As of today, 45 residents of the Canterbury Health and Rehabilitation Center in Henrico County have died after suffering from complications caused by Coronavirus. This latest figure surpasses the number of lives lost in Life Care Center located in Washington State, previously the hardest hit nursing facility in the country. That nursing home has now been found in violation of several health codes which have resulted in $611,000.00 in fines to the facility.
ABC News 8 in Richmond reported this morning that most of the residents are dying in the Canterbury Health and Rehabilitation Center without ever going to the hospital. This may be in partly due to a statement made by Dr. Danny Avula, Health Director for the Richmond and Henrico districts who determined that many of the patients [from the Canterbury Health and Rehabilitation Center] did not have a good chance of surviving due to their age and previous underlying conditions and said “that it did not make sense for those people to be taken to the hospital to be resuscitated and then die anyway.”
Watch the ABC News 8 report https://www.wric.com/health/coronavirus/new-dispatch-call-released-as-canterbury-rehabilitation-healthcare-center-death-toll-grows-to-45/.
Dr. Jim Wright, Canterbury Medical Director, stated that he believes the worst of the crisis is behind them and that cleaning crews are disinfecting the facility, “almost around the clock”. He also added that staffing levels are up. In my opinion, they may have learned these lessons (that others within the industry already knew) at the expense of their patient’s lives.
While improvements in disinfecting are being made along with increasing staffing, family members of loved ones who reside in the facility must be wondering, “Why wasn’t this done before the outbreak occurred?” After all, the facility had plenty of warning that the virus was spreading, there was plenty of news that the elderly, as well as those with weakened immune systems were at the greatest risk for contracting the virus and subsequently dying!
Nursing homes are especially susceptible to outbreaks, in fact, over half of the 102 recorded outbreaks in the Commonwealth are located in nursing facilities. The Virginia Department of Health is refusing to release the names and locations of facilities where there are known outbreaks and leaving that responsibility to the directors of each nursing facility to do so at their discretion. This leaves families uniformed and incapable of making the best decision for their loved ones.
If you have a loved one in a long term care facility in Virginia, the evening news can be a source of major anxiety. I’m sure many Virginians are wondering what long-term facilities are doing to keep their loved ones safe. To help you stay informed, I have compiled a list of questions for you to ask the director of the long term care facility where your loved one lives.
1) Does the facility have procedures regarding cleaning and disinfecting? What cleaning solutions or methods are used? What is cleaned and how many times a day?
2) Has the facility restricted visitation to residents?
3) What are the screening procedures for healthcare workers entering the building?
4) Are workers allowed to have secondary jobs working in another healthcare or elder care facility?
5) Does the facility have enough personal protective equipment? How will they replenish their supply?
6) Is the facility adequately staffed?
7) What is the facilities plan if one of it’s residents or employees tests positive for COVID-19 and what are they doing to screen whether an employee or resident has COVID-19?
8) What is the facilities’ policy regarding the use of face masks?
9) When a resident re-enters the facility after a trip outside of the facility or a new resident moves into the building, will that resident be kept in isolation? If so, for how long?
10) If visitation is not restricted to residents and staff, what is the visitation policy of the facility, i.e. who is granted access and where; how are visitors screened; are masks required, etc.
Making the decision for any loved one to enter a nursing home, long-term care facility, or rehabilitation center is a tough one for any family. I truly believe that it is a last-resort for any family. Even in these uncertain times, you have the right to know if your loved one is being properly cared for and if safety precautions are in place to protect them from this horrible illness. If you have a loved one that has been sickened or died from complications associated with COVID-19 and contracted the disease while in a long term care facility, please call (540) 777-4900 for a free consultation with a nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer.
