Southwestern Illinois nursing homes, care centers add 129 new COVID cases in past week

Belleville News-Democrat - 10/25/2020

Oct. 25--In the past week, 129 more people who live or work in local nursing homes or other long-term care facilities have contracted the new coronavirus, according to health officials.

Long-term care residents are among the most vulnerable to severe illness or death from the virus, which causes COVID-19.

As of Friday, state and local health officials had recorded a total of 2,270 cases of the virus and 282 deaths tied to long-term care centers in the metro-east region -- across St. Clair, Madison, Clinton, Monroe, Bond, Randolph and Washington counties.

Of the people to contract the virus since last week, 46 were from Clinton County, 32 from St. Clair County and 29 from Madison County, 13 from Randolph County and seven from Monroe County.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Washington County's first outbreak on Friday. The long-term care unit at Washington County Hospital has had two cases of the virus, the minimum amount to be considered an outbreak, and one death, according to the state.

BEHIND OUR REPORTING

How to share your story

Help the Belleville News-Democrat report on nursing homes and other long-term care centers across southwestern Illinois during the coronavirus pandemic. We're looking for nursing home workers, residents and family members who are willing to share their experiences of the pandemic with us. Contact investigative reporter Lexi Cortes at acortes@bnd.com or 618-239-2528.

Southwestern Illinois coronavirus outbreaks

The Illinois Department of Public Health's updates on long-term care center outbreaks in every county come once a week at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/long-term-care-facility-outbreaks-covid-19. The local health departments in Madison and St. Clair counties also make announcements about numbers from their long-term care centers.

Madison County's updates on long-term care centers correspond with the state's each week on Friday. The health department releases the information on its Facebook page.

The St. Clair County Health Department provides daily updates on the outbreaks and other developments in the county on the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency's Facebook page.

All of the state and local agencies say they include residents and employees of the facilities in their numbers. Locations with fewer than two cases of the virus are not reported.

The website medicare.gov records the number of beds for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes.

Here is the latest information from health officials on the total number of people who have been infected with the coronavirus at each facility since the start of the pandemic:

ST. CLAIR COUNTY

Total: 962 people infected (including presumptive positives) and 127 deaths as of Friday, an increase of 32 new infections since Oct. 16. Long-term care facility residents and staff accounted for 11% of the infections countywide and 58% of the deaths.

--156-bed facility Four Fountains in Belleville -- 117 people infected, including 29 deaths (Outbreak first reported April 19.)

--116-bed facility Cedar Ridge of Lebanon -- 80 people, including 16 deaths (First reported May 27.)

--90-bed facility Lebanon Care Center -- 78 people, including 12 deaths (First reported April 24. One new infection announced since Oct. 16.)

--140-bed facility BRIA of Belleville -- 71 people, including eight deaths (First reported April 19. One new infection announced since Oct. 16.)

--101-bed facility Integrity Healthcare of Smithton -- 60 people, including nine deaths (First reported Sept. 2.)

--108-bed facility St. Paul's Home in Belleville -- 60 people, including 15 deaths (First reported April 24. One new infection announced since Oct. 16.)

--53-bed facility New Athens Home for the Aged -- 57 people, including nine deaths (First reported May 19.)

--Dammert Center at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows -- 51 people, including eight deaths (First reported June 23. Six new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--82-bed facility Memorial Care Center in Belleville -- 50 people, including five deaths (First reported April 19.)

--94-bed facility Swansea Rehab and Care Center -- 44 people, including eight deaths (First reported May 12.)

--Caritas Family Solutions in Belleville region -- 43 people (First reported May 4.)

--133-bed facility BRIA of Cahokia -- 40 people, including three deaths (First reported May 2. Four new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--Caseyville Nursing and Rehab -- 34 people, including two deaths (First reported May 28.)

--150-bed facility Autumn Meadows in Cahokia -- 26 people (First reported June 26. Five new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--16-bed facility Freeburg Terrace -- 20 people, according to the facility (First reported Aug. 24.) Freeburg Terrace Executive Director Jim Haney said 13 residents and seven employees tested positive for COVID-19.

--120-bed facility Mercy Rehab and Care Center in Swansea -- 18 people (First reported June 17. Two new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--Cedarhurst of Shiloh -- 16 people (First reported May 24. One new infection announced since Oct. 16.)

--Brightly Senior Living -- 11 people (First reported Oct. 16. Nine new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--180-bed facility Integrity Healthcare in Belleville -- 10 people (First reported July 1.)

--Knollwood Retirement Center in Caseyville -- nine people, including one death (First reported May 14.)

--Parkway Gardens in Fairview Heights -- eight people, including one death (First reported Aug. 11.)

--TDL Inc. in Belleville -- eight people (First reported May 6.)

--55-bed facility Aperion Care Center in Mascoutah -- seven people (First reported Sept. 4. One new infection announced since Oct. 16.)

--118-bed facility Freeburg Care Center -- seven people (First reported Aug. 9.) Freeburg Care Center Administrator Amy Bonta said the seven people who tested positive for COVID-19 are employees.

--Help at Home in Belleville -- six people, including one death (First reported May 23.)

--Colonnade Senior Living in O'Fallon -- six people (First reported April 19.)

--Cambridge House in O'Fallon -- six people (First reported Aug. 13. One new infection announced since Oct. 16.)

--Bradford Place in Swansea -- five people (First reported July 14.)

--Help at Home in O'Fallon -- five people (First reported May 4.)

--30-bed facility St. John Bosco Children's Center -- three people (First reported July 16.)

--Adaptive Illinois in Belleville -- two people (First reported July 5.)

--Cedars of Lebanon -- two people (First reported June 23.)

--Atrium of Belleville -- two people (First reported June 8.) Roberto Roma, the Atrium of Belleville's executive director, said previously that the two people affected were an employee who quarantined and a resident who moved out of the facility in March.

MADISON COUNTY

Total: 811 people infected and 109 deaths as of Friday, an increase of 29 new infections since Oct. 16. Long-term care facility residents and staff accounted for 11% of the infections countywide and 71% of the deaths.

--109-bed facility Stearns Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Granite City -- 111 people, including 20 deaths

--120-bed facility Edwardsville Care Center -- 106 people, including 22 deaths (One new infection announced since Oct. 16.)

--70-bed facility Meridian Village -- 87 people, including five deaths (Seven new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--128-bed facility Eden Village Care Center in Glen Carbon -- 80 people, including 21 deaths

--180-bed facility Riverside Rehab and Healthcare -- 70 people, including 17 deaths

--68-bed facility Integrity of Godfrey -- 60 people, including eight deaths

--64-bed facility Alton Memorial Rehab and Therapy -- 59 people, including 10 deaths (One fewer infection than what was announced Oct. 16.)

--Alton Mental Health Center -- 51 people

--Beverly Farm in Godfrey -- 48 people, including one death

--University Care Center -- 14 people, including one death (Four new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--104-bed facility Elmwood Nursing and Rehab in Maryville -- 13 people

--Evergreen Place in Alton -- 12 people, including one death

--Liberty Village of Maryville -- 12 people

--Cedarhurst of Bethalto -- 11 people

--Cedarhurst of Collinsville -- 10 people (newly reported Friday.)

--116-bed facility Care Center at Center Grove in Edwardsville -- 10 people

--Cedarhurst of Highland -- 10 people

--Cedarhurst of Godfrey -- 10 people

--94-bed facility Collinsville Rehabilitation and Healthcare -- six people, including two deaths

--Alhambra Rehab and Healthcare -- six people

--Villas of Holly Brook in Bethalto -- six people

--Cambridge House of Maryville -- four people (newly reported Friday.)

--86-bed facility Granite City Nursing and Rehab -- three people, including one death

--Faith Countryside -- three people

--Eden Village Retirement Community -- three people

--Hitz Memorial Home in Alhambra -- two people (newly reported Friday.

--Cedarhurst of Edwardsville -- two people

--Highland Healthcare -- two people

CLINTON COUNTY

Total: 268 people infected and 18 deaths as of Friday, an increase of 46 new infections and two deaths since Oct. 16. Long-term care facility residents and staff accounted for 16% of the infections countywide and 69% of the deaths.

--109-bed facility Carlyle HealthCare Center -- 92 people, including 15 deaths (one new infection announced since Oct. 16.)

--Warren G. Murray Developmental Center -- 73 people, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services (three new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--Clinton Manor Living Facility -- 44 people, including one death

--112-bed facility Breese Nursing Home -- 38 people, including one death (28 new infections and one death announced since Oct. 16.)

--97-bed facility Aviston Countryside Manor -- 14 people, including one death (newly reported Friday.)

--Villa Catherine -- seven people

MONROE COUNTY

Total: 153 people infected and 23 deaths as of Friday, an increase of seven new infections and one death since Oct. 16. Long-term care facility residents and staff accounted for 17% of the infections countywide and 85% of the deaths.

--144-bed facility Oak Hill in Waterloo -- 94 people, including 12 deaths (seven new infections and one death announced since Oct. 16.)

--Garden Place Columbia -- 38 people, including 11 deaths

--119-bed facility Integrity Healthcare-Columbia Rehab and Care Center -- 15 people

--Cedarhurst Senior Living in Waterloo -- six people

BOND COUNTY

Total: 40 people infected and four deaths as of Friday. Long-term care facility residents and staff accounted for 8% of the infections countywide and 40% of the deaths.

--90-bed facility Greenville Nursing and Rehab -- 21 people, including one death

--Cedarhurst of Greenville -- 19 people, including three deaths

RANDOLPH COUNTY

Total: 34 people infected as of Friday, an increase of 13 new infections since Oct. 16. Long-term care facility residents and staff accounted for 3% of the infections countywide.

--115-bed facility Red Bud Regional Care Center -- 15 people (13 new infections announced since Oct. 16.)

--Cedarhurst of Sparta -- 10 people

--75-bed facility Coulterville Rehabilitation & Health Care Center -- six people

--83-bed facility Three Springs Lodge -- three people

Whitney Oberlink, administrator of the Coulterville Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, said previously that two of the people affected by COVID-19 there were employees and that they recovered from the virus.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Total: Two people infected and one death as of Friday. Long-term care facility residents and staff accounted for 1% of the infections countywide and 100% of the deaths.

--Washington County Hospital, long-term care unit -- two people, including one death (newly reported Friday.)

State discrepancies

The Illinois Department of Public Health's update did not match information from the health departments in St. Clair and Madison counties for 15 long-term care centers on Friday.

The Department of Public Health said there were more cases or deaths at two locations in Madison County and at 13 locations in St. Clair County, including three facilities where St. Clair County has not reported outbreaks.

The St. Clair County Health Department did not immediately respond to a Belleville News-Democrat query this week about the three long-term care centers that are not included in its report on outbreaks.

The BND has not included numbers announced by the state in calculating totals if a county health department reports lower numbers.

The state relies on health departments for the information it reports and says on its website that the local agencies will have "the most up-to-date data."

Health departments and individual facilities in the metro-east have previously said the state's data was off.

___

Visit the Belleville News-Democrat (Belleville, Ill.) at www.bnd.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.