staff
• Shepherd of the Valley Boardman: 11 residents, 5 staff
• Shepherd of the Valley Poland: 1 resident, zero staff
• Windsor House at Canfield: 7 residents, 4 staff
• Windsor House at St. Mary's Alzheimer's Center: 11 residents, 25 staff

Trumbull County

• Continuing Healthcare at the Ridge of Mineral Ridge: zero total cases
• Generations Behavioral Health of Youngstown: 2 residents, 5 staff
• Windsor House at O'Brien Memorial of Masury: 16 residents, zero staff
• Shepherd of the Valley Niles: zero total cases
• Washington Square Healthcare Center of Warren: zero residents, 1 staff
• Windsor House at Champion: 1 resident, zero staff

Columbiana County

• Salem West Healthcare Center in Salem: 16 residents, 1 staff

The state health department previously pulled the list due to reporting discrepancies, officials said. Here's what was released last week.

Melanie Amato, ODH spokesperson, told Mahoning Matters while last week's list included all confirmed cases of the virus, the new list will only include residents and staff members whose diagnoses were confirmed on or after April 15.

Amato said the previous list contained many inaccuracies, due to reporting guidelines which were too vague. ODH has since updated its reporting form and clarified its guidelines, she said.

The state's report on COVID-19 cases at long-term care facilities is expected to be updated every Wednesday. Thursday's data is current as of April 21, according to the ODH website.

Of the newly reported cases, Windsor House Inc.-run facilities marked the most increases in cases from last week. They account for 85 of the Valley facilities' 200 reported cases.

St. Mary's reported 31 new cases over last week, and now reports the highest number of staff infections; Masternick Memorial reported 24 new cases; and O'Brien Memorial reported nine new cases. Windsor House at Champion was also added to the list with one reported infection, while Windsor House at Liberty, which also had one case, was removed.

Mahoning Matters has received several unconfirmed reports that there are more COVID-19 cases at some Windsor House-run facilities than officially reported.

On Thursday, John Masternick, Windsor House CEO, was unavailable to speak with Mahoning Matters on Thursday's report and the company's marketing director, Dan Rowland, had left the office by mid-afternoon, a receptionist said.

Both Masternick Memorial and O'Brien Memorial did not receive any health citations on their most recent state health department inspections, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

A 2018 inspection at Washington Square was also deficiency-free.

Two of the Valley's three Mercy Health-run long-term care facilities also reported new cases since last week: Humility House had 10; Marian had three. Assumption Village in North Lima has not reported any cases of the virus.

Jonathon Fauvie, Mercy Health spokesperson, said Thursday the healthcare provider has begun testing each employee and resident at both facilities. Workers who test positive will be ordered to quarantine at home, he said, adding assisted living residents are already isolated in their homes.

"We continue to follow safety protocols each and every time we care for our residents as well as guidance provided by the [U.S.] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ohio Department of Health to minimize exposure to other residents and associates," Fauvie said. "The Assumption Village, Humility House and Marian Living Center all remain a safe place to live, work and seek care."

Jennifer Joseph, admissions and marketing director for Shepherd of the Valley Boardman, which is now reporting 15 new cases — and is now testing more residents for the virus, as reported Thursday by the Vindicator — could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

John Saulitis, a 25-year ombudsman with Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, the Valley's aging agency, said the prevalence of COVID-19 at some of the reportedly safest and cleanest nursing homes in the area speaks to its virulence.

"I've dealt with the folks at Windsor House for all of those 25 years. There's not a more dedicated and concerned corporation that we've run across in terms of their quality assurance and their nursing. They're doing everything they can," he said. "I don't think the numbers are indicative of anything other than the difficulty of dealing with this virus."

Saulitis said several Ohio counties are coordinating inside emergency operations centers to keep nursing homes supplied with personal protective equipment and virus testing kits.

He said though it's good state officials are being transparent about the virus' spread, "it's very important that we don't lose what's truly important in the fog of this war against COVID-19: The resources of all entities dealing with public health and seniors. The real focus has to be on mitigating those factors and doing everything that can be done to help the people in those congregate settings."

The list also indicates fewer cases at some facilities than previously reported, such as at Windsor House at Canfield and The Inn at Glenellen.

These Ohio Department of Health data do not include residents or staff who have since recovered or died from COVID-19. Amato said Wednesday it also won't include residents who have been transferred out of or left their facilities.

The list is also preliminary, the website notes.

"This information does not replace a thoughtful conversation with facility staff about their current infection control practices and mitigation strategies," reads the state's website.

The state health department recommends asking care facilities:

• What are you doing currently to protect residents from COVID-19?
• What precautions do you take when you do identify a person who is symptomatic of COVID-19?
• How are families kept apprised of changes related to your infection control policies?

"In addition, residents and family members should understand that the presence of COVID-19 at a facility is no way an indicator of a facility that isn't following proper procedures," the website states. "Families should always feel free to ask questions of the facility where their loved one resides, and if not satisfied, contact their local ombudsman."

This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 3:52 AM with the headline "ODH reporting shows COVID-19 hits some of Valley’s highest-rated facilities."