UPDATE: Union County Nursing Home patient tests positive for COVID-19
Health, News April 25, 2020
UPDATE: April 27
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – In the April 27 Georgia Department of Community Health Long-Term Care Facility Report, it added a confirmed positive patient case in the Union County Nursing Home.
Previously, the government agency also listed a UCHS employee as positive for COVID-19. The April 27 data also increased the resident census to 140 residents.
Testing has become more available throughout Georgia, which will likely result in an increase in cases across the state.
Chatuge Regional Nursing Home also has one confirmed patient and one confirmed employee case.
Original Story Below
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – The Georgia Department of Community Health reported that one Union County Nursing Home Employee has tested positive for COVID-19.
As of April 24, no nursing home residents are listed as positive for COVID-19. However, a patient in Chatuge Regional Nursing Home was confirmed as positive on April 24.
Union County Nursing Home accommodates 138 residents according to community health. Chatuge Regional is home to 108 residents.
Union General Health System (UGHS) now has two confirmed employee cases since April 10 – one in Towns and one in Union. The health system’s policy doesn’t allow them to discuss employee or patient matters.
Both facilities previously closed the buildings to visitors and limited meals to in-room dining. UGHS has assured Fetch Your News multiple times that the system follows all CDC protocols for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents in both nursing homes are considered high-risk by the CDC and W.H.O. Several long-term care facilities across the country have been ravaged by COVID-19 including ones in Athens and Macon, Ga.
The CDC website stated that older patients may not exhibit typical COVID-19 symptoms, “such as fever or respiratory symptoms. Atypical symptoms may include new or worsening malaise, new dizziness, or diarrhea. Identification of these symptoms should prompt isolation and further evaluation for COVID-19.”
National Guard with Union County Nursing Home Staff, courtesy of nursing home.
The National Guard first visited Union County Nursing Home on April 22 to begin cleaning out the facility and will continue to sanitize the system’s buildings throughout weekend.
Once COVID-19 enters a facility, the CDC guidelines recommend “restricting all residents to their rooms and having HCP wear all recommended PPE for care of all residents (regardless of symptoms) on the affected unit (or facility-wide depending on the situation). This includes: an N95 or higher-level respirator (or facemask if a respirator is not available), eye protection, gloves, and gown. HCP should be trained on PPE use including putting it on and taking it off.”
With the high risk of unrecognized infection among residents, everyone in the facility must follow the outlined measures. Experience with the virus suggests that a “substantial proportion of residents could have COVID-19 without reporting symptoms or before symptoms develop.”
Facilities also are recommended to have a separate area to care for patients confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19. Ill residents must be checked at least three times daily to quickly determine if the level of care must be escalated.
The public health can assist in making decisions about testing asymptomatic residents.
Neighboring Long-Term Care Facilities with Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
The Blue Ridge Assisted Living and Memory Care facility has two employees who tested positive for COVID-19.
Pruitt Health Blue Ridge has one positive patient.
Dahlonega Assisted Living and Memory Care has one positive employee.
Please keep all these individuals and residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in your thoughts and prayers are this time.
Union General releases new guidelines, designates sick and well clinics
Health, News, Press Release March 27, 2020
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – In a press release issued by Union General Health System, the medical facility is updating its operating procedures and establishing sick and well clinics in the community.
In response to the Blairsville City Council’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Emergency Ordinance, Union General Health System will no longer perform elective procedures/diagnostic testing, until further notice. The decision to perform procedures will be on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the patient’s physician, based on the needs of the patient.
*If you have a procedure or diagnostic testing that has already been scheduled, you will be contacted by the hospital if it needs to be postponed or rescheduled.
Beginning on Monday, March 30th, Union General Health System will designate certain clinics as either sick clinics or well clinics. Union General Family Medicine will be designated as a sick clinic seeing both sick children and sick adults, Union General Pediatrics will be designated as a well clinic only performing well-child visits and the Union General Hospital Young Harris Clinic will be designated as a well clinic only performing well-adult visits.
As a reminder, for the safety and well-being of our patients and staff, Union General Hospital and Chatuge Regional Hospital, are currently on lockdown, until further notice. All doors are locked and will remain locked except the Main Entrance/Emergency Room Entrance at Union General Hospital and the Emergency Room Entrance at Chatuge Regional Hospital. No visitors will be allowed until further notice.
If you need treatment at either facility, a wellness screening will be performed. A series of questions will be asked and your temperature will be taken. If you have a fever and respiratory symptoms and have traveled within a widespread affected area within the past 14 days, or had exposure to someone with a confirmed COVID-19 case, please ask for a mask immediately.
All Union General Health System affiliated facilities have taken COVID-19 precautions. Some of these include, the Union County Nursing Home and Chatuge Regional Nursing Home are no longer allowing any visitors into their facility to help protect the health of their residents. The Union General Wellness Center and Union General Hospital Suches Clinic have closed indefinitely to help reduce the spread of the virus.
Union General told Fetch Your News that its respective nursing homes are following CDC guidelines for long-term care facilities. These guidelines include:
- Restrict all visitation except for certain compassionate care situations, such as end of life situations
- Restrict all volunteers and non-essential healthcare personnel (HCP), including non-essential healthcare personnel (e.g., barbers)
- Cancel all group activities and communal dining
- Implement active screening of residents and HCP for fever and respiratory symptoms
COVID-19 is being increasingly reported in communities across the United States. It is likely that SARS-CoV-2 will be identified in more communities, including areas where cases have not yet been reported. As such, nursing homes should assume it could already be in their community and move to restrict all visitors and unnecessary HCP from the facility; cancel group activities and communal dining; and implement active screening of residents and HCP for fever and respiratory symptoms.
Here’s a copy of the CDC emergency preparedness checklist for nursing homes.
For more information on COVID-19 and the latest updates to Union General Health Systems facilities, please visit www.UnionGeneralHealthSystem.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh2dCWk85Zw