COVID-19 outbreak at Clarksville nursing home drives spike in Clark County cases

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A COVID-19 outbreak in a Clarksville, Indiana, nursing home accounted for a spike in cases of the illness in Clark County on Monday, the local health department said.

Indiana reported 50 additional cases of the coronavirus-caused sickness in Clark County, the fourth-highest number of newly diagnosed infections in the state.

The Wedgewood Healthcare Center in Clarksville had 44 new cases confirmed after testing done Friday, according to the Clark County Health Department. In all, 65 employees and residents of the center have tested positive.

Wedgewood is a 124-bed facility operated by Cincinnati-based CommuniCare. Spokesman Fred Stratmann said the first case was detected around April 5, and all residents were tested recently.

“We’re dealing with an uptick in cases, and we just wanted to know exactly what the full situation is," Stratmann said. "It’s just better to get a handle on the exact nature of outbreak in the center so we know the best way to treat it and to protect the residents who don’t have any symptoms or aren’t at risk.”

Stratmann didn't immediately know if any Wedgewood residents have died from COVID-19.

He said the facility's staff began putting residents who tested positive in “isolation units” once the first case was confirmed and took steps to protect other residents.

Among other things, he said, Wedgewood created “observation units” for new admissions or residents deemed to be at risk, using dedicated workers for each unit to avoid potential cross-contamination.

COVID-19 imposed new restrictions at Wedgewood, such as family members who were no longer allowed to bring in items for their loved ones, said Jessica Giles, a former staff member.

"Everything has to come from within and it’s just really really difficult," she said. "Every one of those workers that’s there really cares about the people they are working with and they want to do absolute everything they can to get them safe and to get them well."

Clark County Health Officer Dr. Eric Yazel said the Indiana state "strike team" that focuses on long-term care facilities has been at Wedgewood multiple times.

"Even though it seems crazy to all of a sudden have a huge number of 44 cases like this in a couple day period, that is the reality when you go through a facility and test everyone all at one time," Yazel said.

CommuniCare also has had positive COVID-19 cases at its Harrison Healthcare Center in Corydon and Sellersburg Healthcare Center in Clark County, Stratmann said.

The company's Sellersburg and Clarksville facilities were among four Clark County long-term care centers with infections, WDRB News reported earlier this month.

Laura Lindley, administrator of the Clark County Health Department, said six such facilities in the county have had confirmed COVID-19 cases but declined to identify them.

In all, 126 residents and employees of those centers have tested positive; 4 have died, she said.

Across Indiana, about one-third of the state's deaths from COVID-19 were people living in long-term care facilities, "which again illustrates the incredible vulnerability of our elderly community," said Dr. Dan Rusyniak, chief medical officer for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.

Speaking at a briefing in Indianapolis Monday, Rusyniak said as of last Friday, 1,467 residents in 85 facilities have tested positive for the illness. Of those, 260 have died.

He said new Indiana guidance will require facilities to designate a staff member to communicate daily with residents and their families or other representatives of the total number of cases and deaths, along with actions they have taken to prevent the illness from spreading.

Rusyniak said the new state guidance exceeds federal standards. Indiana, however, isn't publicly releasing the names of nursing homes where residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Indiana State Department of Health reported 964 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the most in a single day since the first case was confirmed in March. In all, 844 Hoosiers have died from the disease, and 88 are presumed to have died from it, according to state data.

No new deaths were disclosed in Clark County, where 13 people have died. Twelve Floyd County residents have died from COVID-19, but no new deaths were reported Monday.

More than 50 residents and staff have tested positive for the illness at Providence - A Diversicare Transitional Care Community in New Albany, where five have died, according to the Floyd County Health Department.

Cass County in north-central Indiana had the most new cases, with 439, followed by Marion County (133), Lake County (53) and Clark County.

Cass County's COVID-19 outbreak has been linked to a Tyson Foods plant in Logansport, the Pharos Tribune reported Friday.