It took eight months, but COVID-19 has found its way into Brown County’s only nursing home, Brown County Health & Living Community.
The facility, which reported 102 residents and 112 staff in April, had been COVID-free until November when staff members began to test positive, according to data posted on the state’s coronavirus website, coronavirus.in.gov.
The first two staff cases appeared in the facility on Nov. 3, the state’s database says. One more staff member tested positive on Nov. 17, two more on Nov. 19, then one on Nov. 24, three on Nov. 25 and three on Nov. 29.
The database says that 12 staff members have tested positive.
Residents began testing positive on Nov. 27 — three of them at that time, the database says. One more tested positive on Nov. 28 and two more on Nov. 29, for a total of six. However, no new data is showing past that date, so the total could be different now.
The database is showing no resident deaths at BCH&L due to COVID-19 as of Nov. 29.
Statewide, long-term care facilities have been some of the hardest hit areas for the virus. As of Dec. 9, 3,282 of the state’s 6,207 COVID deaths — 53 percent — were nursing home residents.
BCH&L reopened for limited in-person visitation over the summer and residents were able to gather together again in small groups.
Answers to questions sent to BCH&L and its parent company, CarDon and Associates, were not given by deadline.
Brown County Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Corey Frost forwarded additional questions which were sent to the health department to CarDon, and received the following response:
“CarDon will always remain appropriately transparent with associate and resident information,” wrote Mark Emerson, the Fishers-based regional director of operations for the company. “CarDon reports appropriate information through the varies channels determined by the Indiana State Department of Health, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). CarDon continues to communicate directly with all residents and associates regarding our Covid-19 status.”
