By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Two more confirmed coronavirus deaths have been recorded at Pennsylvania run nursing homes for veterans and their spouses, according to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
The two additional deaths come on top of 26 Covid-19 deaths at the Southeast Veterans Center previously reported by the Chester County Coroner's Office.
Joan Nissley, the spokeswoman for the state agency, said that a total of 45 residents of the homes have tested positive, including 17 who have died.
Nissley said that in addition to the new deaths, 36 employees at the six state run veterans homes have tested positive for the virus although 18 of them have recovered and returned to work.
The coroner's death totals are higher than those reported by the state because some of the deaths occurred after the nursing home patients had been transferred to other health care facilities.
The deaths have prompted calls for an investigation from Christina Vanderpol, the county coroner and state Sen Katie Muth.
State Auditor General Eugene Depasquale has called on the state agency to release more details on the deaths.
The deaths at a Pennsylvania veterans facility come as deadly outbreaks from the coronavirus have been reported in veterans nursing homes in several other states. In Massachusetts a state run veterans home in Holyoke has had 68 Covid-19 deaths. An additional 82 residents have tested positive for the virus.
Other state run veterans home hit hard by the virus include New Jersey, Washington state and Alabama.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Monday, April 27, 2020
11 Victim Gap in State Vet Count
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Officials of the Pennsylvania agency that runs six nursing homes for veterans and their spouses has not reported all 26 of those coronavirus deaths apparently concluding that the reporting of 11 of those deaths are the responsibility of the hospitals where they finally died.
As of the end of last week Chester County Coroner Christina Vanderpol reported that 26 veterans residing at the Southeast Veterans Center had died from the Covid-19 virus.
At the same time officials of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs reported that only 15 veterans had died. The same figure was reported today by agency spokeswoman Joan Nissley.
Asked to explain the discrepancy, Nissley responded in an email* that "The facility where an individual dies is responsible for reporting the death. If a resident of a veterans home was transferred to a local hospital it would be the local hospital that would need to report the death."
Asked what veterans were included in the death counts issued by the agency over the past month, Nissley wrote,"We are counting our residents that have passed away at a veterans home or at a hospital that tested positive for Covid-19."
Asked whether some deceased veterans were being left out of the count, Nissley wrote, "The facility where the individual dies is responsible for reporting the death. If a resident of a veterans home was transferred to a local hospital it would be that local hospital that would need to report the death.
"With that said, we are reporting the number of veterans home residents that have passed away at a veterans home or at a hospital that tested positive for COVID-19," Nissley's email continued.
According to Nissley 33 staff members at the six veterans homes have tested positive and 14 of them have returned to work.
A total of 27 residents have tested positive, including the 15 who died, according to Nissley.
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Sunday, April 26, 2020
PA Covid-19 Cases Stll Rising
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in Pennsylvania with a new total of 41,165 victims, with many living in nursing homes or personal care homes.
State health officials disclosed today that an additional 1,116 new cases were reported since Saturday.
The department also provided a county by county breakdown of the numbers of cases reported from nursing homes and personal care facilities. The report does not identify the specific nursing homes.
Montgomery County in suburban Philadelphia had the highest total coming from the long term care facilities.
Overall the state has reported 6,812 cases of Covid-19 among residents of nursing homes and personal care facilities. In addition 822 employees of those 431 facilities also have tested positive. A total of 952 deaths of patients occurred in those long term facilities. Those deaths account for more than half of the state's overall Covid-19 death toll, 1550
The county breakdown shows a total of 1,182 Covid-19 victims were residing at 72 different Montgomery County facilities. Thirty-two employee at those facilities also tested positive for the disease. The report shows there were 168 deaths.
In neighboring Philadelphia 1,115 patients tested positive along with four employees of the 50 long term care facilities. According to the report 91 deaths were reported from the Philadelphia facilities.
At the opposite end of the state Allegheny county reported 254 residents of 32 long term facilities were sickened along with 82 employees. There were 52 deaths.
In Lancaster County 361 long term care patients were sickened with the virus along with 78 employees. There were 57 deaths.
Bucks County facilities reported 518 patients were infected along with 91 employees from a total of 43 facilities. There were 42 deaths.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Friday, April 24, 2020
Another PA Vet Dies in Pandemic
By Walter F. Roche
Another Pennsylvania veteran living in a state run veterans nursing home has passed away from the coronavirus pushing the total of deaths in the six facility system to 15.
New data released by the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs also show 31 employees at the state facilities have tested positive for Covid-19.
Twenty-three residents, including the 15 who died, also tested positive, according to Joan Nissley, spokeswoman for the agency.
Though the agency declined to disclose the exact facilities where the Covid-19 deaths occurred, the majority of the deaths were reported at the 238-bed Southeastern Veterans Center in Spring City Chester County.
Other state veterans nursing home facilities are located in Erie, Pittsburgh, Hollidaysburg, Scranton and Philadelphia.
State run nursing homes for veterans in other states have shown high numbers of Covid-19 deaths. Those include Massachusetts, New Jersey and Alabama.
Data from U.S. Veterans Administration shows large numbers of veterans have died from the virus in several geographic areas including Southeastern Louisiana where 33 deaths were reported among 455 veterans who tested positive for Covid-19. In East Orange, N.J. 44 veterans died from among 425 who tested positive. In the Bronx, N.Y. 439 veterans tested positive and 45 of them died.
The pandemic has hit not only nursing homes for veterans but nursing homes all over the country though some state officials have declined to give specifics.
Tennessee health officials, responding to media requests, today made public the names of nursing homes where patients diagnosed with Covid-19 and the number of those patients who died.
The list includes a facility once run by the city of Nashville, Nashville Community Care and Rehabilitation at Bordeaux, where 25 patients tested positive for the virus. The Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing reported that 161 patients were infected by the virus and 21 died.
According to the report some 478 patients at 25 Tennessee nursing homes tested positive for Covid-19 and 44 of those patients have died.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Einstein Exceeded Patient Limits
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
A Montgomery County hospital has been cited by state regulators for exceeding the licensed patient limits in a neonatal intensive care unit for a second time.
The Albert Einstein Medical Center in East Norriton also was faulted for failing to adhere to its own previously approved plan of correction after being cited for the same violation, exceeding the patient limits.
"It was determined the facility failed to correct its deficient practice based on the Plan of Correction as submitted by the facility and approved last year," the report states.
Details of the violations were spelled out in a state Health Department report dated March 6 and made public this week by the state agency.
According to the report the neo-natal unit was licensed for a maximum of nine patients and under the previously approved plan of correction the facility was required to implement a plan to transfer any excess patients to an adequate level of care "until such time as a transfer can occur."
In three of three cases reviewed by a state surveyor Einstein failed to transfer neonatal patients to "an appropriate level of care."
In a new plan of correction filed by Einstein, the hospital said it would implement an expansion plan to accommodate additional patients.
The plan calls for the NICU capacity to be increased from nine to 13 patients. The plan calls for the expansion to be completed by June 30.
Einstein officials did not respond to questions about the current status of the expansion.
The hospital's plan of correction also calls for re-education of staff members and an audit program to ensure compliance.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
A Montgomery County hospital has been cited by state regulators for exceeding the licensed patient limits in a neonatal intensive care unit for a second time.
The Albert Einstein Medical Center in East Norriton also was faulted for failing to adhere to its own previously approved plan of correction after being cited for the same violation, exceeding the patient limits.
"It was determined the facility failed to correct its deficient practice based on the Plan of Correction as submitted by the facility and approved last year," the report states.
Details of the violations were spelled out in a state Health Department report dated March 6 and made public this week by the state agency.
According to the report the neo-natal unit was licensed for a maximum of nine patients and under the previously approved plan of correction the facility was required to implement a plan to transfer any excess patients to an adequate level of care "until such time as a transfer can occur."
In three of three cases reviewed by a state surveyor Einstein failed to transfer neonatal patients to "an appropriate level of care."
In a new plan of correction filed by Einstein, the hospital said it would implement an expansion plan to accommodate additional patients.
The plan calls for the NICU capacity to be increased from nine to 13 patients. The plan calls for the expansion to be completed by June 30.
Einstein officials did not respond to questions about the current status of the expansion.
The hospital's plan of correction also calls for re-education of staff members and an audit program to ensure compliance.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
State Hospital Patients Isolated
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Twenty-one patients at the Norristown State Hospital who have tested positive for the coronavirus have been placed in isolation units, according to a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania agency that oversees the state hospital system.
Erin James, the spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services, said the isolated patients at the state psychiatric facility are provided with "medical care that supports their recovery."
She said that if necessary the ailing patients are subsequently transferred to an area general hospital for more intensive treatment.
The spokeswoman said hospital personnel caring for the infected patients are provided with personal protective gear as recommended by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Health Department.
The state reported this week that 21 Norristown patients and 67 hospital employees have tested positive for the deadly virus. The number of infected patients jumped by two over the past 24 hours. The facility has 343 patients and 776 employees.
Several employees at the facility have complained about the lack of protection from the disease and the failure of the facility leaders to provide adequate and up to date information on the pandemic's impact at the Montgomery County facility.
Meanwhile officials of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs reported no new Covid-19 deaths at the six veterans nursing homes run by the agency. However two more staffers have tested positive, pushing the total to 29.
One additional resident at the homes also tested positive pushing the total to 22. Most of the resident victims reside at the Southeastern Veterans Center in Montgomery County. Most of the deaths in the state veterans centers occurred at that same facility.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Twenty-one patients at the Norristown State Hospital who have tested positive for the coronavirus have been placed in isolation units, according to a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania agency that oversees the state hospital system.
Erin James, the spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services, said the isolated patients at the state psychiatric facility are provided with "medical care that supports their recovery."
She said that if necessary the ailing patients are subsequently transferred to an area general hospital for more intensive treatment.
The spokeswoman said hospital personnel caring for the infected patients are provided with personal protective gear as recommended by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Health Department.
The state reported this week that 21 Norristown patients and 67 hospital employees have tested positive for the deadly virus. The number of infected patients jumped by two over the past 24 hours. The facility has 343 patients and 776 employees.
Several employees at the facility have complained about the lack of protection from the disease and the failure of the facility leaders to provide adequate and up to date information on the pandemic's impact at the Montgomery County facility.
Meanwhile officials of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs reported no new Covid-19 deaths at the six veterans nursing homes run by the agency. However two more staffers have tested positive, pushing the total to 29.
One additional resident at the homes also tested positive pushing the total to 22. Most of the resident victims reside at the Southeastern Veterans Center in Montgomery County. Most of the deaths in the state veterans centers occurred at that same facility.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Patients, Staff Test Positive at PA State Hospital
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Nineteen patients and 67 staffers at the Norristown State Hospital have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data from the state Department of Human Services.
The facility, located in Montgomery County west of Philadelphia, is one of three state hospitals with COVID-19 cases.
The disclosure comes amid growing protests by the employees of Norristown facilities about the failure to protect employees and advise them of infection risks.
According to the report, 19 patients out of the 341 at the facility and 67 employees out of 776 have tested positive. The hospital serves as a long term psychiatric treatment facility.
At the Wernersville State Hospital in Berks County seven of the 262 current patients have tested positive, while 13 of the 580 employees have tested positive to the coronavirus. At Torrance State Hospital in Westmoreland County one staffer has tested positive, according to DHS data.
The agency reported that at other facilities under its supervision, including the division of youth services, no positive COVID-19 test results have been recorded.
A DHS spokeswoman said the agency has yet to compile the infection data at human services providers under contract with the state.
Meanwhile the death toll inched upward at six state veterans homes in Pennsylvania. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said two additional deaths pushed the total to 14. Most of those deaths occurred at the Southeastern Veterans Center in Chester County.
She said 27 staffers have tested positive as have 21 residents.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
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