COVID-19 is Killing Nursing Home Residents Across L.A. County; Infection Control Violations Are to Blame
By: Jonathan Giovanazzi
According to a Los Angeles County analysis, the majority of nursing homes battling outbreaks of COVID-19 in L.A County and across the nation have been cited in the recent past for violating safety rules on preventing spread of disease.
The county reports that over 80% of facilities with cases of the coronavirus have had previous disease control violations that included lack of cleanliness throughout the facilities and mistreatment of infected patients.
The infection control data sparks questions on how prepared nursing facilities and their staff are when it comes to dealing with a global pandemic.
Nursing homes and other care facilities have become grounds for infectious diseases, including coronavirus. These facilities house hundreds of elderly citizens at a time, many of which already have underlying health issues. This makes them especially vulnerable to outbreaks.
The virus has killed over 7,000 residents and staff in nursing homes across the United States, according to several reports from last week. As of mid-April, almost 30% of coronavirus deaths in Los Angeles County were residents of nursing homes, county officials said.
Even the most popular and highly rated care facilities in the county are falling short when it comes to stopping COVID-19. The disease can be spread through asymptomatic carriers who look and feel healthy; this can be a staff member, family member, or friend. The Brier Oak on Sunset care center is a prime example. The center is quite popular amongst low and middle income families in the area, but shocked the state with reports of over 80 residents and 60 staff members test positive for the coronavirus.
Experts from across the healthcare field have warned citizens for months about the high death tolls expected from the elderly. The same goes to say about nursing homes, particularly homes with disease control deficiencies.
“Sadly, I saw this coming and many others did too,” said Matthew Hollock, Fire Chief for the Monterey Park Fire Department, when told of nursing home deaths across his county. The Heritage Manor nursing facility in Hollock’s city is currently coronavirus free. “I have met residents from Heritage Manor. The staff is great and the people are great. God Bless them.” When asked about why COVID-19 is spreading in certain nursing homes rather than others, Hollock responded with, “The problem isn’t the first responders and sometimes isn’t even the staff of the nursing homes. The issue comes from weak enforcement of health regulations by management.”
Infection control and patient care violations are the most common forms of violations within Los Angeles County nursing homes. Facilities who have been previously cited with such violations now have the most cases of the coronavirus.
A Los Angeles Times study finds that 59 out of 66 nursing facilities in the county with at least one COVID-19 infection were previously cited for infection control problems since 2017.
Country Villa South Convalescent Center in Los Angeles has shown a “below average” health inspection rating on Medicare, a government healthcare website, for years on end.
A recent federal health inspection on November 9, 2019 at C.V. South cited eight different care deficiencies towards patients. Regulators found that the facility has failed to develop policies to prevent patient mistreatment. The care center has also been cited for “not being able to reasonably accommodate the needs of each of its residents”. That and other violations put the home’s 87 residents at risk. It came as no surprise when the home had 58 residents and 15 staff members test positive for the virus.
There is no telling when the coronavirus will be rid of, but the virus has exposed a vital flaw in the healthcare industry. Countless nursing homes across the U.S. are not taking proper care of patients.
The Beachwood Post-Acute and Rehab center in Santa Monica has been at the center of controversy regarding patient well-being. The healthcare facility consistently receives complaints from residents and their families. Beachwood has gone viral for all of the wrong reasons, as it is one of the few facilities to earn a one-star rating on Medicare’s scale. This is the lowest possible health rating.
The facility puts its patients at an extreme risk of contracting infectious disease. Beachwood has had 50 different complaints in the past three years that have resulted in health citations. The total number of complaints amounts to over 100.
Beachwood had multiple cross-contamination citations in 2019. Medicare regulators found staff at Beachwood failing to clean ventilators when switching between multiple patients. Ventilators are a common way to help fight COVID-19 ridden patients.
“It’s very common to have infection control deficiencies during regulatory visits,” said Anton Novitsky, the administrator at Beachwood. He released his statements to multiple media platforms earlier this month, “With the number of nursing homes that have COVID cases, I don’t think there’s any correlation you can draw.”
The global pandemic continues to wreak havoc on nursing homes across the nation. The fight will continue across the globe to prevent the spread of COVID-19.